Time to bestow gifts on golfers

Tis the season and in the spirit of that season I thought it was proper to devote this column to the gifts I’d like to bestow on golfers, organizations and the sport in general.
So let’s get right to it.
Rory McIlroy — No more kickabouts. Professional athletes can’t live in a bubble, but when you are the very best in your sport and poised to perhaps have a great season, pickup soccer games with friends in a field probably aren’t advisable. A season lost at his age can never be recovered and with the kind of talent he has, who knows what he might have done had he stayed healthy.
Jordan Spieth — A mental snapshot of your 2015 to stay with you forever. Your game was spectacular and as a person you were even better. Many people, golf fans and non-fans, young and old, are wishing you continued success and a shot at that magic number of 18 majors down the road. Not that I think this would happen, but please don’t turn into the last guy who tried to take down Jack Nicklaus.
The USGA — A pass on Chambers Bay with the promise you’ll never do that again. The decision to take the U.S. Open to the great Northwest was a good one. The choice of Chambers Bay was a bad one. The course was obviously not ready for prime time, made it difficult (if not impossible) for spectators to watch the action on the course and did not create good visuals on TV. Combine that with the horrible first impression made by the FOX broadcast crew and it was a long week.
Jason Day — A healthy and even greater 2016. The man from Down Under contended for the U.S. Open title despite battling the effects of vertigo, was in the hunt at the British Open and won the PGA Championship. He has a chance to become the greatest Aussie player ever, better than Peter Thomson, Greg Norman and Adam Scott. Considering the difficult childhood he had to endure, I’m rooting for him.
Tiger Woods — The ability and graciousness to accept that he’s no longer capable of competing at the level he once did. Even if he is able to come back, it will be as a lesser player. His reputation in terms of how he interacted with fans is not great and he could do some repair to that if he accepts his new place in the game with the style and grace Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus did when their time came.
Oakmont Country Club — Three more months of winter just like December. As members and officials anxiously await the 2016 U.S. Open in June, their eyes are glued to the skies and weather forecasts. Fearing the kind of ice damage that struck several of the vaunted putting surfaces last winter, it’s pins and needles time for the folks at OCC. Perfect greens in June will make for a great U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Adam Scott — Patience and some magic dust for his putter. The anchored putting ban goes into effect Jan. 1. Players such as Adam Scott, who won a Masters with his long putter, will no longer be able use that stroke to get his ball into the hole. Scott went to the long putter because he didn’t putt well and now he’s back to the conventional stroke. Could be a trying year for the Aussie.
Golf in Western Pennsylvania — Better weather and filled tee sheets. It was a tough year for golf courses, public and private, in 2015. Weather isn’t controllable and neither are tee sheets. But the two are inseparable and, for an industry that’s struggled greatly for quite a while now, it would be nice to see the two combine in a positive way to help the hard-working folks who provide us places to play this great game.
And finally, to all of you, my readers. My heartfelt thanks for reading my thoughts each week, whether you agree or disagree. I appreciate you taking time to do so.
My wish for you is a peaceful winter, plenty of sun-splashed spring and summer days and the best year of golf of your life.
n n n
Do you have an interesting story about your club or course or an individual who has done something special, let me know. Send your story ideas to mike.dudurich@gmail.com.