Phil,
I understand your comments regarding Merion. I've always believed the USGA didn't really need to do all that they did for the course to still pose a great challenge to the best players, and I don't like the work that was done to 12 & 15. Merion has always had very difficult greens and tough rough. That combination proved it still holds up to modern technology. Obviously not all courses possess the great architecture of Merion but the call for 7500-8000 yd courses is just overkill IMO.
Congressional was 7500 yards and soft and there was record scoring. Merion was 6900 yds and soft and guys really struggled. I've played both courses numerous times and even without the deeper rough, day in and day out, Merion is a much tougher course to score well on.
For those of us who will likely never get a chance to play either of these courses, can you explain why Merion can play so tough? After watching the Open I don't have a clue as to what makes it the great course it is as the conditions seemed far different than what the members regularly see. What are the key elements that make it a great golf course?