Just back from a week-long tour of Sweden and turned on the Golf Channel coverage of Pinehurst. Brandel Chamblee and Frank Nobilo sat with Coore and Crenshaw, then with Don Padgett II and of course the topic was the "restoration" of #2. I think rather it is a transformation in that it offers the entire golf industry a chance to transform a culture that many leaders of the game now argue has taken golf down an unsustainable path.

Chamblee stated, "maybe we should call them putting surfaces, instead of putting greens", to wit Nobilo replied "we will learn this week that if green is good, brown is better". Transformative talk from a couple of guys who I am sure rarely give much thought in a "normal" week on the tour about such matters.

We have become hypnotized by the homogenized look of the American golf course that we are force-fed each week. And it is not confined to the American PGA Tour, many venues in Europe and Asia are hard to distinguish. My question is why do we wait for the US Open to have this conversation every year?

I can tell you this is not the topic of conversation during the Masters and certainly not during the PGA Championship. The Open Championship and the R and A have been attempting to transform golf course maintenance under Peter Dawson's leadership, the same guiding force behind the Olympic golf course in Rio.

Transforming a culture that has taken generations to create will not be resolved by two weeks of television coverage at Pinehurst, but it can be a great start! We can look to the communication industry for help on this issue.

There are four essential ingredients to transforming a culture; 1. Why is change needed (this one is easy if not just from a water use perspective, the other inputs as well). 2. How will the change make things better (again another easy one in one way-less inputs less water more efficiency. But the downside will be change in conditions and change in playing style). 3. Understand who is involved (obviously it is our golfers, but it is also our researchers, salesperson, staff, etc.). 4. Engage those involved in the discussion (this is where Pinehurst comes in).

If this is already the topic of the day, why not provide a megaphone or in modern technology terms, why don't we amplify this message? If Chamblee and Nobilo are already yacking about it, you can bet ESPN and NBC will also be yacking about it. Why not tweet the quotes (where's Kaminski when I need him!)?

I love working in this industry. It has been a part of my life since I was a young adult on the back end of a rotary mower with quick coupler heads in my hand. I have great hope that we can transform our current method of golf turf management to be more sustainable, but we cannot do it without leadership from the golf industry-not just the GCSAA.

I have heard many espouse the benefits of "brown" and yet it does not resonate with most American golfers. It has to be about the way the game is played. Transforming the course means playing a different game- a game more "random" as Chamblee stated in one of his Pinehurst comments. And for that we will have to wait for the game to begin tomorrow and continue for a fortnight!