Steve,
I think it's terrific when the great courses host the Opens, but, I have to wonder, at what price architecturally.
Many courses have altered holes, Oak Hill immediately comes to mind.
Other courses have altered their greens, Winged Foot and Merion come to mind.
Other courses have altered, dramatically altered their fairway/rough lines and haven't restored them to their pre-Open configuration.
Are those prices that are too high to pay ?
Have hi-tech and the best golfers in the world combined to render these courses defenseless to scoring without dramatic alterations or conditions. Do courses have to come close to losing their greens in order to defend themselves at that end ?
I've always loved The Masters, The U.S. Open and the British Open, but, is the U.S. Open running out of courses that can host that tournament without permanently disfiguring the venue ?