[NAF]

Read this in the Sydney morning herald...



http://www.smh.com.au/news/0201/31/sport/sport7.html

[redanman (Guest)]

Els really paid homage today, I guess.

[BCrosby]

I liked the following paragraph in which the author distinguishes RM from other courses:

"Rather, players accustomed to turning up on Tuesday at some cookie-cutter lay-out, where water hazards take the place of subtle bunkering and length is used as a poor substitute for imagination, are this week enjoying a rare treat."

Good stuff.  

Why do golf beat writers in the US seem so much less perceptive?

[redanman (Guest)]

Sorry, premature post!

Els showed the great designs will yield to great golf, but this has to be one of the most respected courses in the world.  I think the sand belt soil composition, and the design and"TEP's maintenance meld", help create such a masterpiece.

Wonderful design details such as the bunkers cutting into the greens are fabulous.  Fazio is one of the few smart enough to recognize just how good.  

This is one course you can judge at least to a degree on TV, no?

[Lynn Shackelford]

;)B. Crosby:
The newspaper guys in the U.S. not getting it?  How about the TV guys as well.  Renton Laidlaw in the opening telecast must of had the A. MacKenzie book by his side.  He talked at length about the Good Doctor and his visit to Australia, Nick Faldo shooting the course with his video camera, a quote from Tom Doak and other things.  A TV producer in the United States would have wondered why they were promoting a dead guy.  

[Matt Schulte]

It sounded to me as though Renton Laidlaw was reading directly out of the book "The Sandbelt".  Which you should pick up if any of you are interested in the region.

[Justin_Ryan]

Matts

Both Renton Laidlaw and Ken Brown bought copies of the Sandbelt when I was there on Wednesday morning.  As they are only broadcasting internationally and not on the Australian telecast, I am sure that Paul and David would love to know if they give it any free plugs.

[Chris Kane]

I hope they give Paul and David's book the plug it deserves.  It is a book with awesome photography and great anecdotes.  Any overseas visitor to RM who walks away without the book is doing themselves an injustice.  How about setting up a stall in the players' marquee Paul?

Mike Clayton has a weekly article published on the PGA Tour website, and it frequently hits just the right note.  The one posted yesterday was IMHO one of his best:

There might be two hundred significant professional golf tournaments world-wide this year and there is no question in my mind Royal Melbourne is the best golf course any of the major Tours take an event to.

The British Open is at Muirfield this year and that is in its class but rarely now do professional events go to the cathedrals of the game.

Unlike one of Alister Mackenzie’s other great designs, Augusta National, Royal Melbourne has essentially remained faithful to what the great Scot left us in 1926 and despite what some famous names would have us believe, this golf course is far from being obsolete. Great design and great architecture is never obsolete.

And, with the firm fast greens and a little wind, the shot-making of some of the world’s best will be tested to a far greater degree than at just about every other venue they will play this year.

The course, too, is in flawless condition, perfectly set-up and Ernie Els, the best player here this week ought to break out of his "longest period without a win" and do the field in.

He has played here before at The Presidents Cup in 1998 and more importantly he saw it that week in its most brutal mood. When it’s hot and windy here, the course is all but unfathomable.

The entered Montgomerie is absent because he blew his back out in Perth last week, leaving Allenby as the man most likely to restore the reputation of the home players after a miserable week in Perth. Who could have imagined Wayne Riley and Peter Fowler being the leading Australians on a course set-up more likely to have been a surprise to the Europeans.

Allenby is now much changed from the skinny 19 year-old who almost won the Australian Open in 1991. Indeed, it was Riley who beat him with an outrageous putt on the 72nd green. Allenby is a big, strong man, filled-out and very athletic. And, he is now one of the best dozen hitters in the world. He has won here before and knows the course as well as any other in the field.

Geoff Ogilvy is back from America, living in a home backing onto the golf course, and he is playing some of his best golf. His only frustration after some terrific play at Royal Queensland and The Grand was not winning.

Never has he won as a professional, but he hasn’t been at it long so he no doubt will, simply because he is really good.

The course though is as big a star as any player this week and it is a rare week that professional golf can say that.

[NicP]

Chris,

       Some good scores out there this week. I just hope that we don't get a raft of articles and opinions claiming that RMGC is outdated and not to fit to hold tournament golf. In my opinion the course has fulfilled one of it's objectives - to reward good play. As I am sure many who have played both courses at RMGC would know it is possible, given good conditions, to shoot low scores (I was there the day Roger Mckay shot 63 or 64 in the world cup in 88) and as equally as easy to shoot a score which requires a high powerd calculator to add up.  

I would be interested in everyones opinion.  

