During my reign of terror as Green Chair at Ridgewood, over 800 trees came down. There was a large white pine on the right side of 7 West, a par 4, that we took down. Golfers asked me if we were replacing the tree. I said, no.
Golfers said the hole was easier. I replied that without the tree, the golfer now has more recovery options, therefore more strategy and therefore more fun.
But the golfers, insisted the hole was only easier. One golfer sporting a low handicap told me the hole was half a stroke easier now. I replied, you do realize it is not possible to be a half a stroke easier.
He asked, what do you mean? I said, to be a half a stroke easier means you hit every other drive behind the tree and it cost you a stroke every single time you hit it there. Did you hit 1 out 2 drives on this hole behind the tree?
He replied, no. I asked, how often did you miss the fairway to the right behind the tree. He said one out of four times. I replied, no way. You have a 3 handicap right? Yes, he replied. He finally agreed that maybe one out of 8 or 10 times he wound up behind the tree.
I said great, let's say it was one out of ten times, that means the most it can be is a tenth of a shot easier not a half. But even then, it would have to cost you a stroke every time you hit behind the tree.
With a 3 handicap, are you good enough to punch out and get up and down once in a while? He of course said yes. I said how often. He said half the the time.
I said great! So 1/10 of the time you hit behind the tree and 1/2 of those times you didn't get up and down. So, the tree removal didn't make it a half shot easier, it made it 1/20 of a shot easier. And this is not taking into account the increased wind from other tree takedowns or the greenside cross bunker that you have to now carry from heavy rough.
So, can we agree at most it is 1/20 of a shot easier and that 1/20 of a shot isn't worth talking about? And can you stop telling people it is a half shot easier when your know that isn't even possible?