R&A Price Tag For Changing Courses So They Wouldn't Have To Do Their Job: $16 Million!

An unbylined AP story with more comments from R&A chief Peter Dawson bragging about the forward thinking effort of his organization to not implement distance regulation, but instead, to apply "the treatment." At a cost he estimates at $16 million! Or 10 million pounds for those of you in the UK. Money that could have bought a lot of litigating lawyers!

Dawson said a fund was created to bring the nine courses used for the Open "into the modern era."

He said an average of about $800,000 had been spent on each course, "but I would say it's money well spent."

And while Dawson earlier detailed changes to this year's host venue at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, he said Tuesday that changes have already been put in place for the 2013 Open venue at Muirfield.

I think it's actually worse that they set apart a fund to do this, as opposed to simply reacting course-by-course to the uh, emerging athleticism.

He also was bragging about hooking up architect Martin Hawtree with The Donald, who Dawson refers to by his first name.

"It is a spectacular golf course and it was me who recommended Martin Hawtree to Donald," Dawson. "As for an Open Championship being played there we will have to wait and see. There is every indication the golf course is very strong, but let's see how it matures and I would say it has a long way to go yet."