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Ryder Cup?

Sorry I asked. When does your book go to press? Just kidding. Enlightening post.👍🏻
Look man, I get sports. People wanted more scoring so the NBA dropped the hand check, the NFL took wide recievers off the DB menu, you can't hit a QB after he let's go of the ball-- the MLB expanded the strike zone then contracted it-- it's all about scoring.


Golf is no different. Low scores and birdies and eagles are what people want to see. I don't. I want to see these guys have to fight and scratch and claw mentally to PAR. Remember Bethpage Black in 2002? Tiger was the only player to break par. -3 for the tourney. He was at the PEAK of his powers and shot 3 under.
Guys were crying about how hard the course was set up. I want that sh!t every week dude.
 
Look man, I get sports. People wanted more scoring so the NBA dropped the hand check, the NFL took wide recievers off the DB menu, you can't hit a QB after he let's go of the ball-- the MLB expanded the strike zone then contracted it-- it's all about scoring.


Golf is no different. Low scores and birdies and eagles are what people want to see. I don't. I want to see these guys have to fight and scratch and claw mentally to PAR. Remember Bethpage Black in 2002? Tiger was the only player to break par. -3 for the tourney. He was at the PEAK of his powers and shot 3 under.
Guys were crying about how hard the course was set up. I want that sh!t every week dude.
I feel you, man. I used to play a lot of golf when I was at Texas (when I wasn’t slinging whiskey). Used to shoot in the high ‘80’s (with the aid of an occasional ‘foot wedge’). Haven’t picked up a club in ten years. Swore the next time I did, I’d start playing left handed (I’m a lefty, but always played righty).
 
Not at all. But spending years around golfers has taught me that there are different style courses here vs Europe. And if you look at the architecture of golf and how it's evolved, its changed WITH the game. As players got longer drives, courses (like Augusta National) lengthened themselves trying to take away the long ball advantage. European courses didn't go longer, they went tighter with more hazard areas. Why? Because those courses over there are super old and steeped in tradition (especially UK, Ireland etc). Those courses are considered "purist" courses because, well, the game was invented there-- so they cling to their history.

Over here, it's Tom Fazzio and Arnold Palmer, Pete Dye and let's smash the sh!t out of it for 7300 yards and see who can putt.

I enjoy the European courses more. You've got to THINK to play well. You've got elements, especially on the coast. Wind blows this way at 8am, and the other way at noon. Think you're going to stick your shot pin high on the turtle back green? Wrong. Hit a knock down and roll it up there.
And the Europeans can set their courses up to be literally impossible to score on. I love that sh!t. Nothing like watching a bunch of pros used to hitting onto baby soft greens because it sprinkled last night and then being able to ram home puts because the greens are slow.

Fvck that. Tighten those courses, penalize anybody that doesn't stay in the fairway. Minimum 10 inch cut in the first rough with Heather and long grass past that. Stimp meters rolling at 16, and let's see who can play golf.
If that were the case then why don't Europeans come over here and just kill it? The fact is they don't. And if that were the case then the Europeans would be winning the PGA, US Open, and Open Championship on a regular basis due to the tougher course conditions.

I played collegiately and went and played on the Web.com Tour (when it was still called that) and have had the privilege of playing St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and a couple of other courses over in Ireland. The one thing I can tell you that is different over there is deeper bunkers. On tour here in the US you play all over the country and with this you have all kinds of different styles of courses. The courses here vary so much by region.

The courses in Europe are by no means any tougher than what we have over here though. Whistling Straits is about as close to a European links style course as you will find here in the US. And it could rival almost any course in Europe as far as degree of difficulty.
 
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Kiawah Island is also brutal when the wind is blowing. The combo of raised greens and deep bunkers can leave you with a bunker shot where you may not even see the top of the pin.

I played St Andrews and Kingsbarns in Sept 2019. Weather was perfect with almost no wind. Other than a few unlucky bounces in the fairway (which happen to everyone playing links courses), the courses played straightforward. Nothing scary that made me curl up in a fetal position.

On the other hand, Crandon Park at Key Biscayne (used to host a Champions Tour event) with traps encircling each green and the wind coming off the ocean ate my lunch.
 
Not at all. But spending years around golfers has taught me that there are different style courses here vs Europe. And if you look at the architecture of golf and how it's evolved, its changed WITH the game. As players got longer drives, courses (like Augusta National) lengthened themselves trying to take away the long ball advantage. European courses didn't go longer, they went tighter with more hazard areas. Why? Because those courses over there are super old and steeped in tradition (especially UK, Ireland etc). Those courses are considered "purist" courses because, well, the game was invented there-- so they cling to their history.

Over here, it's Tom Fazzio and Arnold Palmer, Pete Dye and let's smash the sh!t out of it for 7300 yards and see who can putt.

I enjoy the European courses more. You've got to THINK to play well. You've got elements, especially on the coast. Wind blows this way at 8am, and the other way at noon. Think you're going to stick your shot pin high on the turtle back green? Wrong. Hit a knock down and roll it up there.
And the Europeans can set their courses up to be literally impossible to score on. I love that sh!t. Nothing like watching a bunch of pros used to hitting onto baby soft greens because it sprinkled last night and then being able to ram home puts because the greens are slow.

Fvck that. Tighten those courses, penalize anybody that doesn't stay in the fairway. Minimum 10 inch cut in the first rough with Heather and long grass past that. Stimp meters rolling at 16, and let's see who can play golf.
Of my top 5 sports days, 3 are The Open Sunday (to see the players be mentally tortured if the weather sucks), US Open Sunday (to see the players grind through the tough Sunday course set up) and Masters Sunday (because at least one or more players always wilt under pressure on the back nine).

Seeing -20 at La Quinta (the former Bob Hope Desert Classic) or the John Deere Classic doesn't hold my interest.
 
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