Well, there go my chances of playing on the Professional Golf Tour (PGA). Of course, it has nothing to do with the fact that I can't keep my golf ball out of the water. Nor can I curb my temper enough to regroup after one of my many horrifying shots. However, all that can be worked on through a lifetime of lessons (though I believe I am beyond help) -- but rumor of a facial-hair policy for the PGA means I will never join Tiger, Phil, or Sergio on the tour.
Reportedly, the PGA Tour has started working on a set of guidelines covering appearance and decorum on the course. Supposedly, this plan has been in the works since last summer. The GolfWorld article linked to above notes that this was around the time that Mike Weir (a Canadian) sought advice from Wayne Gretzky on how to succeed in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Gretzky tells Weir to grow a playoff beard (a long-standing tradition in hockey), which would be verboten with this new rule.
Anyone who saw the Ryder Cup last year should understand the appeal of the everyman in the Tiger-less PGA. Who can forget Boo Weekly riding his driver off the first tee for the Americans? Seriously, not only did it set the tone, but it made the game fun. I don't know how much they focused on his fans on TV, but at Valhalla, you couldn't miss the ghosts in camo sheets with orange hunting hats yelling BOOOOOOO at every chance. Boo Weekly brought the game back to the common man -- I guess it is a good thing that he doesn't have a beard.
Yes, Tiger will be back, bringing the identity of the PGA Tour with him. But, you have to admit that last year was fun. Hunter Mahan, J.B. Holmes, Kenny Perry, Boo Weekly -- that group would be as comfortable rocking on the front porch swilling PBRs as it would be on the first tee.
Now, the PGA Tour wants to take its everyman appeal and shave it? Let the golf players look like golf players. Of course, if they want to ban something, how about the terrifying color combinations, white belts, and pinks/oranges that everyone seems to be wearing. Seriously, the last time I hit the course, the brightest thing near me was the glare off my wife's pink driver as she outdrove me -- straight down the middle (anyone know how frustrating that is?).
Give the game back its Joe Golfer appeal and make courses cheaper, that's how you will associate with the common fan, not by making them shave.
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