Is technology ruining golf?
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by user Alex Holowczak
As I looked at the leaderboard for the US Open this morning, I saw that only one person in the entire field was under par.
Steve Stricker, hardly the most famous player in the world, was one shot clear of Colin Montgomerie, the nearly man of European golf. Behind him, players like Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson, all at around two or three over.
After what happened a few years ago, when +10 was good enough for the top 10, I can see something similar happening this year. If memory serves, Kirk Stadler missed a two foot tap-in, only to be left 60 feet away. The game had to be stopped for temporary watering, to stop such unfairness.
Golf suffered a revolution in the inter-war period. It was felt that blind shots, previously de rigeur on British links' courses, were now unfair. As a result, courses such as Royal St. George's and Prestwick, lost their right to host the Open Championship. The former was modified, and is now thankfully back on the rota.
But now golf faces a new problem - technology.
With club and ball technological advances, you are now faced with 513-yard par 4s. Courses nearly 7,500 yards. So incredibly long.
The old Prestwick (one of the top links'in Scotland at the turn of the 20th century) was lengthened in 1934, to it's current length of 6,678 yards. Winged Foot is a par 70, compared to the 71 at Prestwick. The longest par 4 is 458 yards. It's three par 5s are shorter than the 513-yard, par 4 18th at Winged Foot.
Links courses cannot go on being lengthened. Most importantly, at some courses, there is nowhere to put them. St. Andrews is so tightly packed, there is not more room for lengthening. The result, the Road Hole, the par 4 17th played over Railway Sleepers outside the famous hotel. The once straight course is now littered with dog-legs, where tees that were once just infront of the last green, are now 100 yards back down the fairway and a few yards into the rough. The famous Hell bunker, Principle's Nose, Beardies, and Coffins are now almost redundant.
The British courses are now -20able over four rounds, so surely it's time something was done to stop the long hitters dominating the game.
But what can be done?
The changes must be made to the golf ball. Perhaps it could increase in size slightly.
I think, however, the ball should be made heavier. That way, the ball wouldn't fly through the air as much, and run will be reduced on drives. Also, a ball landing in the bunker would be more likely to plug, and bunkers would cause the problems they were meant to cause. The ball would also bury itself in the rough more.
It might be great to see a player shoot 61 every week, or make -25, but when the USGA make +10 over four days a reasonable score, something needs to be done to find a suitable mid-point.
Otherwise, great courses may cease to be, because they would not be able to cope with the new power.
Whilst the US Golf Open looks to be another bogey farce, I at least hope the R&A have made Hoylake up to scratch for the Open next month. Apparently, it won't be too long, so the same joke shouldn't happen this time 'round.
Date
Sat 06/17/06, 6:51 am EST
