Tree removal and course difficulty

[Jeff_Brauer]

Mike P, yes nice job breaking that down.  You ought to be a newscaster for the upcoming elections, to make sense of the senseless far right and far left positions........

Going back on topic, another Augusta story may help sell that wider makes it more mentally difficult. One contestant told me they could hit it within a few yards of the creek on 13.....in practice.  But every round in the tournament, they aimed a few yards further away.  This was to ensure they wouldn't hit the creek with 50 yards fw to the right under pressure.

Mike's story about being behind the tree is similar.  No reason not to aim near it if the fairway is a hit or miss proposition.  If the fw is wider away from the tree, it makes it so much harder to aim near it, for fear of beating yourself up for being, in the words of Roberto D, "a mucho stupido". (I don't actually think that was his exact wording, but that is how everyone recalls it)  Of course, it makes more sense if there is a huge advantage to playing near the tree.

If there is a lot of penalty for missing, they you fire and fall back.  Pass-Fail shot.  Wider fairways allow to grade on a curve.

[cary lichtenstein]

I was invited at a 2 day member guest at an old Long Island course. Every hole had trees intruding into the right side of the narrow fairways immediately off the tee. (I start the ball out right and move it right to left). By the 12 th hole, the first day I was just fit to be tied, wanting to just fly home so I could avoid the rest of the round and the tree slaughter the next day.


I politely informed my host that his course did not fit my eye, and I should not be invited back ever to play there.


talk about a case for tree removal...and common sense

[Brad Treadwell]

My favorite pro tree removal analogy to date that a friend of mine just sent into our GM regarding some plans to take out some trees this winter.  He said it's like a strip club with 50 beautiful women.  If 20 of them quit, you'd still have 30 beautiful women.  On top of that, with 20 less of them dancing around it would improve the condition of the tables and the couches.  Maybe not the analogy for all audiences, but I though it was pretty creative!

[Joe Sponcia]

John,


Anecdotally, I can tell you that in my hometown, both Holston Hills and Cherokee CC went through extensive tree removal.  I have hovered between a 1.5-4 handicap for the last 7-8 years and my scores are virtually identical from when there were more trees on both courses. In talking with head Pro, Chris Dibble (Holston) a few years back, he said something to the affect of..."you would think the course record would have fallen many times over but it has remain unchanged since the restoration was completed".  I speak to both Chris and Ryan Blair (the Superintendent) on a fairly regular basis and every time they host a big event we joke that they must be on '59 watch'. 

Oddly...I just played Tennessee National today (Norman design) and it has virtually no trees, 50-60 yard fairways...and to me it plays as hard as any in town.  When you poll the local yokels on what is the best course, most say it's the Norman designed Tenn National, while the same people decry Holston for the tree removal, saying "they ruined the course, too easy".  My next favorite question is, "isn't Tennessee National too easy" (since it is essential wide open)?  I always get a blank stare. 

People that defend over-treed arboreums do it for two reason[/size]:  Ignorance and ego.  If the course is wide open and they play bad, they stink.  If they play bad on a treed up course, their ego is preserved because it appears hard.[size=78%]

[Kalen Braley]

I've always felt that in some ways, trees can make a golf course easier, specifically if they are either strategically placed or there are enough of them to prevent balls from going OB.
 
Its better to be under a tree with a chance at saving par than to be re-loading and hitting 3 off the tee...