US News Metro Long Island Politics

Sports NFL MLB Olympics NBA NHL College Football College Basketball WNBA

Business Personal Finance

Entertainment TV Movies Music Celebrities Awards Theater

Lifestyle Weird But True Sex & Relationships Viral Trends Human Interest Parenting Fashion & Beauty Food & Drink Travel

Health Wellness Fitness Health Care Medicine Men’s Health Women’s Health Mental Health Nutrition

Science Space Environment Wildlife Archaeology

Today’s Paper Covers Columnists Horoscopes Crosswords & Games Sports Odds Podcasts Careers

Email Newsletters Official Store Home Delivery Tips

Switch between CA and NY editions here.

Make golf fun again: Bring the noise

This week, the golf world will once again descend on Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., for the 90th installment of the Masters, arguably the greatest of professional golf’s four major championships (after the US Open and the British Open). 

It’s a tournament where tradition and stomach-churning sycophancy is everything and where a word or a gesture out of turn can see players, caddies and fans — sorry, “patrons” — banned sine die.

Don’t run. Don’t shout. Don’t even think about bringing a chair with armrests. 

Yes, the Masters stands alone in its super strict enforcement of rules, but their ruthless policy is indicative of a game that can’t escape a past where politeness and propriety were always prerequisites to playing.

The trouble today is that golf doesn’t need civility and silence—it needs noise. 

And in an era where every sport is battling for attention, fan energy is currency.

You got a hint of it at the recent Players’ Championship at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla., when England’s Matt Fitzpatrick was booed in the final round as he lost out to American........

© New York Post