The responsibility of setting up the golf course...

[Lou_Duran]

Tim-

the majority of the players are fine.  Some are even grateful.  Competitors are allowed caddies and some use them as spotters on those disaster holes.  At a hole in one tournament, after hunting for a half dozen balls that the forecaddies missed, I just sat wide of the dispersion zone and tried to pick up the ball from the sound.  A downside of the movement to F & F and native vegetation is an increase in hard to find foul balls.  Ticks and chiggers don't help either.

BTW, I think that the organizers would happily raise the entry fee to provide paid spotters, but there are also complaints that entry fees are too high already.  Unlike A.G.'s son who got paid for his work at the USGA event, us volunteers only get a "free" lunch which we often have to eat at our stations.  For a USGA qualifier, it is not unusual to be there at 6 a.m. to set up, and after 8 p.m. to complete the playoffs and tear down.  Most of the guys and gals are pretty old, but they keep coming back.  And we have to buy our own shirts, hats, earpieces, rules school, transportation, etc.

[Tom_Doak]

Ted S:


There is no point bringing Slugger White into the conversation.  The TOUR expressly tries to avoid making courses too difficult and making the players look bad.  They wouldn't even play an event at Shinnecock Hills unless half the greens were flattened.


I think we can all agree that the US Open is not supposed to be like that, while also agreeing the USGA shouldn't be so damned concerned with the winning score.

[Joe Hancock]

It seems to me that the issue in this thread, and several others, really revolves around the ridiculously low mowing heights that are achieveable through mechanical advancements and chemistry. Golf doesn’t need or benefit from it, but it happens anyway. I’ll let others determine the motivation.

[Tom_Doak]

It seems to me that the issue in this thread, and several others, really revolves around the ridiculously low mowing heights that are achieveable through mechanical advancements and chemistry. Golf doesn’t need or benefit from it, but it happens anyway. I’ll let others determine the motivation.

Joe:  in many things nowadays, the motivation seems to be, "We have to do it, because we can."  Sounds like a bad business plan, but what do I know?

[Edward Glidewell]

The TOUR expressly tries to avoid making courses too difficult and making the players look bad.

This is definitely the case -- I know members at a course that hosts a Tour event, and they have very strict rules about pin positions. While the rest of the course is probably harder (if only because of deeper rough) for the pros than the members, the pin positions are significantly easier. They are responsible for setting the pins and they endeavor to cut them in places that will always allow for an easy two putt, even from 90 feet away.


The Tour wants to A. not make players look bad and B. promote birdies because they believe that increases excitement. I've even seen them play one of the par 3s from the senior tees -- not the championship tees, not the regular men's tees, but the senior tees.

[Cal Seifert]

I've never understood why people think more birdies is interesting.  Boring courses with low winning scores is not interesting to me and that is probably more than half of the events in a year. 

[Tim Martin]

The TOUR expressly tries to avoid making courses too difficult and making the players look bad.

This is definitely the case -- I know members at a course that hosts a Tour event, and they have very strict rules about pin positions. While the rest of the course is probably harder (if only because of deeper rough) for the pros than the members, the pin positions are significantly easier. They are responsible for setting the pins and they endeavor to cut them in places that will always allow for an easy two putt, even from 90 feet away.


The Tour wants to A. not make players look bad and B. promote birdies because they believe that increases excitement. I've even seen them play one of the par 3s from the senior tees -- not the championship tees, not the regular men's tees, but the senior tees.

Anybody know any easy 90 foot two putts?