Where is the thread criticizing the course setup at ANGC?

[jim_lewis]

I'm not sure. Was it too easy or too hard?  Were there enough roars or too many? I'm sure the experts on this board who know much better  than the officials at August National call tell me. After all the prevailing opinion seems to be that their members are just a bunch of rich old guys who don't know much about golf and have no appreciation for the history of the course. It's amazing how things work out when the weather allow the course to play firm and fast and for the setup to shine.

[Bill Gayne]

I thought it was the tournament of the decade.

[TEPaul]

Really terrific and exciting 2010 Master. I was impressed by their day to day set-ups. Congratulations Phil.

[Phil McDade]

Jim:

I asked a similar question last year; it seems the players are becoming more familiar with the course, and along with set-up tweaks, it has returned the Masters to a great tourney with lots of ups and downs and turns of fortune.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,39410.0/

I also sense this year produced nearly ideal scoring conditions -- a bit of rain on Thursday, then modest temps and little wind that left greens receptive.

[Dan Herrmann]

I praise the course setup. 

[Rick Sides]

I too thought it was a fantastic Masters.  The set up was fair and as the scores proved, birdies and eagles were there for the taking.  It reminded me of a U.S. set up with the various tee lengths. 

[Phil McDade]

And here's a fun thread from two years ago, where Matt Ward goes on and on (and on and on, in classic Wardian fashion) about how the course changes at Augusta National made for a deadly dull tournament:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,34150.0/

Matt -- thoughts?

[Carl Rogers]

If they get rid of the first cut, then a lot of semi-errant tee shots go into the pine needles.

[jim_lewis]

Carl:

For all the conversation about the first cut, I really don't see it making a lot of difference. I did see a few balls bounce off trees or run out of the pine needles and stop in the first cut instead of making it all the way out to the fairway. Justice was served. The players just don't seem to make a big deal and don't seem to be all that disappointed when they roll into the rough. That first cut is really quite short, not what most of us think of as rough at our clubs.

[Tim Gavrich]

I thought that the golf course setup was superb.  It rewarded good shots and punished bad shots in exactly the way and to exactly the extent that most would expect.  Yes, -16 won, but the weather could not have been much better for scoring.

[Patrick_Mucci]

If they get rid of the first cut, then a lot of semi-errant tee shots go into the pine needles.

BALONEY or BOLAGNA, whichever way you slice and pronouce it.

That's a MYTH perpetuated by people who have only seen ANGC on TV[/size]

Jim Lewis,

I think you have to congratulate Mother Nature as well, she really co-operated and helped make this such a terrific tournament.[/size]

[Terry Lavin]

They obviously got lucky with some pretty good weather after an atrocious winter and a late-arriving spring in the South.  They had the golf course fast and firm, with the greens rolling well despite the visible presence of healed aeration marks.  By Sunday, it seemed like the greens were rolling at 13-14, which is really really fast with all of the internal contours on those fabled surfaces.  Setup wise, I think they really hit the sweet spot.  Thursday, with the threat of weather and a full golf course, they gave the players a short course with easy hole locations on most greens.  The result was viewing magic.  Friday and Saturday featured tougher hole locations and more length, but the players were equal to the task, especially on one of the greatest Saturdays in recent Masters memory.  And on Sunday, they went for the old-fashioned "gimme birdies, gimme eagles, gimme a couple holes-in-one, yessssssssssssssir" setup.  I'd say they did a perfect job overall with the very difficult job of setting up a golf course for a major.  They had two advantages (great weather and institutional knowledge), but they deserve a lot of praise.  Fred Ridley, it seems, is very much a disciple of Mike Davis, the well-regarded US Open setup man.  Great job!

[Sean_A]

What is there to criticize?  So much was right that the little things fade away as nearly meaningless.  That said, I would prefer if the banks leading to water were cut shorter.  I didn't get to see the slow, miserable drip feeding of the water with balls.  The concept of how long it takes the ball to come to rest after landing is not only true of the great shots, but the tragic shots as well.

Ciao

[Bill Brightly]

What is there to criticize?  So much was right that the little things fade away as nearly meaningless.  That said, I would prefer if the banks leading to water were cut shorter.  I didn't get to see the slow, miserable drip feeding of the water with balls.  The concept of how long it takes the ball to come to rest after landing is not only true of the great shots, but the tragic shots as well.

Ciao

Sean,

Did you miss Sergio putting from the back left fringe on 12, across the green, past the pin, off the green...then down the slope into the water?

[Lloyd_Cole]

It looked like so much fun! What a great tournament!

You'all might not believe this but yesterday night was the first time (since I got into studying GCA) I had any desire to go play there. My desire was always outweighed by the strong suspicion that I probably wouldn't like the club and it probably wouldn't like me... Now I'd be happy to risk that being the case!