Interesting take Terry, considering that Ron bagged on Olympia Fields in his article.
Having now read the article, I' think I get what he was getting at, but I'm not sure he did much to win Brits and influence Allies. In all, and I have said this before it amazes me to no end that Ron's tone in many of his articles of the past few years, have taken on an almost Golf Club Atlas-like tone, as if almost he was making a post addressing us.
In actuality, I think it's cool too, and John maybe right that some of us have driven Ron from the site, and that is indeed a bad thing because Ron Whitten is, well, Ron Whitten.... I'll make my amends here if I'm any part of that factor, because after reading the article, it would seem that Ron was too appalled that they omitted history, went with changes that were somewhat less then honorable when taking into account, history. More specifically I'm of course speaking of the 17th which looks as if they took a perfectly charming Scottish hazard--Stanley Road--and have eliminated it from being a factor in play, saying one could actually putt out of bounds. Now I don't know if that's a local rule or not, but certainly OB is being defined by the artificial nature of the road itself which to me is in the term of links golf, almost sacred. You simply don't eliminate those quirks and challenges that are gifts to the links as bizarre as they may be.
Ron goes on further to explain how the cops were moved or removed in certain areas. Cops which Bobby Jones himself touted as masterful strategic hazards of the place. I'm with him on this too.
However, and much like myself on threads chastising all sorts of architects and courses through these years, Ron took a more aggressive approach calling Royal Liverpool/Hoylake, Royal O.B.
Ron didn't like the internal O.B. which flew into the face of tradition, (which I agree) and from what I'm reading, he probably didn't like the idea of switching #1 and #3 either. I'm not very knowlegable on Hoylake, but again, I would probably take a stand for it in tradition and history, so why change regardless of the length? Playing at Hoylake was for the most part a return to past greatness where history of our favorite pastime has played an somewhat important part of. But that's where I will disagree with Ron and say that it would be better of him to go after the very soul of those who are making Hoylake obsolete, not so much the R & A, but the manufacturers....
Terry, Of all people, you should be one that understands that the Hoylake fescue was anything but dead. We've heard it here from knowledgable observers who were there in person. The grass isn't accustomed to the temperature so it reacts by turning brown. It's not dead it just wants cooler temperatures to remain the color which appeases one's eyes.
For my eyes, I like that specturm of colors that were at Hoylake which made it one of the best looking courses we've seen this year. Beautiful in it's color, immaculate and perfectly in tune with it's exisiting environment. But as American's we all have a very hard time trying to come to grips when we can't control what Mother Nature has blessed upon us, and which we are just not accustomed too.
Frankly speaking if I were to die and go to heaven, I hope the conditions of the golf course be as warm and colorful as they were at Hoylake, restored with that pesky road there ready to swallow one of my shots whole.
To me that's Golf.