Bigger cup expected to pull in more players

On a wall in the pro shop at Carnoustie Golf Club hangs the putter that Jean van de Velde used in the 1999 British Open.

Blowing that tournament in such remarkable fashion clouded the fact that he putted brilliantly all week, registering just 101 putts in four rounds.

The best putter on this year’s European Tour — of which Paul McGinley was one — averaged out at around 28 putts per round.

In amateur golf, however, those figures regularly rise as high as 40. Putting is the one area of the game that continues to both confound and frustrate. Sometimes, it turns people away.

If that sounds like you then consider how you might fare if the hole was almost four times bigger, 15 inches in diameter to be exact.

The concept will make its competitive Irish debut on Friday at the Royal Tara Golf Club in Meath — host to the 2013 All-Ireland Cups and Shields finals — in an open tournament open to members and visitors.

Aside from dramatically reducing the amount of putts per round, Taylormade-Adidas Golf — which has already launched the concept in America — points to a whole range of positive spin-offs.

It reckons you will, on average, reduce your nine-hole score by four shots, complete your game in up to half the time and generally cut out all the stress of three-putting and six-foot knee knockers.

In a recent club competition at Royal Tara, resident professional John Byrne experimented with the 15-inch cup at the 18th hole, to interesting effect.

“The fear of missing putts is actually still there,” reported Byrne, an ambassador for Taylormade-Adidas Golf Ireland. “In fact, it’s more apparent as the cup is now more than three times bigger. Who wants to miss that in front of their mates? Of course, you still have to get to the green which we all know is a massive part of the game. Most importantly, it’s great fun.”

Byrne counts himself as a golfing ‘purist’ but believes the 15-inch hole idea has the potential to regenerate the game, renewing interest among dormant golfers and bringing out more first-timers.

nTo play in Friday’s 15-inch cup tournament contact the Royal Tara Golf Club pro shop at 0469026009.