Yipes.. if I hear another general simplistic solution to this psycological distance problem / irrelevent course architecture malaise I'm gonna be sick.. let go of these old courses! The world will not end! Perhaps if they'd stop trying to be immortal, their architecture could be preserved.
My first real exposure to the pros was 1979.. my most recent was this past spring.. pretty much an annual thing.. they have always amazed me with their shot making, good, bad, and rarely but sometimes ugly.. I have seen many jaws in the crowd drop at the sight of high, curving, and long flying balata and surlyn covered spheres.. what i have enjoyed the most is the pure tone of their ball striking.. flight & sound are two things that don't really translate well on tv.. let them be, they rarely care about you or the "average" golfer.. just where is the next tourney they're scheduled for..
it is merit which normally wins at any level, maybe with a little luck thrown in, but as the cliche goes.. winners never quit, quitters never win.. kinda wish jesper had won yesterday, he almost deserved it, but not quite..