When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
My Golf World story on the second cut's 10th anniversary is now posted.
I couldn't use this Geoff Ogilvy quote with the story because it didn't fit in with the theme of whether the second cut has made Augusta more difficult or easier:
Augusta's setup is the model setup for every course on the tour except for Augusta. Flyer rough and slightly wider fairways would be perfect.
There are many points worth looking at in Ron Whitten's biennial reversal of his previous take on Augusta National's changes (we still love ya Ron!), so let's start with something that illustrates the club's approach to recent course changes.
Whitten writes:
To us, Hootie seemed haughty. Asked if players or architects were consulted before any course changes were implemented, he answered, "No, no players were consulted. Only Tom Fazio. We didn't consult him; we worked with him."
Then, later on in the story:
Fazio, consulting architect to Augusta National in recent decades, usually declines to speak on the record about any changes to the course. But last year, when told of Jones' article -- and about the specific language regarding approach angles -- Fazio couldn't resist."Why would we redesign a course for a game that nobody plays anymore?" he said. "Nobody hits fades or draws to certain spots in a fairway. They bomb it. They hit it very long, they hit it very straight."
Now, we could focus on the fact that Fazio and Hootie resist consulting the players, yet seem to know that they no longer play a certain game. Some might call it arrogance, from my perspective it's simple incompetence. If you see my story in Golf World this week, it includes many player comments that shed some different light on this.
But this is what I found most interesting:
Hootie Johnson, no doubt in deference to Payne, declined to comment, and in response to questions for Payne, the club replied, "The changes made to the golf course, including the addition and subtraction of trees and the defined second cut have not eliminated preferable angles for the players. The state of golf today must be taken into consideration. Historically, bump-and-run shots, balls hit with low trajectory and Bermuda greens made playing the angles more prevalent. Today, the game is different. Ball flight, how it spins, its trajectory and grooves on clubs have changed how people play this golf course. Players don't play the angles anymore to the same degree that was done in Jones' day. It's also important to remember that this course has always had some rough and that trees have been planted for a very long time."
So let's say they are right. The players no longer attack the course strategically. They no longer play the angles.
So you take them away?
Now I could understand reducing fairway corridors if the club was trying to cut costs and reduce maintenance. But we know that's not the case.
I'm struggling to understand why you would take away options that believe players don't use. What's wrong with leaving them just in case say, temperatures drop and the course firms up and the options do become relevant again? I know, a stretch.
Furthermore, how do you know that they don't use those options if you do not play like them, or if you are not actually speaking to them about how they play the course?
Alan Shipnuck profiles Adam Scott's efforts to improve his short game and ready himself for a Masters run, and includes this anecdote about his forays into golf course design.
"When he takes on a project, he dives in," says Adam's father, Phil, a prominent course designer in Australia. "He has been candid that last year he felt a bit distracted by all the decisions he had to make off the course." Last year the Scotts collaborated on Crooked River Golf Club, which will be the first Adam Scott signature design when it opens in 2010. Located in Kimana, 90 miles south of Sydney, the enticing site features rolling heathland, winding creeks and old-growth forests. After walking the land on a half-dozen occasions, Adam has come up with an old-school design featuring narrow fairways and small greens framed by challenging runoff areas. "His tastes are from a different era," says Phil. "He has zero interest in building the world's largest waterfall."
Well the waterfall part is good, but we definitely need to have someone explain to Adam that old-school is not narrow fairways and small greens!
Norman Dabell quotes Monty's agent, who tries to soften the blow of Monday's remarks about Augusta National's exemption policy.
"Colin completely understands Augusta's right to promote themselves," his manager Guy Kinnings told Reuters. "The last thing he would want to do is show disrespect or tell them who they should or should not invite."
Well I don't know if that's the last thing he would want, but...
"He's done everything he can to be there, including changing his schedule, and he's just very disappointed because he values the tournament so highly. He does, though, feel he makes an important contribution around the world in promoting golf."
Ah yes, we know how highly he thinks of himself, but thanks for the reminder.
Mount Monty blows! The old bird couldn't even wait until the end of the week.
James Corrigan has the tantrum:
The Scot will miss Augusta for only the second time in 17 years after slipping down to No 75 in the world rankings when he needed to be in the top 50 before yesterday's qualification cut-off point. But while lower ranked players from China, Thailand and India have received special invitations to play the first major of the season, the 44-year-old said he will be at home "washing his car". And he revealed that that is because the Asian countries have huge television markets.See, it's not an April Fool's Day joke. The giveaway: Monty can't wait to wash his car. Brilliant he says.
Oh here's the part that will ensure he's never invited to the Masters:
"There has been no call from Augusta and I am not expecting one," he said in Munich at a promotional event for June's BMW International Open. "Now, if I were the only person in the country, à la China, I might get in. It is a strange way to make up a field for a Major championship – television rights. They are quite open about why. They were when I missed out last time in 2005 when they picked Shingo Katayama who was 67th in the world and I was 51st. They picked him over me for the Japanese rights. And they have done the same with Thailand and China this time.
