[Tom Birkert]

Whilst I haven’t been there, Valhalla certainly didn’t do much for me in terms of strategic design or architectural merit – and the power lines and waterfalls certainly don’t belong on a major championship course.

However, it produced a compelling tournament, and a fantastic winner, and I believe a large part of this was due to the relative ease of the course and set up (aided by the weather as well). When looking at typically tough course set ups, it becomes attritional and levels out the competitors, as everyone is struggling and it is difficult for the best players to differentiate themselves.

In relatively benign scoring conditions, the best players will tend to gravitate towards the top of the leaderboard, as their superior ball striking should be rewarded.

I enjoy watching the US Open as it’s nice seeing the guys play tough courses and struggle for par, but I think a set up that favours birdies sees the cream really rising to the top.

[Adam Clayman]

Tom, That "cream" only rises to the top when the course plays directly into their strong suit. Soft, lush and monochromatic green.

This one dimensionality to professional golf does not test all aspects of the sport. It certainly removes any thoughts past how far to carry.

[Tom Birkert]

That's a fair point Adam, but how do we encourage more strategic thought, short of making sure all tournaments are played on courses with plenty of strategic value?

That horse certainly bolted when "Tiger proofing" became the norm.

Most of the players grew up playing equipment that restricts shaping the ball, and courses set up to encourage point and shoot style golf.

[Ken Fry]

Adam,

Arguments can be made about the wet and soft conditions.  The only point I'd like to make is I hope the ruling bodies that oversee the four professional majors take notice that this weekend's tournament was EXCITING to watch.  It took birdies to win and that makes for great watching.

Enough of the long slogs where players have to scratch out pars to survive.  Trying and pulling off heroic shots is much more enjoyable theater than constant conservative plays.  There are still roars on the back nine at Augusta but how much more enjoyable is Masters Sunday when leaders are making birdies to win?

Ken

[Jason Thurman]

12 inches of rain during the week of the tournament is not a "set up."

Still, as Ken pointed out, the barrage of low scores made for an exciting tournament. There are a lot of messages that many on GCA had hoped the Opens would deliver to the masses this year: the merits of strategic design, the benefits of firm and fast turf, the attractiveness of a minimalist presentation, and an awareness of the game's long-term sustainability. I don't think those messages came through very clearly, as the Opens were two boring tournaments on courses that appeared nondescript on television.

Instead, a sopping wet posterchild for 1980s golf architecture delivered an enjoyable demonstration of how much more exciting golf is when the course is full of holes that provide potential for big scoring swings with both bold and conservative routes available on almost every shot. We also got a great lesson on how important it is to build good drainage. To top it all off, we got an advertisement for ready golf on the 72nd hole. This was major.

[Carl Rogers]

As alluded by others on this and other threads, I see the extreme contrast in the Architecture (one dimensional and/or zero in content, highly manufactured and almost irrelevant to the ground it was placed) and the exciting shot making and scoring.

To state the obvious, JN, the Architect, knows a lot about what plays well for the top 100 in the world of Pro Golf.

You cannot blame the PGA or the set-up for the ton of rain.

I think they still need to keep working on the 6th hole. ... re-route stream, extend the tee shot landing area ... new appraoch angle to the green .... something?!

[Jason Thurman]

Re-route Floyds Fork? Ouch. Why don't you just burn down my childhood home while you're at it, or outsource all bourbon manufacturing to Afghanistan. Those things wouldn't hurt me nearly as badly.

I won't thread-jack here, as the 6th really deserves its own thread: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59320.0.html

[Ben Hollerbach]

A player that gains strokes on the field making birdies vs. Par is no difference than a player making pars vs. Bogeys when it relates to scoring. Often though a player makes a birdie to distance themselves from the pack, while in the adverse pars keep a player hanging around and bogeys leave them behind. Birdies seem so much more exciting because in the act of earning that 3 the player had to hit one great shot while earning pars could just be a string of good shots. That being said, Phil's pat on 12 was mighty exciting yesterday. I feel that a birdie barrage is exciting to all and helps to bring in new viewers but an event against par, where birdies are rare, is more appreciated by the "connoisseur" who values the difficulty in what the players are accomplishing.

[Donovan Childers]

I love how everybody still wants to Slam this course as being easy, it's not. They could easily set the course up to keep scores closer to par but they don't. The rough was cut down this week, and the setup made it possible to go low. I believe the winning score is exactly the same as it was in 2000.

This was easily the most enjoyable major to watch on Tv this year. Sure it rained, and this course drained extremely well. If we had that much rain at Pinehurst, I have a feeling that the course wouldn't be playable.

Valhalla delivered exactly what they wanted it to, and I'm sure they will be back with another event in the next few years. You might as well get used to it, this course isn't going anywhere.

[Amol Yajnik]

I love how everybody still wants to Slam this course as being easy, it's not. They could easily set the course up to keep scores closer to par but they don't. The rough was cut down this week, and the setup made it possible to go low. I believe the winning score is exactly the same as it was in 2000.

This was easily the most enjoyable major to watch on Tv this year. Sure it rained, and this course drained extremely well. If we had that much rain at Pinehurst, I have a feeling that the course wouldn't be playable.

Valhalla delivered exactly what they wanted it to, and I'm sure they will be back with another event in the next few years. You might as well get used to it, this course isn't going anywhere.

Total score by McIlroy was 2 shots better than Woods/May in 2000 because it was a par 71 this year, while it was a par 72 in 2000.

Re: future tournaments at Valhalla, wouldn't be surprised to see the 2024 Ryder Cup there or a PGA around that time either.

[Andrew Buck]

That's a fair point Adam, but how do we encourage more strategic thought, short of making sure all tournaments are played on courses with plenty of strategic value?

That horse certainly bolted when "Tiger proofing" became the norm.

Most of the players grew up playing equipment that restricts shaping the ball, and courses set up to encourage point and shoot style golf.

Mother nature determined went a long way in determining the way Valhalla played, and hitting long straight drives has always been a value in golf. 

I think it's an unfair criticism to say there is no thought or strategy in Valhalla.  Sure, the strategy is reduced when it's soft and one player is flying his driver 330 and straight, but it's still there (and I have zero problem with the ability to consistently hit those drives being rewarded). 

What a fun tournament, and if I'm watching entertainment, I'd prefer that to traditional US Open parkland rough any day.  That said, of course it would have been better if it was able to play reasonably firm.

[Josh Tarble]

The ratings just came out for the PGA.  Up 36% from last year and only behind the Masters as far as 2014 goes.

What that proves is no one really cares about the course setup, what the course looks like, or if he's firm and fast and soft and spongy.  People tune in because they want to see great players hit great shots and that was on full display Sunday.

[Terry Lavin]

"When it rains, they scores."

[Mark Pavy]

The ratings just came out for the PGA.  Up 36% from last year and only behind the Masters as far as 2014 goes.

What that proves is no one really cares about the course setup, what the course looks like, or if he's firm and fast and soft and spongy.  People tune in because they want to see great players hit great shots and that was on full display Sunday.

Agree. Golf tournaments are all about the players. The venue or quality of golf course is irrelevant.

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