Great Article on Augusta
I read this article today on ESPN.com and I felt that it was so good that I should post the link here on The Golf Blog.
It is written by Ron Whitten for Golf Digest and discusses how Arnie and Jack feel about the new and old changes to August National. It is definitely worth taking a bit of time to read.
4 Comments:
I saw those comments on the Golf Channel, and they seem to be duly substantiated. unfortunately only a few golfers have the stature to make any comments about Augusta. Perhaps more would if they didn't feel there would be an unaffordable backlash against them.
My view of the Masters is that it has always been a major that allowed anyone in the field, no matter their driving distance, to compete and become a champion. thus evidenced when Weir won his green jacket in a year where rain soaked fairways would presumable make a relatively short hitter unable to compete.
By taking the length to a seemingly unfair level (for short hitters), they are limiting the field as to who can compete. The only bright side is that (as the article points out) most trouble will only be a factor for long hitters, taking the driver out of their hands on multiple holes. Tiger has been successful at Augusta, but in my opinion, it has been solely due to his short game, not his driving distance, as he hasn't been accurate off the tee in the last few years. In fact, by creating rough (something Augusta has always been known as lacking), perhaps it will bring the possibility of success to more accurate hitters rather than those that bomb their drives. Granted, on some holes, the longer hitters will have shorter irons into the hole, but that is dependant on the accuracy of those drives.
PGA golfer Phil Blackmar was chosen by Finchem to determine if today's courses give ample opportunities for shot-makers who hit shorter drives on today's 7,500 plus courses. Blackmar has always felt that a tournament should be a test for all a player's shots, not just booming drives. And this has influenced many of the PGA Tour recommendation for course changes the last few years. While Augusta certainly does not follow any advice on changes from Finchem, perhaps they too are hoping to distinguish themselves from other majors by making the difficulty slanted towards accuracy rather than distance. This may seem contradictory to the fact that the course is lengthened to 7,400 yards, all professional golfers have the length to compete on a course of this length so long as those that try and bomb it are penalized when those drives are off-line.
All in all, I think it will be interesting to see if the bombers are truly awarded by the lengthening of the course. But in my opinion, it seems that the lengthening merely puts those hazards into play that the bombers used to ignore. Granted, a longer hitter will be able to hit a shorter iron from the same distance as a shorter hitter, and they can use a 3-wood to put it at the same place off the tee as a shorter hitter does with a driver. But by making accuracy more of a factor from tee to green, perhaps the Masters will become the major (somehwat like the British Open) where the best player with all the skills becomes the victor (The U.S. Open and PGA Championship on the other hand seem to suit the player who can bomb it off the tee in prior years).
I hate to see them lengthening Augusta and getting farther away from what Bobby Jones envisioned. The only logical solution is a "Masters Ball."
This complaining sucks. Shut up E squared...polish your US Open Trophies. Arnie, 1.5 Million for a tournament demands INCREASING THE PRESSURE TO TAKE AND EXPOSE GOLFERS TO RISK SO THAT THE BEST GOLFER PREVAILS.
My opinion is that I might be a good basketball player, have great skills and even a better free throw percentage that Mark Price...but the fact is players and people are becoming bigger, faster and stronger. Michael Jordan if started in the league today, would NOT DOMINATE AS MUCH. The reason being is that HE INFLUENCED PLAYERS TO TRAIN HARDER, BE FASTER, AND BE LIKE MIKE. Arnie and Jack did the same thing...Look at what Tigers Goals are...Arnie and Jack would not compete face to face with Todays' Tig. No way...but that is what we call PROGRESSION. Vince Carter's dunk in the 2001 Slam Dunk Contest was a progression, Tiger's Slam was a progression, Roger Federer's quest for his grand slam is a progression...it moves the SPORT FORWARD. TRADITION IS BASED ON PROGRESSION. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE NBA HAS NOT CHANGED TO AN 11 FOOT BASKET....WHICH WOULD BE A SIMILAR CHANGE....BUT THE SHOE AND BALL TECHNOLOGY IN BBALL HAS NOT CHANGED OR PLACED A PRESSURE TO CHANGE THE GAME. THE INCREASED DEFENSE OFFSETS THE OFFENSE.
