The game of golf is growing. No doubt. Investments and redevelopments are rising. But what of munis? We've realized most of us fear that municipal golf might be on its deathbed. Because private clubs can restore a course, but for munis, once a project ends, the money and momentum are gone. Sometimes for decades.

Look at this course's horrible green and fairway condition — you wouldn't even play it for free.

Bigger picture: 

Munis are often at the center of heated debates. People often question whether the site could serve a better purpose. But munis exist for one key reason: to help the game grow and help realize the dreams of many. Sahith Theegala grew up playing in munis.

However, getting a tee time is becoming harder day by day. Hackers reportedly breach city reservation systems with bots to snag tee times. On top of it, some courses are apparently banning the sharing of equipment with family and friends.

That’s an unwritten rule of golf in tournament play, but many munis never cared about enforcing it for beginners on a casual weekend. For good reason, too: the outrageous equipment prices.

Our verdict:

Munis aren’t dying:

Yes, there are problems abound as we discussed. But that doesn’t warrant their closure. Rather, Munis need smarter tee-time systems. Need more support to improve course conditions. And most importantly, needs to fine turf-destroying twits.

Munis remain the best hope to grow the game — but it needs the right direction and a proper game plan.

Box office: TGL scored a 30% higher TV rating than its debut season. The opening match between Atlanta Drive and New York Golf Club drew 646,000 viewers on ABC, up from the first season's average of 498,000. It peaked above 700,000 viewers twice. Hardly surprising when you have major champions bantering with each other as JT & Xander did below.

Successors: Big names are there at the 62nd Junior Orange Bowl International. As spectators. Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar are following Charlie (73-72) and Cameron (77-68) at the Biltmore Golf Course. Charlie’s opening round was marked by a dramatic (and equally scary) moment that led Tiger to poke fun at his son—check out what Tiger told Charlie. Cameron, fresh off his PNC victory with dad, moved up the leaderboard from T39 to T22.

Tragedy: 17-year-old up-and-coming golfer Emanuele Galeppini died in a Swiss bar fire. He last called his parents on New Year's Eve. A rising star (winner of the Omega Dubai Creek Amateur Open and the JGE Junior Open), the Genoa-born but Dubai-based golfer had a bright future. Here's all you need to know about the late teen.

Start line and stroke path. These complementary skills massively improve your putting. That’s how Tommy Fleetwood nails monster putts even in high-pressure moments like this one right here. To perfect his putting, he uses a more advanced form of “gate drill.” Here’s what we learned:

Bryson DeChambeau has successfully ended another Break 50 season. Guess who appeared in the finale? Top-ranked amateur Miles Russell. The teenager has broken multiple records, including some held by Tiger himself. So, we expected plenty of bombing off the tee, chip-ins, and clutch putts. But there is nothing sweeter than watching a major champ flunk at his job.

And Bryson gave us exactly that on a 187-yard par-3 by sending his tee shot into the water. Check out his dramatic, scolded-child reaction afterward.

The Break 50 series has been a fun addition to YouTube Golf. Remember how John Daly left Bryson flabbergasted with his golf-cart-turned-cooler? Or the time he golfed with Adam “Happy Gilmore” Sandler. In case you missed that, here you go.