Ernie: Stop Complaining About My Redesign That We Have To Keep Redesigning!

Spring to me means the scent of fresh cut grass, wildflowers, the Derby and the drama of players returning yet again to Wentworth to see what web Ernie Els has spun for them now. You can relive bitching from previous years dating to 2006. Here's a Greatest Hits package: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

First the 2012 tweaks to fix previous changes, as reported by the European Tour:

The 12th hole has been changed back to a par five this year, measuring 531 yards, a bank on the approach to the 15th has been flattened, a fringe grown on the right of the 17th to slow any errant shots down as they fall down the slope, and changes to the 18th include removable of the big tree and the bunker on the right along with the raising of the fairway in the landing area.

And with good weather forecast for the week, Els is confident players will take advantage of more scoring opportunities and last year's winning score of six under will certainly be beaten.

“The scoring is going to be better,” he said. “I think 14, 16 under is going to be the winning score again. Hopefully we will have more smiling faces from the players this year.”

On the 12th hole, Els said: “The green was designed for a par five. It’s quite a severe green.”

He felt the bank on the 15th just as you approach the green over a bunker was “unfair” for players going in with a long iron and required a flatter area so the ball could pitch and stay on the green.

And the 18th, which now also features a collar of rough around the green to make it less likely that a ball will spin into the water as happened in the play-off last year, he said: “I think the guys can really drive the ball down the right side and come in with almost a middle iron now. It’s going to play a lot easier. There’s a lot more room for you to shape the ball right to left into the green. That’s going to play almost like a long par four now.”

A Sky Sports story reports that Ernie Els spoke to the press today about the criticism he has not enjoyed.

"The way it was put forward the first year was a little childish (he hated the fact it was played out in the media rather than in private), but hopefully we'll have more smiling faces from the players this year.

"You make changes on a great course like the West Course people are going to not like it.

That's part of what we do as designers, but I think we've passed that bridge.

"It's history and we've patched things up with all the players. You're not going to please everybody, but I don't believe everybody should criticise just because there's changes."