Golf Club Owners Hope Smaller Course Means Bigger Enjoyment

People just aren't golfing as much anymore. While there were 3.6 million new players last year, 4.6 million called it quits in 2010, according to the National Golf Foundation. Looking to reverse this trend, the owners of Tierra Rejada Golf Club in Moorpark recently turned to an old friend, golf industry veteran and Malibu resident Walter J. Rosenthal.

The collaborators came up with The Players Course, a shorter course within a course. At approximately 5,600 yards, it is 500 yards shorter than the shortest courses. The club is hoping this will not only attract new players, but also encourage people who have left the game to give it another try.

"For our aging population, the venue one selects must be sensitive to the fact that none of us can hit the ball the way we could when we were younger," said Rosenthal, who recently retired as chairman of The Bobby Jones Golf Co. "My two sons can now hit the ball 70 to 100 yards farther than I can, and I was once a pretty fair golfer and athlete. They're playing a different game than I am."

Tierra Rejada co-owner Ted Kruger said, "Golf has become too tough for too long. It's become challenging to the point we might have lost players over the years."

The club is also offering some optional new rules designed with the fun factor in mind. They include minimized penalty strokes and specially designed drop areas.

"It's frustrating enough if you've just lost a golf ball in a ravine, lake or natural area,” Kruger said. “Why penalize the average to weak golfer two strokes? Golf should be fun and scores should be lower. That's what playing The Players Course is all about."

Some traditionalists may scoff, but it's a trend promoted by the Professional Golfers' Association and United States Golf Association, which recently announced a nationwide initiative called Tee it Forward. It encourages golfers to play the course at a length that is aligned with their average driving distance. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus is a supporter.

"All of us deeply involved in the game constantly encourage golfers of all skill levels to play the proper tees, but too often, golfers want to bite off as much of the golf course as they can," he said in a statement released last month. "What ends up suffering is their scorecard and overall enjoyment. This program should help stimulate people to play the proper tees and maximize the golf experience."

Rosenthal said with the governing bodies and Nicklaus aboard, he expects the course within a course concept to become a nationwide trend.

"Once the better golf courses retool and create, where possible, a course within a course for the average player, the game once again becomes fun and playable," he said. "Once you experience a golf course—particularly one as beautiful as Tierra Rejada—located in the environmentally protected area of Conejo Valley—you will want to return again and again to a place that was designed with your imperfect game in mind."

Go  for more information on Tierra Rejada.