I agree with Gary that 72 holes is arbitrary. Doesn't mean anything. A tournament could be six holes, or even just a closest to the hole tee shot on a par 3, provided everybody agreed ahead of time to what the tournament was going to be.
I'm with him on the 18-hole round, too. I would be in favor of shortening a round to 14 holes, with a front 7 and a back 7.
Just seems like a better choice. Leave the course before you are completely exhausted, and feel like you want to come back soon to play again.
My wife's idea is three 6-hole tracks, so people can choose. People trying to get a bit of golf in after work could just play six. People who want to play more but don't want to spend all day could play 12. Hard-core golfers who want the whole 18 could go around all three tracks. I think it's kinda genius.
