What do want? Instant gratification. When do we want it? Now. In fact, we probably want it quicker than that.
While many lament the five-and-a-bit hour slogs of 72-hole strokeplay events that often make the 1900 mile march of the Mormon Battalion look like the 100-yard dash, this weekend’s GolfSixes at The Centurion Club near St Albans is all about rapid-fire action and easily digestible golfing fare.
Even the official logo of the GolfSixes has an almost breathless look to it and has been compressed for convenient consumption. There’s no space between the ‘Golf’ bit and the ‘Sixes’ bit, presumably because that would waste valuable nanoseconds of folk’s time.
With 16 teams fighting it out in a six hole greensomes format, it’s very much the joy of six over the next couple of days. Some would say that setting an alarm at 6am in the morning, meanwhile, is not everybody’s idea of fun.
There is a laid back atmosphere to this latest tournament on the European Tour schedule but it’s very much business as usual for Richie Ramsay.
“I got up at six and went to the gym at 6.15,” reported Ramsay, who was part of the Scottish team which finished third in the inaugural GolfSixes a year ago with Marc Warren and has a new partner this time in the shape of Scott Jamieson. “I wouldn’t be doing that if I wasn’t energised to try to be successful this week.”
While there will be the various accoutrements and razzmatazz that now come as standard any time a sport experiments with invention - grinning celebrity hosts, player walk-on music and accompanying fireworks – the battle for the sixes will be given an added layer of genuine intrigue by the battle of the sexes.
The England women’s pairing of Georgia Hall and Charley Hull will square up to an England men’S team of Eddie Pepperell and Matt Wallace, who have both won on the European Tour this season, in the opening session of group games this morning.
“We’ll get some stick on social media if we lose,” chortled Pepperell, who was one of the advocates for getting the good ladies involved in the first instance. “I said I’d rather beat the ladies on Saturday and miss every cut the rest of the year than lose to them.”
Pepperell may have been joking about his male pride taking a dunt, but there is the serious aspect to proceedings with the female players getting the chance to showcase themselves to, potentially, a very different audience than normal.
The Solheim Cup duo of Hall and Hull, with plenty of youthful exuberance and impressive track records behind them, will provide a stern challenge to their male counterparts on a course set up with different tees to provide a level-playing field.
Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, who is partnering the European Ryder Cup skipper Thomas Bjorn in a handy-looking mixed pairing this weekend, knows what a good opportunity this is for the women’s game as a whole.
“If a ladies team won it would be great,” said the current European Solheim Cup captain “But even if the mixed team won it would be great,” she added with a smile.
“For female golf and the Ladies European Tour it is great exposure to have our players in this with the men. I suppose those who’ve never been to a ladies event might be surprised by the standard. Those who’ve been around women’s golf will know how good we are.
“We need the separate tees. We just can’t compete with the guys, we can’t hit it as far and the ideal scenario is where you have the same shots into the greens with the same clubs.
“We’ll never say we can compete with them length wise, we’re just not built the same. But that’s the beauty of golf. You can set up a course where you can do that.”
Hull, the 22-year-old who has won on both the European and LPGA circuits, is relishing the prospect of going toe-to-toe with her male counterparts.
“When I was younger and starting out playing golf, I only ever played alongside the boys,” recalled the former Curtis Cup player. “Once I start competing against girls it actually felt a bit strange. It’s good to be back playing against the lads.”
After today’s opening series of matches, the top two teams from each of the four groups will progress to Sunday’s knock-out stages.
It’s one of those rare team events where Scotland actually have a chance of qualifying out of the group.
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