[Mark_Huxford]

If this was the Aussie cricket instead of the Aussie golf The Sanbelt book would be on screen every drinks break with Richie Benaud reading out the number to call while plugging the virtues of the limited edition "leather bound" volume! What a shame for Paul and David it's not

PS : Chris, I think it's great that "Muhammad" R Lee now holds the course record at Royal Melbourne and I think it's even better that I beat him once when we were juniors  

[Chris Kane]

Mark,

"Muhammud R Lee!!!" What a crack-up!

62 is an unbelievable score.  That will vindicate all those who either support Nicklaus or are too narrow-minded to see past him.  He's on the right track with the ball, but his angle on the sandbelt courses is quite peculiar.  An article in The Age this morning, the follow-up to the Nicklaus article on Tuesday, gives us all something to worry about.  Bill Richardson said exactly the right thing.  Even if the winning score is -40 on Sunday, this course is ten times the courses we take for granted every other week :-(

Nicklaus' high-tech warning takes shape

Charles Happell
The Age

After just one day of the Heineken Classic, Jack Nicklaus' predictions of gloom for Royal Melbourne, and the rest of the sandbelt, seem closer to materialising than few could have imagined.

Nicklaus, on a flying promotional visit to Melbourne earlier this week, warned that advances in golf technology, especially with the ball, would soon make grand old courses such as Royal Melbourne redundant for tournament play.

Yesterday, his words began to carry a certain ring of authenticity. Even with gusting winds sweeping across the fabled Black Rock layout, more than 50 players broke par in the first round of the Heineken Classic; last week, at the Johnnie Walker Classic at Lake Karrinyup in Perth, just seven players finished the tournament under par.

Both tournament leader Ernie Els, who had a 64, and Michael Campbell, with 67, who are unabashed admirers of Royal Melbourne, said it was sad to see such a fine course being dwarfed by space-age equipment. "The way (Alister) MacKenzie designed it back in the 1920s, and the way it is playing now, are two totally different courses," Els said.

"The ball goes so far now ... definitely this morning it was not playing very long.

"I think surely they should put a handbrake on technology - I mean, I'm hitting the ball 20 or 30 yards longer than I did last year - so I'm for that totally. Either that, or they've got to lengthen golf courses like they did Augusta, and I'm not sure that's the right thing."

Campbell's caddie, Mike "Sponge" Waite, has kept a yardage book from the last tournament held at Royal Melbourne, the 1996 Greg Norman Classic, and been able to compare the clubs Campbell was using then, and now. "Today I hit a driver and wedge into the (405-metre) 18th, driver and wedge!" Campbell said. "Six years ago, when I last played here, I was hitting driver and six-iron or seven-iron.

"I can tell you the course is playing pretty short, really. I am playing one or two clubs less for each shot now.

"Technology has changed so much that it has made this course at least two or three shots easier, to be honest. I can see what Jack Nicklaus was on about the other day."

Royal Melbourne general manager/secretary Bill Richardson said he was unconcerned by the doomsayers, claiming the course would hold its own when the winds picked up and the greens became slicker.

"We haven't had four days of play yet so it's too early to come to any conclusions about the course," Richardson said.

"But, having said that, you can't say a course has been beaten to death after the playing of just one tournament. The winning score in the Australian Masters at Huntingdale one year was 23 under, but significantly higher the next year.

"We have always said this course needs the weather to play a part in helping present a greater challenge. It's not, in our view, something that is achieved totally by extra length."

[Chris Kane]

Just read Muhummad's stats, and he hit all 18 greens, and had only 27 putts.  The papers won't say this, but maybe he just played an incredible round of golf, and would have scored like this on any course.  While he had 62, some guys had high 70's and 80's.  What a great course, although the media has found their reason to think otherwise.

I found a new reason that some people enjoy seeing RM being ripped up: today I was talking to a friend at school, and he said "hahahaha, isn't it great to see those rich p****s have their course destoyed.  I wonder how good they think their course is now?"  Interesting!

[Mark_Huxford]

Looks like the players are just on a good wicket this week and the course is inspiring them to play their best. I know Richard Lee showed in the Qualifying school a year ago that he can shoot low scores but he still wouldn't have shot 62 at any of the courses around Auckland before let alone Royal Melbourne. I think it's great when a famous course has that effect. So long as everybody isn't shooting 62 it's fine.

From amateur golf I recall he was one of the best putters I've seen. The head used to come off from time to time back then as it did during the third round of the Aussie PGA at Royal Queensland this year. I hope he can keep it going over the weekend.

