KARUNA SHINSHO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the game of golf has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years. But now an inventor in New Zealand wants to take a swing at changing the game. Denise Dillon has the details.</s>DENISE DILLON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's pretty obvious this golf ball is a little warped. But believe it or not, it's supposed to be like that. Inventor Burton Silver decided an oval-shaped ball is better.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the first time in the world that there's been a change in the shape of the ball, and for the first time, we've realized that the Legley (ph) ball, our shape, New Zealand's shape, is able to do major things in the air because it's got two X's.</s>DILLON: Silver says the oval golf ball is above par for a couple of reasons. The shapes prevent it from hooking or slicing, and if that's not enough, it also travels much further than a round ball. But when it comes to putting, well, that's virtually impossibly. So instead of trying to get the ball into a little round hole, just chip it into a net. Of course this means others aspects of the game also had to change, so Silver came up with what he calls "golfcross." It's kind of like golf meets cross country, a free-for-all race to the finish across pastures, as opposed to manicured fairways. This isn't the first time Silver has come up with a much-talked about idea. He's also the man behind the musical fence. And the remote- controlled sheepdog. And he admits the oval golf ball may end up in the rough.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In five years time, the game may be huge, or it may have completely disappeared.</s>DILLON: But in the meantime, he's try to convince golfers that this idea will fly. Denise Dillon, CNN.
New Zealander Takes Swing at Changing Age Old Game of Golf