Certain signs of increased Athleticism at TOC

[Thomas_Brown]

Faldo driving the 18th during the 3rd round - Surely, the 60 yard pitch he holed in 1990 has lesser architecture merit and interest than today.

[Jeff_Mingay]

How about Tiger's 400 yard drive at the 14th today?!

The new tee there hasn't changed the hole a bit from the way it played in 2000. Hell bunker is passe; no longer a factor in Open championship play.

Nice work on regulating balls and clubs boys.

At least those new out-of-bounds tees have allowed a hole like 14 to play as it did five years ago. What, though, will the R&A do the next time the Open returns to St. Andrews, and teh world's best driving 450, or 500 yards on the links?

[Jeff_Mingay]

Actually, that's when Hell bunker will be a factor again... as a hazard off the tee! Imagine.

[Joe Hancock]

The new tee there hasn't changed the hole a bit from the way it played in 2000.
 

Jeff,

Wouldn't that make it a positive change?...Kinda?...Sorta?

Joe

[Jeff_Mingay]

Kinda... sorta... maybe, Joe  

I'd rather see the ball rollled back though!

It's unbelievable that nearly every player attempts to drive, and at worst, gets very near the 18th green. Amazing.

However, the scores today weren't ridiculously low. As Brad K. says on another thread, wind is the great equalizer. It was nice to see it blow, if not too hard.

[DMoriarty]

The new tee there hasn't changed the hole a bit from the way it played in 2000.
 

Jeff,

Wouldn't that make it a positive change?...Kinda?...Sorta?

Joe

It makes it kinda positive if we sorta look at this hole in a vacuum, and kinda forget that they had to go 40-45 yards back, and sorta out of bounds, to kinda keep the status quo with only five years ago.

We also have to sorta ignore that there isnt the kinda room they need to go kinda sorta 40-45 yards back on every hole, and even if they had that kinda room to try 'n stay kinda sorta in status quo with five years ago, the course would stretch to around 8000 yards, sorta.  

We also might want to kinda sorta forget about what might happen in five more years if the USGA and the R&A don't kinda, sorta pull their heads out of their respective Road Hole bunkers.  

So while it is sorta' a positive, it kinda' isnt all that positive after all.  

 

[Brad Klein]

Obviously the ball is going a mile in the air - too far. But the fairways are tighter and firmer and faster than ever before, which has a lot of effect as well.

[Joe Hancock]

David,

You've validated my use of the smiley, thank you.

Brad,

Would you mind speculating why there is this ongoing desire to make fairways roll so far through the practice of short heights of cut, vs. moderate heights of cut coupled with good(dry) irrigation practices? Isn't the bounce sufficient to add distance and interest to a well struck shot to a fairway? Are the supers as much at fault as anyone? I honestly don't know where the impetus for 3/8" fairways is coming from...at TOC and elsewhere.

Joe

[Doug Siebert]

I find it difficult to believe that the fairways at TOC are mowed tighter than they were for the 2000 Open, or when I was last there in August of 2001.  That grass lays down flat against the ground so the only way they could mow it tighter would be to verticut the fairways!  Amazing the contortions some will go through to deny that the ball is much longer than it was only five years ago.  If players hit it even further in 2011 I suppose the naysayers will blame global warming for causing a prolonged drought in the St. Andrews area as responsible for players hitting 8 iron into 14 from the new 650 yard tees.

I thought it was quite remarkable that Nicklaus nearly put it on the 14th in two both days, and came pretty close to the driving the 18th on Friday.  Not bad for a 65 year old who can muster only a fraction of the swing speed he was once capable of.  Did anyone else hear the wag in the gallery who yelled "take off your sweater" when he put his tee ball down on the 18th on Friday?

[Mike McGuire]

Monty finished second alone...I dont recall him being called athletic.  Perhaps its more the  ball than  the player ?

[James Bennett]

Perhaps this year's Open will be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back' for the R&A on clubs/balls.  It is awfully boring seeing two guys walk 360 yards before playing their next shot.  Although the shots then played are terrific.

The hole that surprised me was 17 - long iron off the tee followed by a short iron run-up.  This was the ultimate par 4 and a half wasn't it?  

I know the course would play completely different in October (eg the three course pro-am played in Scotland).  Will they use these new tees (2, 12 and 14) at that pro-am as well?

[Craig Sweet]

Didn't they say the fairways would roll around 9.5 for the Open? How far do you think a ball will roll hit at these velocities on rock hard fairways?

[Brad Klein]

Doug Siebert, in my post, I said the firm, fast conditions were an additional factor. That's not to deny, as I wrote, that the ball goes too far.

[PThomas]

showing my age a bit now , I remember when they first installed the watering system onTOC...people feared it would cause the ground game element to go away...

has the pendulum gone too far the other way now?  i.e., does the Old Course now actually NEED to be watered more to slow it down??  I realize this is almost blasphemy, and I have argued before against excessive watering as a waste, but with technology uncontrolled does TOC need at least a little more agua??