Poults think that the course really favors long hitters - take a look at all of his tweets over the weekend and you will see that he has been complaining about this every day - there also appear to be power slots that only the long guys can take advantage of. I played the course recently and I didn't notice this but I played from tees a lot shorter than the pros. But all of the par 5s are reachable and 2&18 have long carries over hazards just before the green so shorter hitters have to lay back quite a ways.
The furthest you have to lay back on either 2-18 is about 100yds to avoid going into the hazard. The larger issue is the degree to which the principles of golf architecture have been upended by modern tournament play... The traditional argument being the shorter the anticipated approach the smaller the target should be... A par 5, for most of the last century considered a three shot hole, should have a smaller target. With fronting hazards on 2 and 18, if you don't knock your drive 300yds down the fairway, you may be forced to hit a pitching wedge for your second before approaching with something like a sand wedge.. I have been forced into that situation several times. In addition to being smaller targets, the greens at 2 and 18 are surrounded by hazards on at least two sides, so it's the sensible
if not the only play. Perhaps that is part of Ian Poulter's problems with these two holes.
The other par 5 which plays slightly uphill at 600yds will allow you to hit two full shots unless you get a terrible lie after your drive.
From what I saw the first two days: Most players are in position to approach the 18th with their second... due in large part to the hill to the left of the driving zone which tends to push most balls right into a pretty even lie on the fairway. As Gil Hanse said on TV, before the redesign the players who were not in the right position off the tee could simply cover the distance across the hazard with their second and have a pretty easy pitch for their third. With the redesigned green that shot has become a little more complicated... At the same time, if you have to lay up, your third shot is not much harder, given the fact you'd have to hit your sand wedge 20 feet right or left to miss the putting surface.
By reducing the size of the 18th green, TPC Boston has attempted to restore the principles of par-5 play to the hole without increasing the length. In addition, it gives this course, which lacks quirk and charm when compared to many other notable courses in New England something to talk about... I'm sure Luke Donald and Ian Poulter don't see it this way, but I think the changes on 18 are a welcome addition for member play as well.
P.S. With regard to the stats line posted by Joe Bausch, apart from a couple of evening rain showers on Tues/Weds, it has been warm and strangely dry in the Boston area this week... (I live about 30 miles from TPC Boston) and the course is firming up, which explains much of the distance gains Louis Oosthuizen has seen in Rds 2-3.
Today much the same... McIlroy has been absolutely crushing it off the tee this week. He's reached near the end of the fairway on 18 twice with his 3 wood. When you consider he is about 5'10" and 165lbs tops, it's incredible the distance he generates.