A Modest Proposal for the Development of a Winning Ryder Cup Team

[Birdie Wooster]

To all potential future Ryder Cup team members:

 

As you play your normal schedules through the year, each time you come to a course you have played under tournament conditions two or more times, you will be required to participate in foursomes matches on Tuesday morning with and against other potential team members. You will also be required to gamble .01% of your career official earnings on the outcomes of these matches and to have the cash on hand to give to the winners when the match ends. The winners will take this money and give it to the charity of their choice, and no one, not the players and not the IRS, will worry about the drop-in-the-bucket tax implications. Sort out the partnerships among yourselves.

 

Thoughts?

[buckeyefl]

Heres a more modest proposal. Play better.

You idea wont fly because of scheduling. Also how do you force players to gamble their own money?

[thatboygaule]

So tiger needs 11k in cash in hand each week? I know its like two cents for him compared to us, but still to have that as cash each week?? Why not just get them to play their practice rounds with each other so they get used to their company

[DavePelz4]

[quote name='Birdie Wooster' timestamp='1412614819' post='10243599']
To all potential future Ryder Cup team members:

As you play your normal schedules through the year, each time you come to a course you have played under tournament conditions two or more times, you will be required to participate in foursomes matches on Tuesday morning with and against other potential team members. You will also be required to gamble .01% of your career official earnings on the outcomes of these matches and to have the cash on hand to give to the winners when the match ends. The winners will take this money and give it to the charity of their choice, and no one, not the players and not the IRS, will worry about the drop-in-the-bucket tax implications. Sort out the partnerships among yourselves.

Thoughts?
[/quote]

Paul McGinley petitioned the Euro tour to control the pairings for tournaments. He had, for example, McDowell and Victor D play together in certain events so they got comfortable with each other and could build a relationship. It's little things like that which certainly help.

[nochct1]

Sounds like a terrible idea. The goal at each tournament is to win. Especially at a major. Practicing for an exhibition should not be part of tournament prep.

The Ryder Cup captain should have the pairings done a week before the Ryder Cup and then have the players practice together when they get on site. No need to practice at every tour stop.

In case you forgot, the US had a pretty big lead at Medinah. They lost because of singles. How does your proposal take care of that?

[ABgolfer2]

[quote name='nochct1' timestamp='1412620653' post='10244143']
Sounds like a terrible idea. The goal at each tournament is to win. Especially at a major. Practicing for an exhibition should not be part of tournament prep.

The Ryder Cup captain should have the pairings done a week before the Ryder Cup and then have the players practice together when they get on site. No need to practice at every tour stop.

In case you forgot, the US had a pretty big lead at Medinah. They lost because of singles. How does your proposal take care of that?
[/quote]

They need to be more awesome for all 3 days. This year they had a horrible Saturday. 2 years ago it was Sunday. The good new: in 2016 when they have their horrible day on Friday we can all forget about golf on Saturday and Sunday. Let's go outside and enjoy the last of the nice weather.

[PGArox]

[quote name='buckeyefl' timestamp='1412616541' post='10243741']
Heres a more modest proposal. Play better.
[/quote]

Bingo!

[Birdie Wooster]

You guys thought that was an actual policy proposal? Have you ever read the original "Modest Proposal"?

No one can make that or anything like it happen -- except, that is, the players themselves. I have been pretty hard on Watson in the other thread, and I still think he did a really bad job and that Phil was more or less right to humiliate him in public. BUT -- if the U.S. players are serious about winning the Ryder Cup in the future, nothing is stopping them from doing something like what I described (or, hopefully, much better) ON THEIR OWN. If Mickelson wants to be a leader, then let him build a consensus behind the scenes for the players likely to make the next team to practice together in pairings. Everyone wants to win on gameday, right? But if you don't prepare, lose, feel really bad for 48 hours, and then wait two more years for it to roll around again, then -- say what you will -- you don't really care. If you won't play a few extra rounds of golf (doesn't it sound ridiculous when you come out and say it?) to gain an advantage, then YOU DO NOT REALLY CARE. No captain is ever going to create better pods than the players could if they wanted to. Lanny Wadkins told some stories when he was on Feherty's show about playing money matches every Tuesday with Raymond Floyd and Hale Irwin as his partners. How could that level of familiarity and trust not help when the Ryder Cup rolled around? On the other hand, two good players might find out the hard way that they don't get along or play well together, but at the expense of a few hundred or thousand dollars rather than by losing to Europe.

But my main point is that the players need to put up or shut up. If the captain situation is so bad, if the PGA cannot be counted on to get things right, then at some point they need to learn their lesson and say thanks, but no thanks, we will handle it. Nominate whatever honorary figurehead you want, and we will act like he is a genius for pairing the players and picking the sweaters, but we are going to prepare ourselves, not the week before, but for the two years before, and then we are going to go win.

