The untouchables

[Mark Alexander]

With the Pebble Beach reonvation in mind, are there any courses left that can't or shouldn't be touched?
For instance, the Old Course springs to mind - the vast majority of the changes in 2005 took place outside the official boundaries, although admittedly the Road Hole bunker was reshaped.
It would be good to hear your thoughts.

[Rich Goodale]

are there any courses left that can't or shouldn't be touched?

No.

All golf courses are living things that need to be touched and must be touched to remain relevant.  To think otherwise is to condemn a course to irrelevance, decrepitude, morbidity and eventually death.

Cheerfully

Rich

[Tom_Doak]

Rich:

I agree -- on your assumption that the governing bodies of the game are too lazy or ignorant to try and preserve great courses through a periodic tightening of equipment regulations.

You do agree that would serve the same purpose?

[TEPaul]

I guess it depends on what one means by "touched". 

[TEPaul]

Here's an interesting question about "touching" a course architecturally that many may consider to be an "untouchable"----eg Pine Valley.

The question is since it is pretty well documented by a couple of men who were really close to George Crump at Pine Valley what he planned to do with the course had he lived, should those things be considered and done now?

[Rich Goodale]

Rich:

I agree -- on your assumption that the governing bodies of the game are too lazy or ignorant to try and preserve great courses through a periodic tightening of equipment regulations.

You do agree that would serve the same purpose?

Tom

I think tightening of B&I regs would serve 80+% of the purpose, but I also think that continual TLC (which must involve "touching") would also have to be done, regardless of what the USGA/R&A might do and/or say.

Rich

[Mark Alexander]

In a sense, you're saying that an original design won't survive - changing technology and wear and tear will dictate that changes will have to made.
But, as I understand it, the Pebble Beach restoration is returning the course to its original layout, or close to it.
Could other courses be returned to their original state and still contend with modern technology etc?

[Bill_McBride]

Maintenance practices and B&I are two distinctly separate issues.

Look at the renovation/restoration work that's had to be done to remarkable courses to restore bunkering and green size/footprints to some preferable condition in the past.  That's generally a result of maintenance practice, benign or not.

Now length, that's another issue!

[Anthony Gray]

  Even my beloved Cruden Bay could use a little caress.

  Anthony

[PCCraig]

TCC-Brookline

Even though the word is they are going to add a few back tees in prep for the 2013 US Am, that course hasn't changed much. Even when R. Jones came in in the 1980's prior to the Open, he really only "restored" a few bunkers and the 17th green.

[Mike Hendren]

Shinnecock Hills
Walter Winchell Muni