Chris
Now this is an interesting statement and perhaps may define why in my opinion golf is going down the wrong path “but a course like Elie couldn’t be built today because the public would have difficulty accepting it”.
The question is why?
Let’s quickly look at the game and in particular how competitions have developed over the last 150 years which may go some way to explain my question..
In fact, if we look back to even earlier times say to the 18th century, competitions were played on the normal courses of the day. This continued up well into the 20th Century when someone decided that Championship Courses were need for our Majors and The Tours. This was IMHO when the game started to show its cracks and segregate the Pros from the average Guy in the Street (sorry course). A mistake in my opinion and resulting in the so called term Championship Course.
The professional game, on the whole moved away from courses us poor mortals played and clubs started pampering to the Professionals and their advisers designing courses for the top few hundred in the world. I would have liked to see the day to day courses which are totally open and available to the public in general used, forcing the Professional to show his skill and ability in being able to conform to the requirement and state of the course and what us poor guy have to accept when we play a round.
I understand that some believe that great skill is required to drive a long ball, but I do not agree. For me the skill and architectural design (with its hazards) kicks in from around 200 yards from the flag. I digress for a second and ask who designs hazards or features (unless for decoration/conformity) within 150-200 yards of the Tee on holes that are 300 yards plus in length?
Back to the point; The long game and the need for longer courses are just a by product of our Professional game which reflects outwards to all these keen golfers who feel or want to match, perhaps even yearn to copy their heroes. But does it reflect fairly on the average golfer who is the pay master for all that goes on in Golf today?
The problem, I believe is that the average guy in the street no longer looks to his own game but tried to imitate the Top & Tour players, which in truth the majority have not a chance in Hell of doing so. Therefore I question the sense in keep producing or tweaking courses for the Pros; I feel they should compete on our courses, the ones available to the ordinary golfer and without all this pampering.
Surely, that is the test of the real Professionals and would IMHO contribute more to our game, improve entertainment and assist in new ideas (not on length but the longevity of the course to remain playable without major maintenance) when designing new courses. Just a thought!
As for blind spots - I love them as I play golf for enjoyment, a challenge, test of my poor skills and just for the fun I have remembering it all in the 19th afterwards.