"I am not the only one who feels that way and not just because I am not in. In or not I'd be saying the same thing. It is a strange criterion to pick a major field.
"The Masters is the only one you can get invited to. At the Open, the US Open and the USPGA you have to qualify. But the Masters have their own rules so we will leave them to it. It would be easier to swallow if no one was invited and it was done on sporting and not commercial criteria."
And in lieu of a April Fool's Day prank, I give you Mike Aitken's exclusive one-on-one with Monty about the state of his personal life, published in January. It just feels like an April Fool's prank when he writes that Monty was one of Great Britain's most eligible bachelors and that he said his fingers were cut up from moving boxes. But wait, there's the line about the car washing.
Ah just hit the link, sit back and giggle.
Phil Mushnick appears to be the first media critic to note that ESPN is not letting Chris Berman get anywhere near Augusta National. I know, I know. What took so long to celebrate?
But wouldn't you love to see something like this in Butler Cabin?
Thomas Bonk gets this from Adam Scott after a practice round at Augusta National:
"[The] green is significantly different and you can see the difference, and I think they did a nice job of it," Scott said. "It's very subtle. But there's a new [pin] location now on 7."And Jim Moriarty on GolfDigest.com shares this from Phil Mickelson:
While Augusta's 17th seemed like an even tighter driving hole than it had been and there was some minor softening of the ledges on the ninth green, the biggest change was the room added to the back of the seventh green. "It changes the hole because now long is OK," says Mickelson. "You can go over the green and get up and down possibly. Whereas before that wasn't really realistic."
This ought to be an interesting change. Taking away the fear of going long is certainly a nice compensation for the added length and narrowness. Though I'm not really sure what was wrong with the old drive and pitch Maxwell hole where the fear of hitting approach shots long made for so many unusual situations.
I'll be away for a few days and Internet access appears to be dicey. I'm staying at a five-star hotel that touts their in-room VCR's, so you can imagine why I don't have high hopes for high-speed Internet anywhere nearby. (Bet you can guess what country I'm headed to!).
Should this be my last post through Wednesday afternoon, I thought it would be a nice one to let simmer for a few days. And what better time to kick off the pre-Masters hype?
Now, you've all been subject to my rants about the envy that drives the mentality of "relatable golf," better known as wanting to see the world's best players brought down to a level of mediocrity.
Still, knowing how much criticism there has been of Augusta's par-protecting ways in recent years this April Golf Digest online survey question and reponse blew me away:
8. How do you feel about Zach Johnson's winning score of one over par at the 2007 Masters?
Great. I love to see the players suffer—52.6%
Hated it. I watch the Masters for birdies and eagles—39.2%
Zach Johnson won the Masters?—8.2%
I'm hoping for at least one eloquent explanation why the Masters is better when it's a celebration of suffering, as opposed to a contest of skill where, on occasion, someone might shoot 14-under par for the week. Don't be shy!
"These three individuals are successful, accomplished and talented golfers deserving of a Masters invitation," Payne said. "This is also another component in our objective of growing the game of golf worldwide utilizing the Masters brand. We think the interest in golf in each country will heighten when these players compete in the Masters."
In the great news about the par-3 contest being televised, the Augusta Chronicle's John Boyette says it will be on from 3-5 p.m.
I'm assuming this is live?
I actually think it would be fun if they tape delayed it to preserve some cache for patrons, while also allowing them to watch it after they've left the course.
Not complaining, mind you, just a thought!
Youngsters aged between eight and 16 will be given free admission to next year's U.S. Masters if accompanied by an accredited patron.Really, shouldn't this just be the case at all PGA Tour and LPGA events. What do you think?
"We want to inspire the next generation of golfers," Augusta National Golf Club chairman Billy Payne said in a statement on Thursday. "We're serious about exposing youngsters to golf and the Masters."
Payne also said the popular par-three contest, traditionally held on the eve of the Masters, would be televised for the first time next year by ESPN to reach a wider, younger audience.On that note, I have just completed some market research that says the 18-34 demo loves the old tight grass look of Augusta National and believes the Masters would be a lot more fun without all that rough and tree planting.
"These initiatives are important first steps and a great kickoff to our ongoing mission of growing the game," he said.
"The par-three contest is fun and exciting for the entire family. It's an event everyone enjoys and we think it will demonstrate to kids just how fun golf can be."
How about that alliteration?
Doug Ferguson's weekly notes featured this item, which hopefully will have Billy Payne reconsidering Augusta National's stance on the Tour's Fall Finish:
Four tournaments during the Fall Series had a stronger field than the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, which counts as a FedEx Cup event and whose winner (Brandt Snedeker) got an automatic invitation to the Masters.
1. Golf Channel. First it misplaced its 'The.' Now the Masters has dumped USA for a new Thursday-Friday cable provider, but it snubbed the so-called home of golf in favor of ESPN. Talk about a lost opportunity.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
