Greetings Golfers,
This week the U.S. Open is at Shinnecock – the venerable old-school golf club in New York. I’m sure it’s a very cool place and an incredible golf course. I’ve never been there and probably never will. However, I would love to play Shinnecock and a bunch of those other courses on the U.S. Open rotation. Once.
Why only once? Because a steady diet of getting my brains beat in is not how I want to spend the rest of my golfing days. Golf for me is a chance to get outside and play a game I love with friends and family. I want it not too hard and not too easy … like Mama Bear, I want it just right.
What do I mean by too easy? This: no rough, no curvature from the tee to the green, no elevation changes, no hazards, no OB … just basically a flat, boring golf course where every hole looks exactly the same.
What do I mean by too hard? This: high thick rough, super narrow fairways, constant carries over water, bunkers in the landing zones, too many blind shots, narrow elevated greens that slope off the edges, super fast greens with huge humps … basically courses designed by guys who hate golfers and hate life as we know it. Welcome to the U.S. Open!
Do you remember in 2004 during the U.S. Open at Shinnecock when the green on #7 died? It was just a crusty piece of dirt. They tried to water it during the middle of the round (how “fair” was that?). Should the U.S. Open be a great test of the best players in the world? Of course. They shouldn’t be able to scrape it around and score well. Their shotmaking should need to be precise and their putting should need to be excellent.
That should be the goal of the U.S. Open and those type of courses should be part of the rotation.
I’m not a bicyclist, but I’m sure that the Tour de France is a U.S. Open type of test for bicyclists. Is that what your recreational bicyclist wants for their Sunday afternoon bike ride? Probably not. So, why are there so many crazy difficult golf courses out there? Because lots of club members thought it was cool that their course was known as being impossible to play well. How goofy is that? “I don’t want to enjoy playing my course, what I really enjoy is that my course makes people feel frustrated and inadequate”.
I enjoy seeing new places and trying new things … to add spice to my life. But, what I really value is what I’ve learned over time makes me happy … family, friends, home, my community … and a golf course that I want to play over and over again … not just once!
Cheers,
Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com