To the casual onlooker golf is often perceived as behind the times due to the archaic rules and regulations which govern the game.

But even the most old-fashioned sport is powerless beneath the wheels of change and with the Pearls Golf Premier League, golf was recently given a 21st-Century makeover.

The inaugural competition took place recently in Aamby Valley City pitting eight city franchises against each other in a floodlit tournament which boasted a $400,000 prize fund and starred major winners Angel Cabrera and Darren Clarke.

The "Premier League" format is not new to sports fans, with cricket already having undergone a similar reinvention in the subcontinent with the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).

The IPL is played in packed stadiums at a frantic pace, with superstar players on big-money short-term contracts letting rip in the 20-over competition.

Both golf and cricket are sports which traditionally last for days at a time. But does that gentle sporting rhythm -- so reminiscent of yesteryear -- no longer excite a modern audience short on time and attention?

"It's all about thrills and spills these days," Edward Hawkins, author of Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy, told CNN. "Just look at the popularity of T20 cricket in India and the sell-out stadiums. Compare that to the empty spaces at five-day Test matches.

"It's not just India which has a thirst for 'immediate' action and a disinterest for the nuances and chess-like formats.

"Most countries have seen spikes in interest in shorter formats of cricket. Pakistan wants to set up a T20 league, so does the West Indies."

The financial benefits are obvious.