I have been saying the same thing for a number of years. Simply make the golf course "smarter". No need to roll back equipment and/or bifurcate.
Fix The Distance Issue on Tour (w/o Altering Equipment)
I have been saying the same thing for a number of years. Simply make the golf course "smarter". No need to roll back equipment and/or bifurcate.
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Also, can we talk about the size of the greens these guys play on?
My god, some of them have their own area codes.
My god, some of them have their own area codes.
All, some or even one of those things would probably have the desired effect of cutting down on distance off the tee. Unfortunately, unless one is designing new courses for the PGA to hold their tournaments, only growing in the rough, resulting in tight fairways, is realistic. Everything else would probably require major redesign issues and are courses really going to do that for a PGA tournament held once a year?
I honestly don’t think it’s out of the question, courses started Tiger proofing, for one guy who played there once a year. I don’t think it’s a needed step though.
1. Slow down the fairways and minimize rollout. They are trampolines at this point.
2. grow the rough and make the first cut penal.
3. strategically place fairway bunkers and green side bunkers.
4. Smaller greens
2. grow the rough and make the first cut penal.
3. strategically place fairway bunkers and green side bunkers.
4. Smaller greens
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Slowing down fairways makes courses longer which exacerbates the advantage distance gives. This is not a solution. Yes the ball goes farther on a firm fast fairway, but that makes it harder to keep the ball where you want when you hit it a long way. Slowing down the fairways is paramount to saying make the courses longer. Please go out and read about courses that are difficult for pro golfers. Also read any expert on golf course architecture and they all say the same thing. To challenge a pro golfer make the course firm and fast. Courses that are easy are always soft. Kevin Kisner who is one of the best short players on tour said last year when they moved The Players Championship to March that if they kept overseeding the fairways and slowing them down none of the short players would have a chance anymore. He says the only years he has a chance to win The Masters is when the course is super fast. Why? Because a fast course allows the shorter hitters to get their ball further down the fairway on accurate lines and allows the bombers balls to run off into trouble further down the hole as good courses have narrower windows further away from the tee box. Firm fast fairways and punishing rough is the answer to making the pro game challenging and difficult. It puts a premium on accuracy, controlling ballflight, and controlling spin. The players who do this the best should have the best chance to win. The players who cannot better have an amazing short game.
Callahan1556
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Many of the courses I play have conservation wetlands, ponds and heavy brush/woods Both immediately next to and crossing several holes. Most cannot be carried even with a 325 carry. I think courses like these would help. #morelostballsontour
That’s not the point of the USGAs report though. They’re looking at real estate more than anything else. It’s not about leveling the playing field.
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Do you guys know what it costs move hazards around?! And even if money was no concern, making courses more difficult is not always appreciated by all the people that will be playing those courses on a daily bases. Not even for the good players that have to wait for the groups in front of them to hole out for eight on every hole.
I've said it before, but I personally hate the idea of slow fairways and thick rough! It makes for some mighty boring golf both to watch and play. The ground game is where the fun and finesse comes in!
One way to make a course more difficult for pro's while still being playable for us mortals, is that we play from very different tees. No more room to lengthen the courses? Than what's so bad about slowing the ball down a bit? We can move forward a set of tees and the pro's can use the back tees. Places like Riviera that play well today, can also move their tournament tees up a little bit to compensate. It's not the end of the world if they are not playing from the tips each week.
And for the people already playing from the Ladies Tees? Well you are now playing from the "Front Tees", which are the same as what you played before, but now you get to play with a "Ladies Ball" instead, that happens to have the exact same specs as the 2020 golf ball! We could even alter the color of that ball, so your insecure husband who is now playing from the same tees as you, can openly show that he is indeed playing a longer course than you are.
I've said it before, but I personally hate the idea of slow fairways and thick rough! It makes for some mighty boring golf both to watch and play. The ground game is where the fun and finesse comes in!
One way to make a course more difficult for pro's while still being playable for us mortals, is that we play from very different tees. No more room to lengthen the courses? Than what's so bad about slowing the ball down a bit? We can move forward a set of tees and the pro's can use the back tees. Places like Riviera that play well today, can also move their tournament tees up a little bit to compensate. It's not the end of the world if they are not playing from the tips each week.
And for the people already playing from the Ladies Tees? Well you are now playing from the "Front Tees", which are the same as what you played before, but now you get to play with a "Ladies Ball" instead, that happens to have the exact same specs as the 2020 golf ball! We could even alter the color of that ball, so your insecure husband who is now playing from the same tees as you, can openly show that he is indeed playing a longer course than you are.
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Over par, at that.
Slammin'SAM
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The thing is, I never turned off the TV because they were hitting it 370, or shooting -25 for the week. Whoever plays (and especially putts) best still wins. And the Jim Furyks of the world still win their share.
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I think some control over ball is inevitable but hope they avoid bifurcation responses. I like that we amateurs and pros can play the same equipment. Changing course layout and setup for tour events really is a good idea to explore before equipment.
Well figure out the average driving distance and as the late robin williams said "We'll put a ton of **** in the way" make ponds, rough, deep fairway bunkers. Also make the fairways look more like grass than glass... speed up greens and shrink them down (the size of genesis greens were laughable) add more greenside bunkers... I am fine with the distance, but make it more risk reward if they want to make the big dog eat! Grow the rough out so that if they miss the ball sinks down... Look at how challenging the US Open is when they do a number of these things....
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Crowned fairways are the worst.
I personally dislike layouts that take clubs out of your hand, i.e. target golf, so I am against putting this issue in the courses hands. It would be impossible to implement anyways.
Equipment restrictions is the only way to uniform the "solution".
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Riviera is 7200 and Pebble Beach is 6850 and both play tough with firm fast fairways. Firm and fast makes short courses tough too.especially when they have smaller greens and rough. It's only possible to overpower a short course if you can hit a bomb and make it stop right where you hit it. When the ball rolls the hazards and rough come into play. Also firm and fast is much easier to maintain as it involves far less water.
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Sounds cool. So now they don't just need to find a way to pay for the tour players prizes, but they also need to close the courses down a couple years and spend millions and millions of dollars in order to get a course that looks fun for us to watch on TV once a year, but will practically become unplayable for anyone else? Yeah let's do that instead of having everyone move up a set of tees.
There is something to be said for a perpendicular stream or creak cutting across a hole. With the way the tour players roll out their drives it would certainly change their tee shots if they couldn't always carry it.
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BanjoSaysWoof
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I suggested above that tour players just have to carry one less club, and can only carry one wood.
Does that fall under bifurcation?
Does that fall under bifurcation?
I would love to see that on tour courses. Anything that requires more shot making. Just leave the majority of amateur courses alone so i don’t drop from 100 a round to 120 lol.
My opinion is simple. Make the greens smaller, and make the greens firmer. Also, remove rakes from bunkers - make bunkers a hazard again.
The longer players should still maintain their deserved advantage, but reintroducing angles as an important factor is what's missing right now.
Even so, many courses are too far gone. Uninspired design (Firestone comes to mind) leads to boring golf.
The longer players should still maintain their deserved advantage, but reintroducing angles as an important factor is what's missing right now.
Even so, many courses are too far gone. Uninspired design (Firestone comes to mind) leads to boring golf.
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People would argue that slowing down fairways makes them too easy to hit. THoughts?
Just don't cut the grass so much, and throw a little water down.
I am in that camp. Tour Pros can absolutely pick apart a soft course. I know for me personally, I hit way more fairways when they are soft.