TOC is easy

[David Lott]

Ullrich said: What about deviation instead? An easy course is one where a player's best round and his worst round are close together. Because that means the player is in full control, he can frequently play to his potential and thus always posts a similar score. For many players their home course is an easy course, because they know it inside-out and know exactly when to hit which shot to which position. They are playing precise percentages.

I believe if deviation is high, then that means the player is not in control and that means the course is hard. Also, deviation can be seen as the relation of the leading players' scores to those missing the cut badly. If a course manages to seperate a field very widely, then it surely must be hard.

That's what I was trying to say, but with less precision and discernment.

Perhaps I should post in German to improve my clarity. (Fat chance.)

Your Google map site is fabulous--thanks.

(Summer of 1998, I had 20+ rounds at TOC. Best score: 80. Worst score: 104. It was windy but not "that" windy with the 104. So even this average amateur proves your point.)

[Jim Nugent]

Does anyone know the average score through 3 rounds?  Would like to come up with an approximate course rating, based strictly on this week.  Guessing the average handicap is around +5 or +6.  If so, and the average score is around 72, wouldn't that make the CR in the upper 70's? 

[Sean_A]

It doesn't really matter if TOC is in anyway easy or not.  What matters is I am seeing shots played that I never see played at any other major venue.  That is the inherent interest of TOC and if folks don't get that, switch on the PGA Tour and have a snooze.  For crying out loud, folks are afraid to take on the chip over the Road Hole Bunker!!!!  When do you see that on tour?  Jimenez bounced one off the wall after taking on the RHB - unsuccessfully. Whe do you see that on tour?  Guys are DROPPING 100 foot putts.  When do yoiu see that on tour?  Guys are routinely driving 2 par 4s and many still  don't get birdie.  When do you see that on tour?  People are driving blindly over a hotel to an insanely narrow fairway?  When do you see that on tour?  Guys are blasting out sideways from bunkers.  Whe do you see that on tour?  There is so much which is unique to TOC when it comes to major golf that I can't believe the best guys come up with is the course is easy.  What a waste of time.

Ciao   

[Chris Cupit]

It may yield good scores when the weather is calm but so what.  It a game, it is supposed to be fun!  And, it's plenty tough when the wind blows which is most of the time.

Would you rather play a "too easy" course that has her moments of humbling you or a "too hard" that just knocks your **** in the dirt for hours with maybe a faint inkling of hope every now and again?

[Tom_Doak]

Would you rather play a "too easy" course that has her moments of humbling you or a "too hard" that just knocks your **** in the dirt for hours with maybe a faint inkling of hope every now and again?

Exactly.  Duh.

Unfortunately, lots of Americans think the latter is supposed to be the model.

[Phil_the_Author]

Every single comment has missed the single most important article in what was written... Heck, it was even ignored by the author and he wrote it:

"true they all play the same course, even if the weather changes during the day, so it's still fair,"

Regardless of how easy or difficult the Old Course is playing because of length, equipment, weather or any combination... it is FAIR to all and that is why it is a wonderful course on which to contest the Open cahmpionship despite what the winning score may be. Consider, with all of the challenges for the two different halves of the draw presented by the wether, interestingly enough, the player who experienced a great deal of it is LEADING, and by a bunch. Only one word can describe that... FAIR.

[Carl Johnson]

MHM: "My problem is trying to understand let alone define the word ‘EASY’."  Right.  This entire discussion begs the question of what's "easy," what's "hard."  Without having time to think it through, I like Ulrich's approach.  (Rory M can tell us a little about deviation.) At least least Ulrich's approach goes beyond the simplistic total score and under/over par approaches.  If you want to define "easy" in relation to par, or total score for 18 holes, it's just simple math.  If that's the way one likes to think of easy/hard, then fine.  As I said above, for myself I like to think of easy/hard in terms of how the course treats the competition, that is, what kind of a competition it provides.  My sense of the third round of the Open today was that most of the guys trying to catch Louis O would not say they found the course to be an easy one.

[Jim Nugent]

Average score this week was 73.06.  Say the average handicap is +5.  Wouldn't that put the CR at over 78? 

When the top players in the world average over par...when the CR is likely in the high 70s...hard for me to see how the course is easy. 

[Niall C]

Jim

Another way to look at it is that in probabaly as difficult conditions as you get, ie consistent strong wind, the best score was close to the record score ever (relative to par).

Niall

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