Marquis de Sod

[Terry Lavin]

Is Mike Davis now bulletproof regarding his setup philosophy?  If Merion is a shrine, it's many admirers seem to have embraced the sadistic setup if only to be able to claim knowledge of its architectural bona fides, many of which were transmogrified in a not so veiled effort to protect par. Personally, if this is what the Merion members want, I have no problem with it. As for Mike Davis, I just wish he would "own" his subversion of classic architecture to gain his goals in setup.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Terry,

Merion has always been noted for having difficult rough.

So has GCGC.

The difference is that GCGC has very generous fairways.

Given the choice of playing Merion as you saw it yesterday vs GCGC, on a daily basis, I'd opt for GCGC 90+ % of the time.
But, I'm sure there are some that would enjoy what I perceive is a torture test for the average golfer, more than I.

Mike Davis doesn't have unilateral authority to change the golf course at Merion.
Merion and only Merion has the authority and the means to change the golf course.

Merion, to protect it's legacy and current day relevance, narrowed the fairways, added length, shifted some fairways, and may have regraded some fairways and then put the rough on steroids.

I happen to think that once the decision was made to return to Merion for a US Open, that you couldn't leave the course as the members play it.
To my recollection only SHCC and WFW come close that status.

If you review US Open setups over the last few decades in conjunction with distance over the last few decades AND you want to protect/defend par, was there any other choice other than the ones listed above regarding what had to be done to Merion ?

Doesn't the venue dictate the setup, not  Mike Davis ?

[Bill_McBride]

Pat, do you really think any club is going to tell Mike Davis "no way?"

Name one that has.  Or Joe Dey or anyone in between. 

[Terry Lavin]

Pat,

Davis did what he needed to do to defend par but he did it while drooling over the purity of the design that he defiled. It's like being the temporary curator of the Mona Lisa and deciding to alter the jawline. In this, and other championships, he had willing partners in the Merion members, just like he had at other clubs. That's certainly a valid defense.

[Jim Franklin]

Pat -

The venue gives up its course set up rights to the USGA. They have final say, not the course itself.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat, do you really think any club is going to tell Mike Davis "no way?"

Yes

Name one that has.  Or Joe Dey or anyone in between. 

I don't recall the club or the date offhand, but it will come to me.
Clubs have rejected "suggestions" in the past.

Merion was anxious/desperate to have an Open return, hence I think they'd agree to most "suggestions"

And, you're only aware of the changes that were agreed to, not the changes that were rejected.

[Terry Lavin]

In my experience, the club agrees to the major changes and then the USGA starts the charm offensive to get any modifications that later "occur" to them. At Olympia, a couple years after we rebuilt the course to their liking, we were persuaded to cut down a bunch of trees on our signature hole and move the fairway closer to the creek. It was controversial, but everybody loved the look after the work was done.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat -

The venue gives up its course set up rights to the USGA. They have final say, not the course itself.

You are incorrect.

No architectural changes can be made to the course on a unilateral basis.

The club has final say, not the USGA

[Jim Franklin]

The USGA makes suggestions for course change and set up, but the course has final say. I agree. But when it is tournament time, Merion has no say at all when it comes to set up. They give that two week period up to the USGA.

[Patrick_Mucci]

The USGA makes suggestions for course change and set up, but the course has final say. I agree.
But when it is tournament time, Merion has no say at all when it comes to set up. They give that two week period up to the USGA.

Jim,

Course "setup" is almost inconsequential in terms of permanent architectural changes to the course.

Nobody cares about Hole and tee locations.

Rough lines remain an ongoing issue after the show has left town.

ONLY the club can approve of and make architectural changes to the golf course

[Tom_Doak]

The USGA makes suggestions for course change and set up, but the course has final say. I agree.
But when it is tournament time, Merion has no say at all when it comes to set up. They give that two week period up to the USGA.

Jim,

Course "setup" is almost inconsequential in terms of permanent architectural changes to the course.

Nobody cares about Hole and tee locations.

Rough lines remain an ongoing issue after the show has left town.

ONLY the club can approve of and make architectural changes to the golf course

Patrick:

That used to be the case, until last year at Olympic, when the USGA decided it would install a bunker on the 17th hole a month before the tournament.  The deal there was, they would pay to remove it after the tournament, if the club wanted to remove it.

That's the new normal.  The USGA does what it wants, and they'll pay you for the privilege.

[Jud_T]

Seems like your make your bed and then you lie in it with these guys.  Perhaps Merion will displace Oakmont at #5 on the next Digest list now that they have this inbred feather in their cap.  I only hope a club I belong to never bends over and takes one for the team to host an Open.  The perverse thing about all this is the feel-good spin being put on a classic course still holding up to "today's game".  Tim Rosaforte and Rich Lerner almost peed themselves over the "quaint Old Merion" angle on the Golf Channel the past few nights.  Even in these august pages many can't type fast enough to tell us how pleased they were with the setup.  I don't think I've heard a peep this week about the greens they changed to get more hole locations while stimping at 13.  We better hope it doesn't rain for a month before next year's Open.  God forbid someone gets to -12 at Pinehurst.  I'd be afraid.  I'd be very afraid...

