US Open course proves Rory McIlroy is right to worry about golf's direction

Rory McIlroy has voiced concerns over the number of young players taking up golf. Photograph: Wilfredo Lee/AP

Rory McIlroy's pre-Masters assertion that participation in golf has dropped by 13% was understandably lost in the subsequent tournament melee. Apart from anything else, McIlroy's comment lacked context; where, since when, among whom?

But the Northern Irishman had struck upon an important issue. It is now generally recognised that recreational golfers are playing more than ever but encouraging youngsters to take up the game in the first place has never been tougher. Golf's return to the Olympics, it is hoped, will provide a positive legacy in the latter regard.

However, a glance at the setup of Pinehurst's No2 course for the upcoming US Open hardly augurs well. At par 70, the venue is more than 7,500 yards long. There are four par-four holes in excess of 500 yards. Three par threes measure more than 200 yards. Leading amateur players would be entitled to say "no thanks" to such a golfing slog; professionals will of course turn up because of the stature of the competition. Stand by, though, for sniping.

Players who miss the Pinehurst fairways will find their ball in scrappy, sandy, weeded areas. Approach shots? They'll be hit into treacherous, upturned saucer greens. Put all of this together and you have attritional – routinely dull – golf, the like of which preceded Justin Rose's victory in last year's US Open at an aggregate of one over par. Merion provided a brutal, borderline unfair, challenge.

Nothing should be taken away from Rose's triumph, which was terrific in itself. However, too many high-profile events are being turned into the sort of grind which will hardly prove appealing to would-be golfers.

Early indications, unfortunately, suggest the 114th US Open will follow suit. It promises to be engaging, but lacking in that wow factor which boosts participation in the sport.

Pinehurst at 7,214 yards was hardly a stroll in the park for the 2005 US Open. The halfway cut fell at plus nine. After four rounds, no player had broken par.

Amid paranoia by tournament organisers about players shooting rounds of 62, excitement is being drained from championships. There were even glimpses of such at the Masters; for all of Bubba Watson's brilliance, Augusta National's iconic back nine didn't produce anything like the thrills and spills of previous years. And these are the world's top professionals; what chance for run-of-the-mill amateurs if clubs decide these formats are valid?

McIlroy clearly has a legitimate concern about golf's direction, away from the professional level where cash rewards have never been better. Offering more chances for blue-chip players such as McIlroy to thrill rather than fret over the consequences of tiny errors would have a bigger impact than some people seem willing to recognise.

So when will Donald Trump preside over his first Open Championship?

That is the burning question after confirmation arrived that the billionaire has completed his purchase of Turnberry after months of speculation. Those perturbed by Trump's arrival should bear three things in mind; this is simply a business swapping hands from Dubai to the United States, and the new owner has an impressive track record for spending big on the sport at a time when few others will do likewise. Trump also represents the polar opposite of golf's crusty, oft-criticised membership culture.

Peter Dawson, the Royal & Ancient's chief executive, chuckles when recalling his early exchanges with Trump. The businessman insisted back then that he would seek to host an Open at his purpose-built Aberdeenshire resort. Dawson duly explained the complexities and formalities associated with such a scenario; Trump marched over to inform waiting media that his Open dream was very much alive.

A few years later, it's reality but at an alternative venue. Turnberry spent years in the Open wilderness amid concerns about infrastructure around the Ayrshire course. Those worries weren't entirely placated at or after it hosted the third major of the year in 2009. Historically, Turnberry Open crowds are at the low end of the scale. The fact a 59-year-old Tom Watson came within a whisker of winning five years ago, albeit a terrific story, raised questions about Turnberry's strength.

Still, the outgoing Dawson is adamant that Turnberry remains part of the Open rota. Venues have been announced up to and including 2016, with the 2017 host course due to be named imminently. After successive years in Scotland, Royal Birkdale appears the favourite. Thereafter, an inevitably revamped Turnberry resort has a live chance. And one fuelled, suffice to say, by plenty of campaigning from its' owner.

Anthony Kim: gone as fast as he arrived?

This weekend's Wells Fargo Championship marks the second anniversary of Anthony Kim's last appearance on the PGA Tour. Even then, Kim withdrew after just 18 holes.

Kim is in danger of becoming a forgotten man, which is a terrible shame given his undeniable level of talent. When people do speak about him, it is commonly in reference to a party boy lifestyle rather than a Ryder Cup appearance and rapid arrival on to the professional scene.

Between 2008 and 2010, Kim won three times in the United States. He has subsequently picked up injuries but apparently lost interest in the game he was once a rising star in.

Ominous words appeared this week from the golfer's agent, in an interview with the Golf Channel's John Hawkins. In short, even Kim's representative has no clue as to when the 28-year-old will return to tournament action. He isn't even playing golf for fun. It is getting harder and harder to foresee a comeback.