"The notion that, to be great, a course must be difficult to play has been demolished," Mr. Morrissett contends.
I'm not sure I agree with that statement.
Yes, there are some dunderheads who have insisted only courses which will provide a test for championship golf can be called "great", and that's certainly a marginal viewpoint now. But how many "great" courses are there which don't have a fair amount of difficulty to contend with somewhere along the way?
The easiest "great" course I can think of is North Berwick (West) -- which doesn't make the top 100 lists because some class it as too short, or not hard enough. But there are a lot of difficult shots out there, too. The Redan did not earn its reputation for being easy. There are beaches in play, walls to bounce off, out of bounds close at hand, and some nasty bunkers, too.
A great course has to have a certain level of difficulty to it. The trick is to make those difficulties fun for golfers to try and conquer.
P.S. No wonder our economy is in such a funk, if the Wall Street Journal is writing about Golf Club Atlas. The story on The Confidential Guide was more practical ... as an investment tip!