[Patrick_Mucci]

The USGA makes suggestions for course change and set up, but the course has final say. I agree.
But when it is tournament time, Merion has no say at all when it comes to set up. They give that two week period up to the USGA.

Jim,

Course "setup" is almost inconsequential in terms of permanent architectural changes to the course.

Nobody cares about Hole and tee locations.

Rough lines remain an ongoing issue after the show has left town.

ONLY the club can approve of and make architectural changes to the golf course

Patrick:

That used to be the case, until last year at Olympic, when the USGA decided it would install a bunker on the 17th hole a month before the tournament. 

Tom,

Olympic had to "sign off" on that bunker.

The deal there was, they would pay to remove it after the tournament, if the club wanted to remove it.

That's the new normal.  The USGA does what it wants, and they'll pay you for the privilege.

Can you imagine them changing the 1st green at NGLA ?

It would be interesting to know what changes were suggested at Sebonack.

I can't think of many.
The course seems adept at hosting a Women's Open the day after hosting  a Member-Guest.

Course setup will be very interesting.

My belief was that if Mother Nature cooperated I could set the course up for 288, 300 or more as the winning score.

[Mike Hendren]

All of the "defending par" complaints are not warranted in my opinion, particularly when the cognoscenti decry par as irrelevent for architectural purposes.  If we must compare the winning score to par, Rose's winning score was -7 in my book since both 5 and 18 were de facto par fives.  Alternatively,  I count six legitimate half-par holes at Merion:  #'s 3, 5, 10,13, 14, and 18.  Only the 10th and 13th play a half stroke easier than par, the others harder.   That suggests a par of 71 with a winning score of -3.   

I don't know what Merion looked like in the past or what specific changes were made for the tournament, but after three days on site I fell in love with the golf course - it blew by Shinnecock as my personal favorite.

Bogey

[Bill Brightly]

   

I don't know what Merion looked like in the past or what specific changes were made for the tournament, but after three days on site I fell in love with the golf course - it blew by Shinnecock as my personal favorite.

Bogey

Wait a year, go play Shinnecock, and report back to us

[Terry Lavin]

Is Fazio doing a reno at Shinny, too?   

[Patrick_Mucci]

   

I don't know what Merion looked like in the past or what specific changes were made for the tournament, but after three days on site I fell in love with the golf course - it blew by Shinnecock as my personal favorite.

Michael,

You have now qualified yourself to attend our moronic dinner for morons

Bogey

[Mike Hendren]

Pat, is that a good or bad thing?

Mike

[Will Lozier]

I happen to think that once the decision was made to return to Merion for a US Open, that you couldn't leave the course as the members play it.
To my recollection only SHCC and WFW come close that status.

What about Oakmont?  Is it just legend that they have to raise the blades on the green mowers when they host?!  Didn't the club simply add some tees?  No greens were changed nor mowing lines drastically altered?

[JC Jones]

The two major changes to greens at Merion made them easier, not harder.  The rough is always long at Merion.  Yes there was some fairway shifting and some narrowing but I think there is overstatement of what was done at Merion.

The belief among many is that Merion is child's play and was "tricked up" for the US Open.  That is laughable.

[Jim Franklin]

The two major changes to greens at Merion made them easier, not harder.  The rough is always long at Merion.  Yes there was some fairway shifting and some narrowing but I think there is overstatement of what was done at Merion.

The belief among many is that Merion is child's play and was "tricked up" for the US Open.  That is laughable.

Merion's fairways were dramatically reduced for the Open. If that isn't tricked up, I don't know what is. I hope they bring back some of the missing fairways for the members.

[Jeff Taylor]

The Missing Fairways of Merion.

I bet it would make a good In My Opinion piece.

[Peter Pallotta]

The Missing Fairways of Merion.

I bet it would make a good In My Opinion piece.

Or, "I Wish I'd Used a Pinnacle" - The Untold Story of How a Hard-as-a-Rock, Non-Spinning Golf Ball Would've Won at Merion

[Bill_McBride]

Pat, is that a good or bad thing?

Mike

Only a moron would ask that question.

[JC Jones]

The two major changes to greens at Merion made them easier, not harder.  The rough is always long at Merion.  Yes there was some fairway shifting and some narrowing but I think there is overstatement of what was done at Merion.

The belief among many is that Merion is child's play and was "tricked up" for the US Open.  That is laughable.

Merion's fairways were dramatically reduced for the Open. If that isn't tricked up, I don't know what is. I hope they bring back some of the missing fairways for the members.

I don't know that I'd call fairway reduction "tricked up."  I think of tricked up as building new bunkers, changing the construction of greens to make them more difficult, speeding up the greens to ridiculous numbers, etc.

Reducing fairways can be changed back with mowing patterns.

I'm also not convinced they were "dramatically" reduced.  I played there in Fall 2010 and they weren't exactly 50 yard fairways back then.

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