Is something "wrong" with the Blue Monster? What would you "fix"?

[Terry Lavin]

My personal opinion is that the televised tournament repels as many guests as it attracts.

That may be, but it doesn't matter one bit.  The whole point is just to attract enough golfers to make it profitable.  It doesn't matter how many golfers are repelled if they weren't going there anyway.

No offense, but I think Donald Trump understands that part of his business a bit better than you do.

I do think the combination of contoured greens and adjacent water hazards is liable to backfire every once in a while.  There really aren't many examples of the two together, and that's probably for a reason.

Hey... I thought you were in South America and off the grid!!!

This is kinda what I was getting at... it's the BLUE MONSTER! Water, water everywhere. Take a chance and miss and you pay the ultimate penalty. It's not like Pinehurst #2 where you just get in the pine straw or wire grass. Swap out the water with some waste areas and the pros would not be complaining. But, that's not going to happen, so adjust accordingly... or, your six iron from 240 is going in the water.

Good point. It could be WORSE. Could have greens like Pinehurst #2 that won't hold a 9-iron hit by a pro from the fairway with all that water. The mind boggles...

[Michael Whitaker]

My personal opinion is that the televised tournament repels as many guests as it attracts.

That may be, but it doesn't matter one bit.  The whole point is just to attract enough golfers to make it profitable.  It doesn't matter how many golfers are repelled if they weren't going there anyway.

No offense, but I think Donald Trump understands that part of his business a bit better than you do.

I do think the combination of contoured greens and adjacent water hazards is liable to backfire every once in a while.  There really aren't many examples of the two together, and that's probably for a reason.

Hey... I thought you were in South America and off the grid!!!

This is kinda what I was getting at... it's the BLUE MONSTER! Water, water everywhere. Take a chance and miss and you pay the ultimate penalty. It's not like Pinehurst #2 where you just get in the pine straw or wire grass. Swap out the water with some waste areas and the pros would not be complaining. But, that's not going to happen, so adjust accordingly... or, your six iron from 240 is going in the water.

Good point. It could be WORSE. Could have greens like Pinehurst #2 that won't hold a 9-iron hit by a pro from the fairway with all that water. The mind boggles...

  It can ALWAYS be worse!

[BCowan]

Josh,

   Much easier than discussing.  So resistance to scoring is now how one determines how successful a course's arch is?  Would Nick Price be able to win in his prime?  A great course enables long and short hitters success.  A short hitter will seldom come out on top at Doral, hence it is just like 95% of the other PGA tracks.  You just love those ''Angle'' talking points. 

[jeffwarne]

Josh,

   Much easier than discussing.  So resistance to scoring is now how one determines how successful a course's arch is?  Would Nick Price be able to win in his prime?  A great course enables long and short hitters success.  A short hitter will seldom come out on top at Doral, hence it is just like 95% of the other PGA tracks.  

Doral was ALWAYS a bombers track.
The scale of the game has changed dramatically-and it turns out making Adam Scott putt conventionally hasn't worked (along with everybody else that has switched in advance of the deadline)-shocker ----too crazy to address the actual cause and effect of ultra big uses of real estate.
Driver- 7 iron to 600 yard par 5's.
Do I hear 700?

[Mark_Fine]

I don't know about the rest of you but I am not just focused on that one shot and one hole.  I am venting more about how they set up these golf courses in general. It is often to the detriment of the architecture!

I think I will stick to my story about Royal Birkdale and how they used to "set up" golf courses.  Sadly it doesn’t work that way any more.  Too much worry about protecting par and difficulty, etc.  Last I checked, a perfect round of golf on a Par 72 golf course would be 54 (some might argue 50 if you one putted the four par fives after reaching them in two).  So why shouldn't the best golfers in the world shoot 15 or 20 or more under par for four rounds?  That isn't even close to perfect golf!  

[BCowan]

''Doral was ALWAYS a bombers track''  

Furyk- 2000

Faldo- 1995

Mediate- 1991

Crenshaw- 1988

Trevino- 1973

Casper- 1964

[Michael Whitaker]

Mark - there are not many (if any) true par fives any more for the pros. A par 72 course with 4 par fives is really a par 68. So, "par" for four rounds would be -16. -20 is really only four under par.

