I read a story earlier this week about several top tennis players being outraged that the tennis tournament at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is scheduled to begin just three days after Wimbledon ends, and they want something done about this “ridiculous” situation. Under normal circumstances, the likelihood of Wimbledon shifting its dates to take account of another sporting spectacle would seem about as probable as the championships banning strawberries and cream, and maybe that will remain the case in this circumstance. Because those dates are presently set, whereas the professional golf circuit, in the form of the R&A, has already taken appropriate action.

The 2028 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes will be held between August 3-6, two or three weeks later than one would ordinarily expect, because of the timing of the Olympic golf competition. I have no problem with this – I very much suspect no one would if care if I did! – but the fuss caused by the tennis players made me, not for the first time, reflect on the deeply unsatisfactory nature of golf’s major-championship calendar as it is presently arranged.

Related: The 156th Open Championship Heads to Royal Lytham & St Annes in August 2028

The R&A has moved The Open two weeks later than usual to avoid clashing with the Los Angeles Olympics. Here's what fans need to know about dates, tickets, transport and where to stay.

The four Grand Slam tennis championships are, logistically, in a better place. They are staged in four different countries (as opposed to two for golf) and they are held in January, May/June, June/July and September. For the most part, golf’s major championships are now in April, May, June and July. From Ryan Fox winning the Open at Birkdale in July, we will be getting a nine-month drought before we find out if Rory McIlroy can complete a hat-trick of Masters’ wins. That is “ridiculous”.

Once we get past the LA Olympics, it would be good if golf’s bigwigs could get together to do something about this. (I will not be holding my breath, however.) Something could be done; when Covid -19 temporarily pretty much conquered the world, the 2020 Masters was held in the November. I am not advocating that becomes the new routine – that would have as much chance of success as suggesting that Augusta National should fill in Rae’s Creek – but it shows it is not impossible to hold a major championship in the United States in the autumn/fall.

I know: that would mean that for one weekend golf would have to go up against the NFL. But the benefit to the golf calendar would be enormous. And let’s not kid ourselves here: if one of golf’s majors is going to make that switch, it would surely be the USPGA Championship. But would that be so radical? In 2013, the then CEO of the PGA of America, Pete Bevacqua, said: “When we sat down to map our strategic plan to service our members and grow the game, the question arose as to what impact it would have to take the PGA Championship to an international locale once or twice a decade.”

That didn’t happen and it hasn’t happened. But one can’t help but feel that such a move would elevate the standing of the event – as well as, now and again, taking major golf to another part of the globe and helping to eradicate that mega-annoying nine-month hiatus.

You can follow Robert Green on Twitter @robrtgreen and enjoy his other blog f-factors.com as well as his golf archive on robertgreen-golf.com