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Bubba-Proofing Augusta National

MWard said:
With Bubba's length and ability to curve it either which way, I don't think you can Bubba Proof it. If you want to mess with him (and others) they need to make the green complexes trickier. These guys are good, you're not gonna out trick them much tee to green.

Here's an idea though... How about they do nothing and just let the person who shoots the lowest wins?
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Exactly. Bubba loves to hit a cut off the tee and for a lefty with his amazing length the course sets up perfect for him. I bet Bubba wins a couple more green jackets.

This shot was ridiculous. Spieth said in the interview afterwards that he was sure that Bubba had hit it O.B. He had a little gap wedge left.

 
War Eagle said:
Interesting thought.

With Bubbas ability to bend shots like crazy, is anything "Bubba proof"?
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Arguably in addition to lengthening the course you also make the initial launch area more narrow with trees to stop him from hitting the really big fades and draws that let him do what he does. But I think if you do that you also make everyone elses tee shots more difficult.

I seem to remember the idea of Tiger-proofing being "Let's make the course long enough where he can't just hit a 2-iron off the tee. If we force him to hit driver and 3-wood, the field can even out." And there were certainly times when it seemed like that was possible, if not for his crazy-good ball striking. Bubba, on the other hand, hits his driver with an incredible combination of distance and accuracy, especially at Augusta. There's not really a way to handicap him that doesn't equally handicap the rest of the field, short of altering some iconic holes in pretty drastic ways.
 
Leave it be. Augusta is truly hard enough as it is, to make it set up to make it harder on one set of players or person seems a bit unfair.
 
The courses defense is the greens and lack of flat lies. Flatten the greens and the rating is probably 71 from the members tees 74-75 from the tournament tees(if even that much)
 
Bubba is the first to admit that he plays well because he can play well from the rough. The rough on the courses aren't nnearly as bad as they were 20-30 years ago. Im guessing it has to do with making golf more enjoyable to watch. But if raised the rough and narrowed the fairways. That shortens the course for the longer hitters that can't keep in the short grass.
 
Course is fine as is, distance is one thing, but imagination is another.
Maybe I'm just biased though
 
LSMO said:
Bubba is the first to admit that he plays well because he can play well from the rough. The rough on the courses aren't nnearly as bad as they were 20-30 years ago. Im guessing it has to do with making golf more enjoyable to watch. But if raised the rough and narrowed the fairways. That shortens the course for the longer hitters that can't keep in the short grass.
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Never going to happen. The PGA or USGA doesn't set up the course. Hell 20 years ago there was basically no rough.
 
LSMO said:
Bubba is the first to admit that he plays well because he can play well from the rough. The rough on the courses aren't nnearly as bad as they were 20-30 years ago. Im guessing it has to do with making golf more enjoyable to watch. But if raised the rough and narrowed the fairways. That shortens the course for the longer hitters that can't keep in the short grass.
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I may be wrong, as I wasn't watching golf back then, but from what I've seen I'm not so sure the rough was thicker in the past, and I know it wasn't at Augusta.
 
Wake said:
I may be wrong, as I wasn't watching golf back then, but from what I've seen I'm not so sure the rough was thicker in the past, and I know it wasn't at Augusta.
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For many decades Augusta had no rough. Which actually benefited the straighter drivers because there was no rough to stop the ball from rolling into the trees
 
i thought they just bought land from the neighboring country club in order to lengthen 13.
 
They bought a few acres from them. But that is the plan for 13, which is fine since that hole plays so short. Won't be for this years Masters though.
 
Skimmed the 1st page and didn't see anyone mention but it's already being discussed. They are attempting to purchase more land so players can't go over the trees. Horshel wents nuts already about it.
 
I am no Bubba fan, but if he can beat the course and shoot the lowest scores, then he deserves to win. They should just make the coverage "commercial proof" again.
 
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