Has "Tough" Toughened Up Through the Years?

[DMoriarty]

The US Am  at Oakmont has naturally lead to much discussion about what a tough test Oakmont really is; with the announcers repeatedly noting that Oakmont was meant to be a very difficult test from the day it opened.  How many times did they refer to the Fownes' quote about how an inferior shot should be a shot forever lost?  

Certainly Oakmont still represents a tough test, but were the high roughs and narrow fairways really the kind of rough that Fownes envisioned?  

A fellow CGA.com participant gave me this picture a while back of 9 from the clubhouse, I think.  I am not sure the date but it appears that it was taken well before this week's tournament.



The hole pictured looks pretty tough to me, but not because of narrow fairways.

[Patrick_Mucci]

DMoriarty,

It would be interesting to compare the picture you posted to a picture taken at the time of Fownes's death.

Does anyone out there have one ?

[A_Clay_Man]

I'd have to answer NO!

The uniformity of conditions has made tough, not so tough. Imagine watching the best players on the planet hitting out of some of the spots this country's municipal courses posses, off the fairway.

Now that is tough.

[DMoriarty]

It would be interesting to compare the picture you posted to a picture taken at the time of Fownes's death.

Yes it would.  Do you think it possible that the course started out with narrow fairways, then went to the wide fairways like the one shown in the picture, then back to narrow fairways.  I didnt even consider this possibility . . .

What year did Fowned die?

[David Kelly]

David,
I believe that is not #9 but #18 and based on the straw hats worn by the men it looks like the picture is possibly from the 1927 US Open won by Armour.