Muirfield Coverage

[Dean Stokes]

Is this a three man invitational? Pathetic.

[Dean Stokes]

Keegan just drove it 364 uphill on 10. I don't think anchoring is the only problem we have with this game!

[Dean Stokes]

It means we get to see very little golf. At the speed these guys play at we have 15 minutes between tee shots and second shots. That time would be better spent showing other good shots. I guess it's easy this way on the producer

[David_Tepper]

"Is this a three man invitational?"

Dean -

Are you watching the TV broadcast or over the internet?

DT

[Dean Stokes]

Tv David. I think I have seen Guan hit two puts and Villegas hit two putts. The rest has been one group.

[Matthew Petersen]

Keegan just drove it 364 uphill on 10. I don't think anchoring is the only problem we have with this game!

The announcer (I'm not sure who it was) made the same point, happily. He called out the ball as a much bigger problem in the game than anchoring. Later, he and Nicklaus discussed the way the old equipment reigned guys in.

[Wade Whitehead]

Is Keegan wearing a pair of Jordans?

WW

[Jon Wiggett]

Keegan just drove it 364 uphill on 10. I don't think anchoring is the only problem we have with this game!

The announcer (I'm not sure who it was) made the same point, happily. He called out the ball as a much bigger problem in the game than anchoring. Later, he and Nicklaus discussed the way the old equipment reigned guys in.

Maybe player should be required to anchor when using their driver. Now that would shorten the drive

Jon

[Mark Buzminski]

Keegan just drove it 364 uphill on 10. I don't think anchoring is the only problem we have with this game!

The announcer (I'm not sure who it was) made the same point, happily. He called out the ball as a much bigger problem in the game than anchoring. Later, he and Nicklaus discussed the way the old equipment reigned guys in.

I think it was Steve Flesch who first commented on the ball being a bigger issue than anchoring.

After Bradley hit a 364 yard bomb on 10:

Nicklaus: "I thought we had the bunker out there far enough.  They just keep hitting it by everything you put out there, so, not much you can do about it"

Announcer:  "Are you going to add another bunker for next year?"

Nicklaus:  "No, we're not going to add another bunker, we're gonna change the friggin' ball"

Announcer:  "I think that needs to happen, you're right"

Flesch: "Finally, somebody speaking some sense there, Mr. Nicklaus"

 

[Matthew Petersen]

Keegan just drove it 364 uphill on 10. I don't think anchoring is the only problem we have with this game!

The announcer (I'm not sure who it was) made the same point, happily. He called out the ball as a much bigger problem in the game than anchoring. Later, he and Nicklaus discussed the way the old equipment reigned guys in.

I think it was Steve Flesch who first commented on the ball being a bigger issue than anchoring.

After Bradley hit a 364 yard bomb on 10:

Nicklaus: "I thought we had the bunker out there far enough.  They just keep hitting it by everything you put out there, so, not much you can do about it"

Announcer:  "Are you going to add another bunker for next year?"

Nicklaus:  "No, we're not going to add another bunker, we're gonna change the friggin' ball"

Announcer:  "I think that needs to happen, you're right"

Flesch: "Finally, somebody speaking some sense there, Mr. Nicklaus"

 

I didn't hear that exchange. The comment I heard was from someone with a ... non-American accent. I don't recall his exact words but since it was Keegan's tee shot and they had just been discussing the anchoring issue, he brought up that the ball was clearly a bigger issue to the game. Seemed like they went to commercial shortly after that.

[David Whitmer]

My Dad played a round of golf with Jack in October, 1989 (as I was in Columbus playing the OSU Scarlet course in the state tournament). On that day, 24 years ago, Jack said the golf ball is getting out of control and will cause problems. If he knew that back then, I'm certain the USGA and R & A knew it. Makes their lack of action even more frustrating.

