Below, from an "In My Opinion" piece on Texas architect Ralph Plummer I authored in 2006. Same issues 60 years ago, not many better solutions that I'm aware (not too dissimilar to many interested in politics endlessly searching for "the third way"). Perhaps the new Colonial CC with the lowered green complexes and mostly open entries characteristic of its original construction (led by Plummer) is going in the right direction. High rough for the tournament as much as the early season enables with the common heavier winds provide the stern test for a week every year, followed by kinder mowing patterns and calmer winds as the summer approaches in deference to the members.
In a candid 1965 interview published in the “Fort Worth Star Telegram”, Plummer allowed a glimpse of his design philosophies as well as a perspective of the game and the challenges it faced at that time. Amazingly, those same issues are valid today. Plummer was concerned with the effects of how far the ball was going as a result of improved technology, better swing technique, and higher competitive opportunities from high school through college to the pro tour.
He discussed how Augusta had to constantly change to keep up with the game, and was prescient in opining that narrowing the fairways and letting the rough grow would lead to the higher scores tournament officials were seeking. In what would surely apply to Tiger and Mickelson in 2006, Plummer noted (tongue-in-cheek) that Nicklaus was hitting the ball so well (and far), tournament officials “might have given him a saliva test”!
Plummer believed that there were several significant considerations in designing a successful course. Surprisingly, the site or its selection is not among them: “I’ve built them in mesquite thickets in West Texas, rice fields in Louisiana, and swamps in Jamaica” said Plummer. Instead, most likely reflecting the locales where he worked and tight construction and operating budgets, the availability of water for irrigation was paramount.
Consistent with where he learned and practiced his craft, the prevailing winds was his next consideration. He believed that a course should be laid out with cross winds so golfers would be encouraged to control the ball as opposed to only fighting the wind.
Taking into account the special allure of power in the game, he wanted his courses to stretch out to at least 7,000 yards (in 1965!), but still be challenging and playable for the average golfer from the shorter tees at around 6,300 yards.
Believing that the wind is the biggest obstacle for the expert player, he opined that heavy rough is often the only controllable option that kept a course from being irrelevant to the professionals. From a practical standpoint, it should be noted that managing the rough is probably the least costly and management intensive practice for a course which hopes to meet the objectives of its regular clientele and yet hold occasional high-level tournaments.