[Jeff Schley]

With all television/network sports coverage these days, but especially with the PGA Tour week-in-and-week out, it's as if I'm watching 'Death of a Salesman' or 'Glengarry Glen Ross' -- what they're selling fewer people than ever are buying. Like Willy Loman, they're hoping to be not only liked but well liked -- except that almost no one does, because he's old and out of touch; and like Ricky Roma, they're waiting for the new leads, the premium leads -- except that the leads aren't coming, because Moss stole them and Williamson's a fool. And, since in golf's case not Brooks nor the Fed Ex cup nor a shortened season is getting anyone at all to sign on the line that is dotted, the Tour has gone all in and is banking on 'these guys are good' -- by which it means 'they hit it far'. Now, I might think the Tour is making a mistake, but it clearly doesn't. It thinks there's a Cadillac car waiting in the future, but I have a feeling that a set of steak knives is the much more likely 'prize'.

Love that movie.  "Coffee is for closers only!"

[tomgoutman]

Fast conditions bring rough into play, and long rough is the only thing that can at least partially defend par for the pros. Obviously wind will bring more rough into play. What Merion did for the Open is put hazards (ridiculous rough) in areas that were normally fairway. I see that happening on a number of courses I play on regularly, and for average golfers like myself, it feels "tricked up" if not done intelligently. Aronimink has wide fairways and if the turf is wet, balls will stay in the fairway. The faster the turf, the more narrow (or shorter) the fairway. What most surprised me about what is going on at Aronimink this week (I could only make it to Friday's round) was how little trouble the pros were having with the Ross greens. I think that had a lot to do with the fact that the greens were very, very soft, and therefore the approach shots ended up closer to the pins than if the greens were firmer.

[Ed Brzezowski]

Played it in June under firm and fast conditions. The greens were ripe for the getting this weekend with all the rain. Plus it helps when you are hitting a lob wedge after a massive drive.

[Kalen Braley]

John,


I would love to see this mystical double digit handicap who can regularly hit it over 300.  The only one I ever saw was in a local tournament years ago who claimed to be a 13... and absolutely slaughtered every one in our flight after shooting three rounds in the 70s...


I got paired with him in one of my rounds, and it was one of the most egregious cases of sand bagging i've ever seen.

[John Kavanaugh]

Spoiler alert...it was exciting.

[Brian Finn]

I would love to see this mystical double digit handicap who can regularly hit it over 300.

FWIW - I personally know somewhere around a dozen such people.

[jeffwarne]

I would love to see this mystical double digit handicap who can regularly hit it over 300.

FWIW - I personally know somewhere around a dozen such people.

Pretty much any athletic kid who gravitated to other sports and doesn't play regularly,
or an athlete from other sports at the novice level
I had a 20 handicap this year hitting it into what I thought was the distant native until my phone rang from the tennis pro informing me of where they actually were landing 330 yards away

[Mike Sweeney]

Pretty much any athletic kid who gravitated to other sports and doesn't play regularly,
or an athlete from other sports at the novice level
I had a 20 handicap this year hitting it into what I thought was the distant native until my phone rang from the tennis pro informing me of where they actually were landing 330 yards away

My son is crazy long, easily in the 290+ range. But he rarely plays, and he has no short game. His phys ed course this semester is golf, so that may change along with stroke allotment from dad.

[John Kavanaugh]

You should contact Bobby Hurley and ask him to pop into class for a day.

[Kalen Braley]

I guess i've been missing out by hanging around the wrong double digits over the years....

P.S.  A guy I used to regularly play with in Spokane hit it 280 pretty consistent but he was a 2-3.


P.P.S.  Do these athletic kids who play infrequently actually carry a handicap??

[Mike Sweeney]

P.P.S.  Do these athletic kids who play infrequently actually carry a handicap??

Not yet. My son is a senior in college, so he has more time now. I think he will get a handicap soon, but he is more focused on club fitting He is more "Bomb Squad Golf" (website still around?) than GCA.com.


Back to Aronimink, I saw the finish of a college tournament yesterday at Bethpage Red and two players went 64 (UConn or URI, I think) and 66 (Yale #1) on a wet cold day. The Red is tough too, but in the wet, it seems to be target practice for them...

[Nick Ribeiro]

What are the greens like? I haven't seen many putts that break a whole lot.

I noticed, after the redesign, there were a lot of straight putts on the greens. The Donald Ross features seem to be more dramatic towards the outer edges of the greens where you wouldn't find pins anyway. I assume this was done purposely to accommodate green speeds for today. Everyone wants fast greens but at a top 100 classic that gets a good amount of play during the season, pace of play must be accounted for, hence straight putts....

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