Anyone else think more courses on the PGA tour need to be like Merion?

[SaffaClint]

I'm like most people in that I like seeing pros go low but at the same time I like seeing them work for a good score. Its been said for a long time that courses need to be narrowed and the rough made tougher and I would like to see this happen more. Obviously not to the extent that golf on tv becomes boring but hopefully you all know what I mean? Be good to know what others think.

 

[Tadashi70]

I think course on your are fair and will bring out the best golfer in the end. The days of -21 are few and far between.

I'd actually like to see more courses like the one in Hartford. It's shorts, need creativity off the tee and yields low numbers to the top dog.

 

[blugold]

The hard part, from my understanding is that the course is open to its members or the public before the tour gets there. And members who are shelling out $10,000 a year in dues and clubhouse spending probably don't want to be playing the US Open every round.

 

[Damaikis]

The hard part, from my understanding is that the course is open to its members or the public before the tour gets there. And members who are shelling out $10,000 a year in dues and clubhouse spending probably don't want to be playing the US Open every round.

I spoke with a couple gentlemen who are members at Merion on Tuesday, and they hated having the open there. They said the course has been playing ridiculously hard for the past several months, and it won't even be open again until the end if July.

 

[Wake]

I spoke with a couple gentlemen who are members at Merion on Tuesday, and they hated having the open there. They said the course has been playing ridiculously hard for the past several months, and it won't even be open again until the end if July.

They also had to play off mats for part of the past year. Unlike other big name courses, the majority of Merion's members play the course very frequently.

 

[Damaikis]

They also had to play off mats for part of the past year. Unlike other big name courses, the majority of Merion's members play the course very frequently.

Yeah, they said they just played the other course (West I think) more than usual.

 

[T2GRN18]

I spoke with a couple gentlemen who are members at Merion on Tuesday, and they hated having the open there. They said the course has been playing ridiculously hard for the past several months, and it won't even be open again until the end if July.

I think this is a matter of which side of the Merion membership body you talk with. The elder side of the members body are excited to have it here once again. But those elder members are the ones that are volunteering to help put the event on rather than standing up by the clubhouse wanting everyone to bow to them when you walk by. It was the same way at Congressional too. It's a status symbol....

 

[Damaikis]

I think this is a matter of which side of the Merion membership body you talk with. The elder side of the members body are excited to have it here once again. But those elder members are the ones that are volunteering to help put the event on rather than standing up by the clubhouse wanting everyone to bow to them when you walk by. It was the same way at Congressional too. It's a status symbol....

Oddly enough, the guys I talked to said the exact opposite. They said the older guys hated it but the younger guys generally liked it more.

 

[Gianna1025]

I would enjoy watching these guys grind more often than they do. I don't think US Open conditions every week would be fun but if every now and again they set them up a little harder than normal would be great. In all honesty though I don't think we have the slightest clue how difficult it really is week in and week out for them.

 

[El Bandito]

I enjoy watching them have to be creative - i agree with a lot of the posts above - I suspect they make courses look a lot easier than they actually are - but watching them have to do extraordinary things just to make par is entertaining, and I think demonstrates their skill more than some of the birdie fest courses.

 

[SaffaClint]

I've never considered what it must be like for the members to be honest but then again my question was aimed at the pros and the birdie fest type courses they play most of the year. I did say I didn't want to see them struggle to score week in and week out either.
We probably don't understand how difficult it really is on a weekly basis but then again these guys get the big $$$ because they're the best in the world so why not make them work for it once every now and again while at the same time giving us mortals a chance to see someone other than ourselves struggling to score.

 

[arydolphin]

I've never considered what it must be like for the members to be honest but then again my question was aimed at the pros and the birdie fest type courses they play most of the year. I did say I didn't want to see them struggle to score week in and week out either.
We probably don't understand how difficult it really is on a weekly basis but then again these guys get the big $$$ because they're the best in the world so why not make them work for it once every now and again while at the same time giving us mortals a chance to see someone other than ourselves struggling to score.