You cannot help the fact that Tiger put in endless hours in the gym, on the range, and with mental coaches. Why DID HE DO IT?!?!...so he could BOMB DRIVES STRAIGHT! AND HAVE AN INCREDIBLE SHORT GAME. An obvious advantage due to his thought and engineering of his game. His dedication, planning, and THOUGHT, deserves reward. His tenacity is unrivaled, and makes Phil and Ernie ride in the side car with his laid back attitude. Golf has become an athletic sport (just look at the new Tom Lehman).
Changing the courses is a great thing, tradition will always be there, no matter what...even if they change their flag colors to orange. You might disagree straight up....but if Tiger is not using a Big Bertha S2H2 Original in the 2006 Masters...STOP COMPLAINING....they are not using Tour Balatas anymore let alone Titleist Professionals anymore.
The fact is that it is I might hit every fairway at my local course and tear it up for a 3-4 under. The variable is the fact that I played from the Red TEEs This is important, because PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS SHOULD HIT IT LONG, STRAIGHT, AND CONTROLLED (SPIN). WHAT IF TOURNAMENTS WERE PLAYED FROM THE RED TEES, I WOULD HAVE A CHANCE. There is no spectacle. There is no challenge. That is why ESPN 4 carries the Putt Putt world championships with 250 lb Fat Dudes...Ernie...pick up poker, and stop complaining. Play the GAME. Respect the GAME. And understand that like the Constitution of the U.S. Golf is Evolving, and will be better!
Sincerely from the idealistic,
osUltimate
A few replies:
To start, I assume the comment to stop complaiing is directed to the Nicklaus and Palmer. Not that they are above criticism, their committment to expanding the game of golf helped to make a new generation of golf enthusiasts, quite a few rich golfers at 100 on the money list, and a future committment to help the game of golf grow in parts of the world that never recognized the sport. Thus, they get to express opinions that may be held by many, but expressed by few.
"Arnie, 1.5 Million for a tournament demands INCREASING THE PRESSURE TO TAKE AND EXPOSE GOLFERS TO RISK SO THAT THE BEST GOLFER PREVAILS."
Find me the professional golfer tht would prefer the $1.5 million over the fact that they would be a major winner, the holder of a green jacket, and invited to the Masters for the remainder of their life (with conditions). If the prize money dictated the course set up as risk and reward, the U.S. Open would no longer be the joke it has become (no risk/reward, just survival/luck). As somewhat stated, that's why the Masters if such a great major...it does test all aspects of the game...identifying the best player that week.
"You cannot help the fact that Tiger put in endless hours in the gym, on the range, and with mental coaches. Why DID HE DO IT?!?!...so he could BOMB DRIVES STRAIGHT!"
Tiger doesn't bomb it straight, never has, never will. Nor is any winner of a tournament that person with the greatest FIR percentage.
"This is important, because PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS SHOULD HIT IT LONG, STRAIGHT, AND CONTROLLED (SPIN)."
I agee with long. I disagree straight and controlled. The professional tour on a weekly basis has become a bomber's tour, losing the creativity of yore. Which brings us back to the complaints by Nicklaus/Palmer. They have seen the trend of the tour, rewarding the bombers, hurting the Pavin's of the Tour. And with the lengthening of Augusta, they fear that the same trend will infect the Masters.
Which brings me to my original comment. I think the complains were substantiated, but I also feel that they have not made the length unreasonable to this point. In fact, with the addition of rough, I think that they have helped to reward accuracy and creativity. But it is nice to know that the old masters of the game still have the influence to question certain changes (which always seems to be related to length rewarded over creativity).
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