There’s no whining in golf. Unless, of course, you’re a PGA Tour pro at this week’s Memorial Tournament. This week, some (most?) pros are busy whining about the furrowed bunkers. They’re “unfair.” Players “weren’t warned.” They introduce “luck” to the game. And on and on…
The golfers at this week’s Memorial Tournament will play under the same conditions, so what’s the beef?
In the podcast we’ll release tomorrow, I make a simple point:
When I was a junior golfer, I loved playing matches in the rain because I knew that the conditions were the same for both my competitor and me and I also knew that he’d be thinking about the rain (or wind, etc.) more than I would be. I felt this gave me an advantage. He was worrying about the conditions while I was worrying about getting my ball in the hole.
So long as the conditions are the same, I feel that the guy worrying about, complaining about, and thinking about something they deem “unfair” will be at a disadvantage to the guy who simply says “these are the conditions I have: how can I get my ball in the hole in the fewest strokes?”
These aren’t run-of-the-mill Tour players complaining, either. Nick Price, Ernie Els, and Davis Love III are among the most vocal, and they’re major winners, albeit ones not playing all that well this year.
Meanwhile, Sean O’Hair adopts an “I’ll just try to avoid the bunkers this week. Isn’t that the point?” approach that seems to be paying off.
Is it any wonder O’Hair’s first-round 67 put him in the lead?
this is the same discussion, that made David Duval get a lot of heat during the US Open at Pinehurts, where everybody was whining about “rough being unplayable”. He simply said, that they (the whiners) should try to stay out of the rough and it will be fair 😉 That wasn’t received very well… but I applouded. This time I’m on the same side of the fence. Stop whining and keep cashing in the 6 (or 7) digit checks !
I agree entirely, Erik. These complainers seem to think conditions should be tailored to benefit their game. They should shut their mouths, suck it up and play. Especially Love and Els, who haven’t exactly been tearing it up so far this year.
I really don’t see what the big deal is to these guys. Stay out of the bunkers and you’ll be fine. With the bunkers raked this way, we’ll get to see who the better sand players are. Let’s hope the PGA Tour requires this kind of rake to be used for all the tourneys!
Like the other responders, I agree with your viewpoint. The perhaps overdramatized golf movie “The Greatest Game Ever Played” showed scenes of golfers playing in near-thunderstorm conditions, putting through puddles and mud. I wish this sort of thing still happened. Rain delays? Who needs them? Go play.
Pros are pros and they will amaze and humble most of us no matter where they play. That they can use bunkers to their advantage to control distance and avoid hazards (on long par fives, for instance) is no more unfair to me than the fact that they can hit long irons further than I can drive with the wind behind me.
Still, I would advocate for every pro tournament course to be set up like the US Open and with bunkers furrowed. The best player that week will still win. But, I do enjoy seeing them work.
A lot can be done design wise to make the courses play tough without just making them longer. But, the courses need to make money to stay in business too. So, they have to be playable for ’12 to 20′ ‘s.
Penal rough and fairways that narrow with water hazards around 280 – 320 would be my first recommendation.