Look at how the course has had to protect itself against par: the rough is tremendously difficult. They will also make the greens faster throughout the weekend if it stays dry. Distance is not protecting this course this week. They also made the fairways quite narrow on some holes and those holes don't play naturally: look at some of the holes where the fairway bunkers are surrounded by rough. That's not the way the course was designed, it means that the USGA made them add rough between the bunkers and the fairway to narrow the fairway. It's nice if you like to see the pros have a tougher test than normal, but reminds me of the US Opens from the 1990s and the early 2000s where it was pretty boring for me because the rough meant just hacking the ball back out to the fairway.

 

[CharlieMoy]

That's not the case with this rough though. It's about 9 different grasses at all different heights. Everyone is going for the green with this rough.

Whether they get there or not is a different story.

 

[Hawk]

It doesn't matter to me. I just like to watch them play.

 

[arydolphin]

That's not the case with this rough though. It's about 9 different grasses at all different heights. Everyone is going for the green with this rough.

Whether they get there or not is a different story.

We must have been watching a different tournament yesterday then. There were some guys that could get to the green out of the rough because they were able to hit wedges on the shorter holes. There were definitely some layups out of the rough on the longer holes.

 

[CharlieMoy]

We must have been watching a different tournament yesterday then. There were some guys that could get to the green out of the rough because they were able to hit wedges on the shorter holes. There were definitely some layups out of the rough on the longer holes.

But those situations happen in every tough golf tournament. A wayward drive will penalize you.

When guys are laying up when they normally could go for it, that's when it gets out of hand.

 

[jlukes]

No, it's unfair


- fastbasser

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

 

[widespot]

I like watching golf when the rough is crazy thick. You miss the fairway and par becomes a challenge. I like golf when par means something. This open will hopefully show that a course doesn't have to be long to be tough. As the greens speed up and the nerves get frayed over the weekend the best player will step up.

 

[Alan4014]

I wish more courses were set up so they don't cater to the bombers. And I think one way to do that is to narrow the fairways and make the rough tough.
That being said, with what I have seen so far, I think they are on the edge of having gone too far here. If the greens continue to dry up and the pins get tougher, +5 may win this week, and I think that is going too far.

 

[fastbasser]

No, it's unfair


- fastbasser

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Funny how the pros are crying about it now.. I think it's great for those who make a living at it! When you mature, you will see the issue adults have with it! ;-)

 

[Rhyno]

Yes and I've said it all along.

Even Merion allows to much roll on the fairway. Shows the USGA is wrong about even the pros over powering courses.

It was kinda comical watching the executive director of the usga talk about it, I wish one of the announcers would have said something about golf balls.

~Joseph~
Via Tapatalk

 

[fastbasser]

I wish more courses were set up so they don't cater to the bombers. And I think one way to do that is to narrow the fairways and make the rough tough.
That being said, with what I have seen so far, I think they are on the edge of having gone too far here. If the greens continue to dry up and the pins get tougher, +5 may win this week, and I think that is going too far.

Very well said. I think they will make an adjustment so the pros don't get too embarrassed though.

 

[CharlieMoy]

I dont hear the big names crying. Theyre just talking about how tough it is!

Funny how the pros are crying about it now.. I think it's great for those who make a living at it! When you mature, you will see the issue adults have with it! ;-)

 

[fastbasser]

I dont hear the big names crying. Theyre just talking about how tough it is!

With the exception of Zach Johnson, most were very careful choosing their words?

 

[fastbasser]

I spoke with a couple gentlemen who are members at Merion on Tuesday, and they hated having the open there. They said the course has been playing ridiculously hard for the past several months, and it won't even be open again until the end if July.

As much as it's an "honor" to be a member of a course they hold majors at, the members make one hell of a sacrifice IMHO. The course is almost unplayable for the average golfer.