David K,
Contempt? I hardly know you for such strong feelings. A bit dismissive or thin-skinned perhaps. But being ridiculed for forming opinions on a famous golf course without a visit to the site then slamming those opinion by making one of like-kind is a bit much, don't you think? Or maybe I am wrong again and your breadth and depth in Texas is such that you can make that claim (RM is magnitudes better than anything here) with a straight face.
Sven,
Though I haven't played RM, I have many of the books and have talked to many people over the years who have played the course. Perhaps my impressions aren't entirely accurate or nearly complete, but I am told that the greens run often around 10', with some visitors reporting much slower speeds. At this speed and with more normal winds, I suspect that the contemplation (and six hour rounds) you cite would be considerably less in frequency and duration.
Regarding width, I never suggested that the course was altered by rough. My comments are on the firmness and speed of the greens, and course set-up, particularly in light of the extreme winds. Merion, another course I admire but have never played or seen in person, at least appears tight (not as wide), and, I am hoping will not be set-up in a way that even the best players have an impossible time getting the ball close to the hole with a short iron.
Sean,
Of course, you are right. It all depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is. Yours is a fair one (using another controversial adjective). I was trying to differentiate between world-class courses- RM no doubt amoung the top ones- which are what I consider "club" courses (Cypress Point being my personal favorite where even a hack like me can shoot a decent score) and championship courses that only the pros can shoot around par (my son and I shot in the high 80s at Carnoustie a few years back when we could both play a little from mostly the back tees on a moderately calm day). BTW, TOC that I got to play bears no resemblance to what the pros play at the Open, by some 1,000 yards. I suspect that from back there, they don't have to do too much to make par somewhat relevant to the pros under normal weather conditions.
Jim N,
I was not aware of Jack's comment. Thanks. Being a Buckeye, he has always beeng a hero. Like minds?
As Joel Zuckerman told me at the Dixie Cup, he doesn't like Texas (hopefully he didn't mean Texans as well) and he knows a lot of people who feel the same way. I know that he was being funny and provocative, but many true feelings are expressed in jest. Reference David Kelly's comments. There are a number of Texas golf courses that I think could easily compete in the top 100, but only one or two make the lists.
Assuming that you can't import the ocean to Texas, yeah, I doubt that CPC would have the same reputation. TOC has unmatched tradition and the topography is not too dissimilar, so perhaps not be hurt as much.