[Terry Lavin]

My Dad played a round of golf with Jack in October, 1989 (as I was in Columbus playing the OSU Scarlet course in the state tournament). On that day, 24 years ago, Jack said the golf ball is getting out of control and will cause problems. If he knew that back then, I'm certain the USGA and R & A knew it. Makes their lack of action even more frustrating.

I have an article by O.B. Keeler from 1925 in which he fairly demanded that something be done to "harness the modern golf ball". Same old song, unfortunately.

[Dean Stokes]

My Dad played a round of golf with Jack in October, 1989 (as I was in Columbus playing the OSU Scarlet course in the state tournament). On that day, 24 years ago, Jack said the golf ball is getting out of control and will cause problems. If he knew that back then, I'm certain the USGA and R & A knew it. Makes their lack of action even more frustrating.

I have an article by O.B. Keeler from 1925 in which he fairly demanded that something be done to "harness the modern golf ball". Same old song, unfortunately.

Yes but now it is getting silly. Bradley almost drove number 10 which is outrageous. He hit 6 iron into 11 which is also crazy. This golf course is not short and 'allegedly', although I would disagree, not playing firm and fast. The architects just cannot keep adding bunkers to make doglegs play the way they are designed and they cannot keep building tees fifty yards back! I would agree that the driver and the ball have a bigger effect on the game than the anchored putting stroke - at the same time I am glad to see that being addressed.

[Matthew Petersen]

Another thing Nicklaus said yesterday was that the course wasn't particularly long. I looked it up after that and it's 7,300+. But that's not long, apparently.

17 is 478 on the card (unsure if it was playing that yesterday, though the pin was back). In the Woods/Couple/Bradley group, no one hit driver. Keegan hit some kind of fairway wood off the tee and a 9-iron into the right greenside bunker (he hit it roughly to the center of the green, just not long enough to reach the back hole location). Even at his age, Freddy sees no need to hit driver on a 470+ yard hole.

[Anthony Butler]

While it's true that people who can hit the ball in the middle of their driver head while it travels at 115mph benefit disproportionally from the technology introduced into the game over the last 20 years, I would argue that a sport like tennis has changed more substantially in the nature of top-flight competition over the last 20-25 years.

Obviously the field of play (unlike golf) has not changed... so the tactics and swing mechanics have changed even more radically. Look at the McEnroe/Borg match from 1980 Wimbledon and then flip to the Tennis Channel to watch Nadal at the 2013 French Open... apart from the lines being in the same place it's almost a different sport.

Yet for some reason you don't hear old pros like McEnroe moaning about how they've ruined the game...

[Brent Hutto]

It does make one wonder exactly what portion of the sky would fall if the US Open were played at Merion on a setup that were magically transformed into exactly what was played in 1971 (if that's the right year). Would Tiger shoot 62-58-63-65 and win a 4-way playoff at a million under? Would the entire field leave their drivers and 3-woods in the trunk and play irons off every tee? Would every Par 4 on the course be drivable?

[Bob_Huntley]

Brent,

There is an answer should the powers that be will not address the ball problem.  Can you imagine Riviera C.C. with fairways twenty yards wide with its kikuyu grass and no intermediate rough? I doubt that any player would come close to par no matter how long they were.

Bob

[Brent Hutto]

Bob,

I have two thoughts on that. First, you're probably correct. Second, for my part I'd certainly rather play Rivera in its usual form with a ball that flies 20% shorter than to play it with a Pro V1 in the setup you describe!

P.S. Probably a good thing they showed so much of Woods/Couples/Bradley the first day. Going into the weekend all three are one shot inside the cut line, tied for 50th ten strokes back. Scores were 71-74, 70-75 and 71-74 respectively. Kind of remarkable.

[Doug Ralston]

I do not understand why scores can be 'too low'? If everyone is playing the same course, why does it matter if the average score is 73.1 or 69.7?

As I said in the other thread, messing with a good course seems really dangerous to me. Who gets control of the 'changes' once it is decided to change?

Doug