[Sam Morrow]

What I saw yesterday I liked, produced great entertainment.

[Terry Lavin]

What I saw yesterday I liked, produced great entertainment.

I agree. Not that I'd ever waste another afternoon playing there. A wet graveyard for golf balls. And golf clubs. But the scuba diver only works the pro events.

[jeffwarne]

''Doral was ALWAYS a bombers track''  

Furyk- 2000

Faldo- 1995

Mediate- 1991

Crenshaw- 1988

Trevino- 1973

Casper- 1964

52 years and you have 6 nonbombers?
Thanks for making my point!

[Brent Hutto]

What I saw yesterday I liked, produced great entertainment.

And I know this pisses off some of my friends but when the announcers were speculating about whether Dustin Johnson's tee shot on the 72nd hole was too far left and then it just flew over the water and into the fairway waaaaaay down there...

...well that was pretty cool. So what if he couldn't have done that with a rubber band wound ball and a wooden driver. It was amazing to see none the less.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Matt,

Is your question in the context of play for a PGA Tour event, the hotel guest, serious golfer, casual golfer, etc. etc..

A "fix" as you call it for one slice of the spectrum may not be a "fix" for the other slices.

Would you also tell us what course isn't a "bomber's paradise".

Thanks

[Patrick_Mucci]

What I saw yesterday I liked, produced great entertainment.

And I know this pisses off some of my friends but when the announcers were speculating about whether Dustin Johnson's tee shot on the 72nd hole was too far left and then it just flew over the water and into the fairway waaaaaay down there...

...well that was pretty cool. So what if he couldn't have done that with a rubber band wound ball and a wooden driver. It was amazing to see none the less.

Brent,

After watching the best golfers in the world, one after one, knock their drives into that little neck of water, I was very impressed by DJ's drive.

The commentators reminded me of those commenting on John Daly's play, before they saw him hit the ball.

Long and straight sure makes the game easy.

[jeffwarne]

What I saw yesterday I liked, produced great entertainment.

And I know this pisses off some of my friends but when the announcers were speculating about whether Dustin Johnson's tee shot on the 72nd hole was too far left and then it just flew over the water and into the fairway waaaaaay down there...

...well that was pretty cool. So what if he couldn't have done that with a rubber band wound ball and a wooden driver. It was amazing to see none the less.

Brent the long hitters have always done that-they've just moved the tee back again, and again, and again

[Bruce Wellmon]

Jeepers, I enjoyed my round there last February. Tell JB to come play Musgrove Mill if he wants difficult. 

[BCowan]

''Doral was ALWAYS a bombers track''  

Furyk- 2000

Faldo- 1995

Mediate- 1991

Crenshaw- 1988

Trevino- 1973

Casper- 1964

52 years and you have 6 nonbombers?
Thanks for making my point!

I bet i missed a few, and I still think 6 is high.  I bet only 3 short hitters will win in next 50 years. 

[Gary Sato]

Not many of the pros like it.  Will Sneds caddie be fined?

"The three longest drivers at the Cadillac Championship -- J.B. Holmes, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson -- are likely going to finish 1-2-3 in some order.

Why?

According to those who played it, because it's been turned into a ridiculous course where only long hitters can succeed.

Ian Poulter complained about it after his round on Twitter:


Then Brandt Snedeker's caddie, Scott Vail, called it the "worst golf course I've ever caddied on," which you know won't go over well with Donald Trump.

The worst golf course I've ever caddied on. #TruthHurts

— sv (@thescottvail) March 8, 2015
Of course, Snedeker is also No. 100 on the PGA Tour in driving distance, so I'm sure he doesn't like it. It's definitely a shock to watch after a place like Riviera, which is shorter and takes a lot less distance and a lot more skill with your irons.

Johnson clearly likes both spots."

[Matthew Essig]

First we had the podcasters who wanted to slow down Royal Melbourne and soften Riviera's greens. Now we have the people who don't want to see any rollout on 240 yard fades hit to greens sloping left-to-right toward water that increasingly cuts in as the pin is challenged.

You people are going to HATE this year's Open Championship course...

Not JUST the Open Championship, but ALL 4 Majors!!!