Jeff, I'm not talking about the slopes around the greens. What I'm saying is: when you miss the green, it's a boatload easier to get up and down to a severely contoured green if the green stimps at 6-8 vs. 14. Picture short siding yourself, where you have to hit a little flop or whatever. At 14, even the slightest slope away makes that shot death. But at 6-8, it's do-able. Thus, by bringing the tees back so the same clubs are getting hit as the old days, they are not restoring the old shot values. They are creating new ones. Bobby Jones could short side himself with a 4 wood into #4 and still have a chance to get up and down. Today's players in the Masters cannot. That ain't the same shot values to me. That's just the same clubs in.
Shivas,
Take your time frame back 100 years to the model for ANGC - St. Andrews. Don't you think those greens were lightning fast with not water? And the banks were fast and bumpy? If SA is the model, the course Jones loved above all others, don't you think chipping on slick greens was part of his love for SA, even with long clubs in?
Hole 4 is a representation of the Eden, and if you ever got above the hole on the Eden, even into the 1990's, you could hardly keep it on the green. Wouldn't that possibility of not getting your recovery shot close be part of both Jones and MacK philosphy, provided you hit the wrong spot?
For that matter, how did the fourth, representing a 150 yard hole at SA, come out as a 220 yarder in 1933, unless Jones felt you had to lengthen the shot to accomodate the same shot values found at the prototype hole?
For that matter, the traditional set up of ANGC has always favored long bombers and good putters. Could we interpret the added length as a way to keep that core value of ANGC intact?
Just playing devil's advocate, but I may have a point!
Another question about the course set up. As long as they are just adding back tees, I suppose its possible for the everyday player at Augusta to play the 6900 yard tees and enjoy it the way it used to be, no? Do they mow the fw cuts wall to wall for normal play? If so, other than the new trees, adding the back tees would possibly get the best of both worlds - a tournament ready course that maintains its ties to history - well, to some point in its history.