Have we gone too far in the direction of playability? Difficulty was once synonymous with perceived greatness in design, as architects designed “championship courses” marketed as cutting-edge and custom-made for tournaments. In his latest column, our Derek Duncan writes about how modern architecture has moved in the opposite direction.
Courses like Firestone Country Club (South) and the Blue Monster at Doral were once seen as design ideals. Golf Digest’s 1975 ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Courses included 41 courses built between 1960 and 1974—when toughness was all the rage.
It’s a fascinating debate that will continue to play out for the next few years. Before the PGA Championship at Aronimink, pundits worried that tree removal had gone too far and that the pros would go super low. Turns out they were wrong: The winning score was in single digits under par, a rarity these days.
But that’s a debate about how best to test the pros. For the average golfer, the formula that engages most players is mega fairway width with interesting green complexes and surrounds. It’s working now. Will the pendulum swing back more toward the era of tree-lined fairways and thick rough like the 1960s? Read Derek’s column to see how he thinks it will play out.