Who needs 8000 yards?

[Imurg]

Hong Kong showing how it can be done.
6700 yards - shorter than The Zoo - and the first round averaged 1.7 over par.
Best round was 5 under.
Proof that you don't need 500+ yard par 4s and 600+ yard par 5s to make a course challenging.
3 of last year's top 4 currently a combined 5 under after 5 1/2 rounds......

 

[Digger]

I've not seen the course but I'm assuming it's tighter than they're used to?

 

[BrianM]

The course doesn’t look tight from what I’ve seen, greens are massive and look lightning fast.

 

[IanM]

6700 looks less macho on the marketing leaflets!

 

[shortgame]

But but but... the modern ball...

Haven't watched any coverage yet, but great, must be ways of making courses a relevant challenge without just stretching them to crazy lengths

Will have to catch some of it and see what the course is like 👍

 

[patricks148]

TBH and course that Length can be a challenge as long and its firm and fast with some wind.

Last few years many of the tournaments on links have not really had any significant wind or firm enough conditions to protect them.

you also sometimes get some manipulation from the ET on which tee's they are playing off. I have witnessed first hand tee's being well forward yet the back tee length being shown to kid us into how well these guys hit it even in wind.

 

[shortgame]

you also sometimes get some manipulation from the ET on which tee's they are playing off. I have witnessed first hand tee's being well forward yet the back tee length being shown to kid us into how well these guys hit it even in wind.

Very good point 👍👍

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If only the course owners could be convinced. If you listen to architects it tends to be the owners asking for length not the designers. Ego.

 

[patricks148]

If only the course owners could be convinced. If you listen to architects it tends to be the owners asking for length not the designers. Ego.

there is no doubt guys now hit it so much further than in the past and many great old course are now just to short to provide a test, if the conditions (links anyway) are not right. my home course is 6774 of the championship tee. and for elite am golf that is no longer long enough to challenge if its calm and soft simple as. We had the Boys Am (none of them looked like boys to me, i didn't know any school friend when i was 17/18 that had a beard)this year and after months of dry windy weather we had about 3 week of rain and the greens were soft. apart from one day that was very windy and scoring was high, apart from that it was drive and wedge for most. The R&A have told the club to have the walker cup again the course needs to be 7000 plus

 

[Curls]

I think the answer is pretty obvious. Wind farms next to all the old links tracks. At night they can generate electricty and when there's a tournament on turn those suckers up to full and blow the pros sideways.

Let's see them modern ball their way out of a 50mph headwind.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

New courses can defend themselves against big hitters by clever design. Old courses are stuck with what they have in terms of shape and set up. No reason why new courses have to be so long.

 

[patricks148]

New courses can defend themselves against big hitters by clever design. Old courses are stuck with what they have in terms of shape and set up. No reason why new courses have to be so long.

Well i'm looking forward to if Trump Aberdeen ever get a competition on the ET.. 7428 yards with a sss of 77.4.... in a cold windy Aberdeen.... though i suspect a few holes will be further forward while telling us its the the full yardage

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Old Donald was never going to have a short course designed. Size matters for Don!

 

[NorfolkShaun]

I think the answer is pretty obvious. Wind farms next to all the old links tracks. At night they can generate electricty and when there's a tournament on turn those suckers up to full and blow the pros sideways.

Let's see them modern ball their way out of a 50mph headwind.

They would stop play till the wind dropped

 

[OnTour]

Well i'm looking forward to if Trump Aberdeen ever get a competition on the ET.. 7428 yards with a sss of 77.4.... in a cold windy Aberdeen.... though i suspect a few holes will be further forward while telling us its the the full yardage

77.4 wow sounds a brute. Valderama another tought track, not super long.

 

[GG26]

When I saw the title of the thread I thought it was referring to forum driving distances (into the wind of course).