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I don’t follow golf all that closely, but it looks like there has been a lot of controversy about course setup at the US Open. For those who know, what’s the story on how often courses are a problem in pro golf? I have never realized this.
http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/23814794/us-open-zach-johnson-vents-shinnecock-hills-conditions
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Sic transit gloria mundi (so shut up and get back to work) -
Fairways grass cuts and narrowness, rough grass cut and thickness, green speeds, pin positions have always been fodder for player discontent. Shinnecock is extremely tough in the wind and weather and the combination of a tough set up and theat particular course can be debilitating even for the best players. Personally, as long as the rough is short enough that one can actually make ball contact and the greens are slow enough that a short put will not roll 20 feet downhill because of the speed being too fast, players should just shut up and compete. I played in a member guest one time at Green Valley CC in Fairfield where a particular pin placement was so unfair, every person in my foursome who missed a putt to the pin had the ball roll downhill off the green. It was corrected the next day. To that extent I commiserate. Apparently that was the case on a few holes at shinnecock yesterday and is/was unreasonable.
How many times does a guy who shoots 77 in the 3rd round of the US Open have a share of the lead? Pretty much unheard of.
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The USGA, IMO, has turned into a parody of itself, trying to remain relevant. Instead of doing everything it can to promote golf and make it inviting for new players, we get the latest version of the USGA’s vision of a championship (AKA) unplayable course.
The real travesty is the anchored putter rule. There is no statistical evidence an anchored putter helped golfers advance in tournaments, but the USGA felt compelled to outlaw them.
They completely miss the elephant in room. In 1993 average drives were 264 yards. Now 400 yards means nothing special. The longest drive this year is 430 yds! The USGA is worried more about “driving distance” than it is this years most dominating club.
It won’t but the USGA should go away.
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What’s the answer to the driving distance thing? Do you take some juice out of the ball or regulate drivers? Always been a surprise to me how much technology has changed in golf without much corresponding change in the game (other than moving tee boxes back).
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Sic transit gloria mundi (so shut up and get back to work) -
There is no pure answer without fundamentally changing the game as new equipment, better training and other variables have already done.
If I were a consultant that was hired to mitigate the effect of longer club distance, I would first of all narrow the fairways. The longer the drive, the greater the possibility to be off center. 2nd, I would place strategic bunkers at certain locations on each par 4 and par5 that would make it more challenging to drive for distance. 3rd, I would eliminate short par 4 and par 5 holes.
I would not want to reverse engineer golf balls or equipment backwards because it would make it more difficult for the average duffer to enjoy the game at a time when golf is not growing in popularity.
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