[dukeman]

More ideas based on two premises......1. Most of our guys have lost so much they are shell shocked. ...so many bad memories they can not play their best....the ryder cup yips, if you will. 2. Some players talk the talk, but deep down they do not want to be there.....too much pressure, not getting paid, strange formats, etc.

Top 3 money list for the calendar year make the team. Dollars adjusted 3% upward per month as we get closer to the competition.i.e. dollars earned in month 8 of the year get bumped 24% upward.

After top three, it is all captain picks based on past performance and demonstrated desire to be there.

Do you have a losing RC record? You must sit out at least one competition before you can be picked. We 're going with new blood. We have to find more Patrick Reeds. Guys who want to ruin your day even more than they want to shoot good scores.

Were you invited to RC practice sessions during the year? Did you skip them? You're out.

Did you play alternate shot practice matches set up during the year by the captain? No? Sorry for you. Those that do will get preferred consideration.

Did you cultivate a partnership during the year? For example, did you play ten captain approved foursome or four ball matches with the same guy? That's desire. Did you win them? Even better.

Those are three ideas to find out who really wants to play. I'm sure there are many more.

Some of our "top" Players may not make the team under this format. They will object to the extra effort. So what....all our top players have losing records. If we are going to lose, I would rather lose with guys who really want to be there.

[MtlJeff]

In all seriousness, i think they'd have more luck just having a commitee pick the entire team, and focusing largely on players who hang out together and like each other. Guys who would have fun and want to win together. I've said it in a few of the 36,000 threads we've had here, but the Euro guys just seem to love the Ryder Cup, love playing together and winning together. It's really important to them

I don't care where the US guys are ranked, if you have guys ranked 36th and 42nd but they love the RC and like hanging out and playing together....they'll probably do well.

[mark m]

Best case scenario

Players play consistently well for the next 2 years so that they will be eligible for both the Presidents Cup and the 2016 Ryder Cup.

The US wins the 2015 Pres Cup and some good new combinations for foursomes transfer over for the RC

Our top players stay healthy and are playing well going into the RC

The weather is good at Hazeltine

The better players who have qualifed for the Shark Shoot-Out [u]commit[/u] to playing in it this year and next. I see they changed the format and now better ball is the final round (instead of scramble). I like this as there will be more pressure to make birdies on your own ball in the last round. I know some of you will probably yawn at this - but show me another tournament where you play fourball and alternate (although this is a modified alternate where both players hit the tee shots) and perhaps find a good partner for the PC and RC. Good things can come out of it.

As you may know - I hope for a change in the RC format to the PC format.

And the last 2 - we have a good Captain and we play better

[llamont]

[quote name='PGArox' timestamp='1412624151' post='10244457']
[quote name='buckeyefl' timestamp='1412616541' post='10243741']
Heres a more modest proposal. Play better.
[/quote]

Bingo!
[/quote]

I couldn't agree more!!!! Changing the format because one side keeps losing isn't fixing anything. Players need to adjust their schedules and practice routines accordingly. Selecting an easier route is not the answer. Aside from talent, players/coaches need to have Heart... That seems to be lacking.

[mark m]

[quote name='llamont' timestamp='1412641592' post='10246093']
[quote name='PGArox' timestamp='1412624151' post='10244457']
[quote name='buckeyefl' timestamp='1412616541' post='10243741']
Heres a more modest proposal. Play better.
[/quote]

Bingo!
[/quote]

I couldn't agree more!!!! Changing the format because one side keeps losing isn't fixing anything. Players need to adjust their schedules and practice routines accordingly. Selecting an easier route is not the answer.
[/quote]

A format change to something along the lines of the PC format does not improve the US team's chances in anyway. They probably would have lost by more points this year. It would just provide for more golf and all players would have to compete in all 3 formats (fourball, foursomes, and singles). It also provides for flexibility in scheduling if the weather is poor.

[llamont]

[quote name='mark m' timestamp='1412641899' post='10246119']
[quote name='llamont' timestamp='1412641592' post='10246093']
[quote name='PGArox' timestamp='1412624151' post='10244457']
[quote name='buckeyefl' timestamp='1412616541' post='10243741']
Heres a more modest proposal. Play better.
[/quote]

Bingo!
[/quote]

I couldn't agree more!!!! Changing the format because one side keeps losing isn't fixing anything. Players need to adjust their schedules and practice routines accordingly. Selecting an easier route is not the answer.
[/quote]

A format change to something along the lines of the PC format does not improve the US team's chances in anyway. They probably would have lost by more points this year. It would just provide for more golf and all players would have to compete in all 3 formats (fourball, foursomes, and singles). It also provides for flexibility in scheduling if the weather is poor.
[/quote]

Copy that!

[shaffe]

Are you being serious or is there something sarcastic/funny I'm not smart enough to get?