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Kyle,
I agree that I would rather that the PGA figure out stuff on its own.
I can't really comment too much on your "lifts"-argument because I'm not one to think that height alone is what separates the 80 inchers in the NBA from the 70 inchers in office buildings.
I think that Martin's driving ability certainly makes him comparable to the ballerina and the great thinker in Harrison Bergeron. Anyone ranked in the top 10 on the PGA Tour on that dimension is exceptional. The things that separate the Tour cardholders from regular duffers have to do with their ability to drive the ball, to attack a hole wisely, to putt, etc. They have nothing at all to do with being able to walk 18 holes.
The Harrison Bergeron story was one that made a big impact on me, especially when I first read it a long time ago. I had spent a lot of my public school career in gifted programs and had to think a lot about what are the good and bad things about giftedness, its identification and its nurturing. I do not see how allowing an exceptional athlete to compete against other exceptional athletes by making a simple accomodation for him that does not give him any meaningful competitive advantage lessens what is good and noble about excellence in sport.
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