Does the course really matter for match play drama?

[Matt_Cohn]

Hazeltine is not a "dramatic" match play course, yet the final today was compelling, as were so many Ryder Cup matches at the mostly not-so-dramatic Belfry for all those years. In fact you could argue that the paucity of do-or-die shots actually makes for a more dramatic match play course, because nobody is ever really out of the hole and recovery is always, at least theoretically, possible. The two least exciting holes of the last nine today were 13 and 16 where Ballester was in the penalty areas and the drama was gone quickly.


More generally, it just seems like the drama of match play, at least from a viewing standpoint, is pretty independent of the nature of the golf course. I think this is less true in stroke play, where places like Augusta and Sawgrass always provide drama because of the potential for wild volatility. A shot hit into the water in match play is not very dramatic, but in stroke play it is.

[Peter Sayegh]

No.
The competition supplies the drama, regardless of venue.

[jeffwarne]

No.
The competition supplies the drama, regardless of venue.

Well I definitely was watching for the competition....

[Rob Marshall]

It was fun to watch. True amateur golf. We have a tournament here in Rochester of mostly college kids and a few mid ams. Tiger and DJ have played. They tried to get a top amateur who has been playing tour events lately and rumor is he asked them for $20,000 to play……

[JLahrman]

No.


A friend of mine invited me to a weekend golf outing he used to do with his friends every year. It was held at Salt Creek in Nashville, Indiana. Don't look it up - nobody has ever discussed it here for a reason. The outing was referred to as the "Walker Stein" - clearly a cousin of the Ryder Cup - and featured a similar format. Four-ball, foursome, and singles competition. Excessive alcohol consumption (by the players, not the spectators). And real-time scoring (boards were strapped to the top of carts, flags made of colored electrical tape and thin wire could be inserted into the boards so you could look across fairways to see the status of other matches).


Needless to say, the competitors' degree of seriousness was far higher than our collective skill. And the course has virtually no artistic merit.


But it was fun as hell, surprisingly dramatic, and had me looking forward to playing a course that I would drive right past if I were looking to play a casual round.

[Sean_A]

I think the course always matters.

Ciao

[Peter Sayegh]

I think the course always matters.

Ciao

Why?

How?

[Jeff Schley]

I certainly think it matters.  Not all handicaps travel well. Factors which maybe expose weaknesses of some players:

• Length of a course, favoring the big hitters and causing short players to be hitting much longer clubs.
• Forced carries onto greens via hazards or water. Some don't hit it high enough for the carry.
• Links courses baked in the summer with roll forever can level the playing field for accurate shorter hitters.

Isn't this sort of obvious? We all have friends where we know they have difficulty on certain courses because it may expose their weaknesses and play to your strengths.

[Sean_A]

I think the course always matters.

Ciao

Why?

How?

Golf is usually more fun playing on or watching events on courses one likes.


Ciao

[Kalen Braley]

Doesn't all the dramatic finishes at Torrey Pines South clearly tell us it does not? 

[PCCraig]

Hazeltine isn't a world beater but it's a good test for college kids who bomb it. For better or worse.


It also helps that Minnesota is a great place for good weather in August and September. Plus the town is golf crazy so they had probably 2,000 people spectating which is good for an amateur event.