[Phil Lipper]

Do you think that watching the US Open at the revamped Pinehurst 2 will changes Americans perception about what a golf course should look like? Most Americans that watch golf on tv are expecting to see perfectly green fairways and view Augusta as perfection. Most only expect to see something that looks natural when they watch the Open Championship.

[Terry Lavin]

In a word, I think it will have an incremental effect.  It's going to shine the spotlight on thoughtful restoration of a classic course, but it comes only a year after the USGA presented a transmogrified Merion and talked endlessly about the genius of the original architecture, the same architecture that it had debased in many ways, to make sure that it could still defend par.  As for the "down with brown" message, the Opens at Pebble (McDowell), Shinny (Goosen) and Pinehurst (Campbell) were all brown and firm tournaments and it didn't seem to have that much downstream effect.  But one can hope...

[John Kavanaugh]

After watching fat white guys in bad hats take what seems like an eternity making rulings on if the ball is in a hazard or not people will hate the very idea of how this course is set up.  This tournament will be the end of the faux minimalist movement. 

[Jeff Taylor]

I am guessing that the USGA has considered that endless ruling situations will be harmful to the event. I also guess that it won't be that difficult to figure out and that the real harm will come from players trying to get a favorable ruling when it is clear that one is not warranted.

[John Kavanaugh]

I am guessing that the USGA has considered that endless ruling situations will be harmful to the event. I also guess that it won't be that difficult to figure out and that the real harm will come from players trying to get a favorable ruling when it is clear that one is not warranted.

Sorry but the USGA loves getting on camera.  They live for the chance to point their walkie talkie antennas like it was the finger of God.  Also just wait for the player who starts removing objects like a game of Operation when faced with a shot out of the "waste area".  To make matters worse HD TV will have the snitches on speed dial as perceived movement is reported ad nauseam.

What concerns me about our future is how do civilians without the benefit of officials play the course.  It's just another example of no one being able to play by the same rules on any given day eliminating the ability to compete outside your immediate group.

At the conclusion of the championship video evidence will be presented that leads to a disputed champion.  Hopefully this will lead to a simplified set of rules.  So it's not all doom and gloom.

[Terry Lavin]

JK:

"Snitches on speed dial" is a classic.  I've used "couch narcs", but yours is better.

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