Sorry, I don't want to hijack this thread anymore than I already have, so I'll make it brief with my responses.
Plim: It is novelty golf because on a professional level it is rarely played. I believe that out of all the worldwide events at the top level, there are only 6 that utilize the Match Play format. 6 tournaments out of at least a 100 implies novelty to me.
YankeeJim: I respect your point of view, but let me ask you this: Why else turn an otherwise Stroke Play based game into a direct hole-by-hole competition between 2 people if it were not for some form of ego-seeking?
In stroke play, you win because you recorded the best score versus all
your competitors. In match play, you win because you beat the other guy you were playing against. Do you see the difference in psychology between these 2 types of play? In one form you play with
people, in the other you play against
them.