Brushing aside lingering hangovers, nasty and anti-social effects of the dreaded lurgy and thoroughly justified feelings of low self-esteem for breaking new year resolutions after less than a week, let�s plough straight into 10 golfing wishes, rational or otherwise, for 2009.
BRUSHING aside lingering hangovers, nasty and anti-social effects of the dreaded lurgy and thoroughly justified feelings of low self-esteem for breaking new year resolutions after less than a week, let's plough straight into 10 golfing wishes, rational or otherwise, for 2009.
1 The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews to adopt modern membership policies
It is always easy to wag the finger of castigation at the all-male and elderly membership of the world's foremost golf club, but these are stricken times and the point now is more relevant than ever.
With Scotland's golf clubs going through an ageing crisis, women golfers under 50 on the verge of extinction and men in their prime not far behind, the ruling world body of golf outside of the US and Mexico could shine a ray of enlightenment by offering memberships not only to the distaff side but to juniors, whether or not their fathers are members, and to families as well.
The business side of the club known by the abbreviated R&A have adopted a modern and open approach to their work. It is long overdue for the club side to follow suit. Ditto for the two all-male, high-profile clubs in Scotland on the Open Championship rota.
2 Sandy Lyle to be appointed Europe's Ryder Cup captain for next year's match in Wales
The 15-player tournament committee of the European Tour that will recommend the next captain meet in Abu Dhabi next week with this burning issue high on the agenda. Only one member of that body, Paul Lawrie, who is firmly behind Lyle, has a major championship to his credit.
Lyle, who has won two majors and is the only one of the Famous Five of the 1980s and 1990s not to be so honoured, needs no persuasion, he is eminently qualified, has no peer on that committee, and his appointment should go through on the nod.
3 Rockets up the jacksies of all slow players
That includes Trevor Immelman. If the blue touch paper had been lit, the admiration he earned for winning the Masters last year would have been so much greater, especially on this side of the Atlantic where most people nodded off long before he donned the green jacket.
He and Brandt Snedeker took 5hr 10min to play the final round, and that's about two hours too long for a two-ball.
Slow play is golf's festering sore. Under normal conditions rounds lasting more than four hours should be treated with zero tolerance from club golf upward.
Over five hours and the Laura Davies policy should be applied: shoot them!
4 Do things by halves for club golfers
Even four hours is too long for many people. The Council of National Golf Unions have sanctioned nine-hole medals to count for handicap purposes. Introduction of these could attract more people to the game. While we're at it, reduce the maximum number of clubs from 14 to seven. That will be fewer to carry and theoretically halve the cost, making the game less expensive to take up.
5 Bin all dress codes
Hygiene and cleanliness are more important. Be honest, how many of us collared shirt-wearers bother to have a shower after a round of golf?
6 Merger for the Scottish Golf Union and Scottish Ladies Golfing Association
In these days of equal rights for women golfers there is no further need for a ladies' association. Neither is there any need for a body whose responsibility is solely for men. The merged Golf Union of Wales have provided the lead.
7 Scots to be involved in Solheim Cup and Walker Cup victories
After Ryder Cup and Curtis Cup defeats last year, all four of the big matchplay trophies are in US custody, the Ryder Cup having been contested without any Scottish players for the first time in the modern era. Europe's women professionals and Great Britain & Ireland's men amateurs both have the chance to correct that this autumn on American soil.
8 A fast start for young, up-and-coming Scottish professionals
With no Scottish men players in the world's top 100 there is scope for Martin Laird on the PGA Tour and Richie Ramsay and Callum Macaulay on the European Tour to take the lead in the post-Colin Montgomerie era. Granted, there is also scope for Montgomerie to prove that statement wrong.
Equally, there is room for young Scottish women professionals to supplant Catriona Matthew, Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay.
9 Healthy and successful returns for Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie
One might be a big-time winner and the other not yet a winner but these are two golfers oozing with charisma who are badly needed back in regular action to keep golf to the fore.
10 A dinner date for Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia
Theirs is a phoney war conjured in the minds of two great golfers and rivals chasing the same prizes. They should get together during the Middle East swing this month, air their differences, and then get on with the serious business of knocking great lumps out of each other - in a nice way like Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson used to do.
