91

Golf Course Architecture / Re: "I don’t need to try and be better than I am.” Max Homa

« Last post by Mike_Trenham on April 17, 2024, 11:52:24 AM »

I often tell people, when explaining why I love golf, that it is an exercise in acceptance of one’s imperfections.

Mine is - golf is a combination lock and everyday the combination changes.

92

Golf Course Architecture / Re: Has Oakmont Tree Removal Begun a Good or Bad Trend?

« Last post by Paul Rudovsky on April 17, 2024, 11:39:11 AM »

While I have no idea what the land Oakmont occupies was like prior to its founding in 1903, the trees at Oakmont were not present prior to the 1953 US Open there (won by Hogan).


Several weeks after the Open, Herb Warren Wind's New Yorker article about the event was published and in the article Wind wrote about how the City of Pittsburgh and Oakmont CC were made for each other.  Pittsburgh being a tough blue collar town and the home of a shot of whiskey chased down by a beer...and Oakmont being the hardest course in the USA and perhaps the world.  Wind went on to say that it was brutally hot all week and with no trees, there was no place to escape the sun.


The then president of the club read the article and told the Board of Governors he agreed with Wind's sentiments and proposed a major tree planting campaign which was approved and implemented.  I first visited Oakmont in February 1971 for a wedding (about 6" of snow on the ground) and it looked like a course in Westchester County NY.  Had read about the Wind article many years ago and it was confirmed to me in 2019 by the guy who was greens chairman when the tree removal program started (in the middle of the night) and president subsequently.

93

Golf Course Architecture / Re: Crump Cup 9/22/2024

« Last post by Bill Shamleffer on April 17, 2024, 11:37:58 AM »

I have read unsubstantiated statements, and the membership does not plan to return to allowing outside public spectators onto the grounds for the final matches of the Crump Cup.


Does anyone know if this is correct or incorrect?

94

Golf Course Architecture / Re: What happened to TIger's game after the cut?

« Last post by JohnVDB on April 17, 2024, 11:32:53 AM »

The Open courses usually do not have the thick, dark-green, juicy rough that is often found on US Open and PGA Championship courses. Playing out of the rough on links courses is usually not as physically taxing, which would help Tiger over 4 rounds.

There shouldn’t be any thick rough at Pinehurst assuming the setup is the same as 2014.

95

Golf Course Architecture / Re: The Old Course or ANGC and wind

« Last post by Paul Rudovsky on April 17, 2024, 11:08:59 AM »

TOC or any links course much easier to play in the wind...not even close.  Trees block the winds coming from certain directions in  certain locations.  That causes a "partial vacuum" to form and since "nature abhors a vacuum" other air rushed into the space from another direction.  That is why the flags on holes 11 & 12 at ANGC show winds from totally different directions simultaneously

96

Golf Course Architecture / Re: I love and hate firm and fast.

« Last post by Tim Gavrich on April 17, 2024, 10:44:25 AM »

I have often thought that the Pro V has negatively impacted the amateur golfer.


High spinning balls used to be the domain of the elite player and the average golfer managed their game with low spin but durable offerings. Those low spin balls supported the bump and run and other shots which employed the release of the ball. Lower lofted irons such as a 7 or 8 iron were used because the ball was inherently geared towards shots that release.


I watch a lot of club golf and average golfers using pro v balls and similar seem to find themselves in almost no-mans land when chipping or pitching. They cant spin the ball enough to have it always hold on the green yet the ball spins too much for a predictable bump and run

I think there's a lot of truth to this, and I suspect it's at least part of the reason why golf balls like the AVX exist - low-launch, lower-spin. But the issues with this that I see are more on approach shots, where the combination of spin and landing angle doesn't seem to be serving golfers well. Part of it is self-inflicted - they're playing too long a set of tees - but I think there's a gulf between the golf balls needed and the ones available, too.

97

Golf Course Architecture / Re: OT – what do folks think of the approval of Bryson’s clubs?

« Last post by Rob Marshall on April 17, 2024, 09:40:54 AM »

With all that's happened since to make the game easier it's comical to look back at the massive fuss everyone made over an infinitesimal measurement on the mid-1980s Ping Eye 2 irons.


Looking back it was the beginning of the equipment problem. The administration burned by the case let manufacturers expand drivers to  a ridiculous size- one consequence being the elimination of both the duck-hook and the fear of the duck hook.

Interesting, I must have a defective driver. I still can hit a duck-hook........

98

Golf Course Architecture / Re: Cross country golf

« Last post by Ian Galbraith on April 17, 2024, 09:04:47 AM »

I'm probably not the first one to think of this, but I have an idea to try to play cross-country from 1 tee at NB to 18 green at Gullane 1. The idea would be:


Play NB to the far end of the course
Hug the coast and pick up at Archerfield
Play across Archerfield and hit across to Renaissance
Play across Renaissance and hit across to Muirfield
Play across Muirfield to around the 2nd tee
Hit across the park at Gullane beach and up the hill
Play to around the 8th at Gullane 1 and try to get it around the hill and back down to hole out at 18.


I think it would be a neat charity event, but I'd need to think about logistics and probably get the council involved, which is probably more work than I can muster at the moment. Perhaps next year, or soon thereafter

Not quite the same but I've heard that Mike Hutton of Tantallon GC played along the beach from Gullane to North Berwick for charity many moons ago.

99

Golf Course Architecture / Re: Cross country golf

« Last post by David_Tepper on April 17, 2024, 08:46:02 AM »

Jamie Kennedy did a "cross country" round on the East Lothian coastline last year, playing 18 holes on 18 courses.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/jamie-kennedy-plays-50-mile-18-hole-golf-course-scotland

 

100

Golf Course Architecture / Re: ST MEDAN GC: 2023-24 Winter Tour 1-6

« Last post by Clyde Johnson on April 17, 2024, 08:30:21 AM »

The fourth is a great hole! The jeopardy/reward sits at just at the right length for the majority of golfers.