Shivas,
At golf courses that I'm fairly familiar with in NY and NJ, many changes were done prior to any recent distance explosion.
Over the last 50 years many of the changes involved lengthening. Other changes involved altering greens, adding bunkers, removing bunkers, etc., etc..
Too often green and long range planning committees, Boards and Presidents have changed golf courses to in an attempt to alter the independent tactical balance of the golf course, originally forged by the architect, to a balance that favors their particular games.
Many times, these changes have been masked under the quise of fairness. Certain features may not be receptive to a segment of the memberships style of play, hence they seek to alter them in the name of fairness. When the next group gets in, seeing what was done in the past, they too make attempts to alter the course in the name of fairness, which now takes its form from their style of play. And as this process continues over a period of 20-50 years the course reflects the scars of all of the alterations, all of the attempts to make it more fair for different golfing styles within the club, and as such, the course loses its distinctive design, the one intended by the architect, leaving present day members with a quiltwork of amateur design attempts in the name of fairness.
I don't think Geoff is referencing these alterations, although,
this is where restoration can be invalueable.
I sense what Geoff is talking about is the more recent trend related to distance, narrow fairways, and high rough.
Narrow fairways may have started in the 50's with the advent of automatic irrigation systems, but they've been narrowed excessively due to the long ball, or focus on driving accuracy, and the demise of tactics and strategy, some of which is equipment related, some of which is maintainance related.
I'm told, that as of this weekend, Shinnecock could hold the OPEN. I'm also told that the fairways are narrow and the golf course about 300 yards longer. This can't be the ideal set-up for membership play, but, monkey see, monkey do, and that's the problem with the trend. Will the golf course restore their fairway widths, as intended by the architect, or will they preserve the course that the PGA Tour players play, as the red badge of courage ?
Even Merion, which narrowed its fairways in preparation for a US OPEN has yet to restore them to their previous and
ARCHITECTURALLY INTENDED width, despite the passing of 20-30 years.
This deprives the members of the strategic decisions and play, as intended by the architect, and that can't be good for those who play the golf course day in and day out.
One only has to look at the exalted position that NGLA holds to understand the genius of the architecture, combined with a harmonious maintainance meld, to understand why this course is almost universally praised. It combines challenge with enjoyment for every level of golfer. So, something must be terribly right about NGLA, and I think other clubs would serve their members well by trying to emulate what NGLA presents, rather then what golf courses set up for the PGA Tour present.
But, that's just my opinion, and TEPaul is still wrong.