[RJ_Daley]

Could it be that the set-up committee is having a bit more water put down on the approach aprons 50 yards short of the greens to try and make the course play a little more difficult by taking some of the forward bounding momentum away from the low running shot, forcing the higher approach directly onto the greens and leaving them to the mercy of a firm hard green where they may or may not hold?  Is that a way to combat the distance issue to some extent?  With the predicted rain and probable softening, it will be interesting to see if another record is set on the third day (61 maybe?).  

The greens looked delicious on the tube.  Fabulous artistry in the bunker edging bitten right into the putting surfaces and the mowing precision.  I'd like to know all I can about their maintenance practices to get that look.  

To digress with that thought in hand a bit;  we have had a separate discussion about new courses in the sand hills and how they should not copy C&Cs blow-out style in Mullen.  I think that it would be very cool if someone could do Mackenzie style bunkering on the prairie with the "maintenence meld" that we are seeing at RM.  Do we have supers in the states up to that task, and what kind of added crew and cost would this entail?  

note to TE Paul, this is the first time I have used that term, but it certainly seems appropriate when characterising the look down under.  

[TomSteenstrup]

RJ, the setup you describe there sounds like the US Open setup they supposedly did at Pebble Beach. Too tricked up for my taste. I'd rather see low scores.

The TV feed from RM doesn't start here until Saturday. Looking forward to it.

Tom

[RJ_Daley]

I'd have to disagree with you there Tom.  Nothing like PB.  Apart from their motives to put down more water on the aproaches, I don't think they have tricked it up any from their everyday presentation.  I may be wrong about that, and that is why I asked if anyone could explain in more detail.  I shall enjoy the RM by a long shot over the AT&T at PB!  

[Shane Gurnett]

Guys

I'm sitting here in my house at Caulfield, Melbourne (about 20 minutes from RM) and it is absolutely pissing down (and we say here in Australia). Hailstones are coming down the chimney! It will be a weekend for more good scoring.

I've been going to tournaments at RM for 20 years, and honestly the course is no different to any other year, apart from the greens being in absolute perfect condition. A lot of putts have been made over the last two days due to this fact alone.

Has my opinion of the course lessend over the last two days? No chance. Does it yield to superior play and punish the wayward shot. Of course it does, just like it has for the better part of a century. RM may well be the perfect tournament venue for these reasons alone. I dont care how many under or over the pros can shoot here. It will forever remain a masterpiece. As I think Doak put it so well, "RM is the course Augusta wants to be".

I was there when Harwood laid his bag down on seven to stop the wind in '84, and when the players, led by Sandy Lyle,  walkedoff in '86 (pussies - forgive me if the dates are a little out). The score is the least important thing at RM.

[Mike Clayton]

Shane
Harwood -85  Lyle -87
We have a tree down in the front garden -Caulfield too- hope they lost a few at Commonwealth,YarraYarra, Metro,Victoria.

By the way the course was unplayable in 87.I played with Rodger Davis and he was 1 over after 15 and went from 45th to 3rd when they called the day.Too much cheating on the 3rd green.

[TEPaul]

RJ:

Keep using that term "maintenance meld"! I'm just hoping it will start to make an important distinction from "good condtion" which can mean anything as long as it looks immaculate.

"Maintenance meld" in my mind is supposed to mean the ideal maintenance to highlight the design intent of the architecture of a particular golf course. The most important part of it is "meld".

[Chris Kane]

Tonight was one of the best storms I've ever seen!  It put a hole right through the roof of the recreation hall at Monash University where I was umpiring a hockey game!

Hope it hasn't had an adverse effect on the course, such as slowing down the greens or damaging them.  But if the wind is as good as this evening, we are in for a treat!  Watch the 65's become 85's overnight.

RJ,
It's a nice idea, but isn't a feature of RM the opportunity to play the running game, a departure from the lofted-irons of every other week?  I say there is more skill in judging a running shot onto the putting surface than hitting a high-fade and stopping it.  What do you think?

If all the trees are down at Commonwealth, I'll say a silent prayer.  If the greens committee won't do it, then Mother Nature is the only other option.

[RJ_Daley]

Chris, please don't get me wrong.  I am not for extra watering of the approaches (if that is what they have done). Renton Laidlaw made mention of the noticable softness on the approach aprons.  I was just speculating why that may have been done.  I am with you all the way on this point that it would be better to allow them to be the same firmness, dryness of the fairways and offer the option to bump shots up the approaches.  I fully realise it is a specific skill that is being lost to the lawn dart approach.  However, I was speculating that the set-up committee thought that by sofening, they would make them take their chances landing directly on the firm greens as to whether they would hold or bound off to a bunker or hollow.

I have a friend named Duds who is in his late 60s who used to play with Lombardi and some of the glory year guys.  He is the best player of the bounding, always running and hopping rabbit I have ever seen.  It confounds me that those shots keep going and going.  It is a joy to watch...

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