Put Your Tin Foil Hats On, The Tour Is Wimping Up Courses
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 2, 2010 3:13 PM EDT
in Humor
Email
PrintTwo 59s in a month. That's pretty ridiculous. It is a statistical anomaly that is awfully difficult to explain. Some of the more common explanations include that Paul Goydos had ball-in-hand, and that both he and Mr. 59 V Stuart Appleby were playing in weak fields on easy, damp courses.
What if it something more sinister? What if the PGA Tour is purposefully creating conditions that you might say are uncomfortably flirty with good scoring?
Before the Greenbrier Golowfest, Boo Weekley observed that he feels the PGA Tour has taken it easy on the players in light of the new grooves regulations. The theory is that the grooves afford the Tour more freedom in setup because of the difficulty in creating spin close to the greens and the resurrection of the flyer lie.
Jim Justice - who turned out to be the fifth star of the tournament - was asked about the low scoring of the week and his thoughts on the barrage at the Old White Course when his tougher Greenbrier Course was available. Justice explicitly said he wants birdies.
"[I]n my world, fans love to see birdies. It adds a lot of excitement,'' Justice said.
Me too, Jim. I like birdies. Fans love birdies. Chicks may not be able to dig the long ball anymore thanks to the Second Dead Ball Era in baseball, but they can enjoy lots o' birdies on the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour knows that Tiger has been a huge distraction this year. They know that a whole lot of Europeans - in other words, foreign people - have won on Tour in 2010. Looking for something to get conversation going in favor of the Tour (as opposed to the LPGA transfer topic of "them darned foreigners"), perhaps the Tour decided to make things a little easier.
Five guys have now shot 59 on the PGA Tour - a 66% increase in that number this season alone. Tons of guys have shot in the ultra-low 60s. Does it even matter who those guys are? DA Points? JB Holmes? Semi-recognizable names don't matter when someone gets on 59 Watch. It's an achievement that has never happened to the best of an era. Almost always, it goes to middling guys with a hot round on an easy track.
And it's great for golf. People are talking golf now. Who cares if the course was barely 7,000 yards? No one cares that Stuart Appleby was the first non-American to shoot 59 on Tour. All of those little caveats generally go away for Joe Sports Fan when a player breaks 60. Yee-haw!
If you're the Tour, why not lay back on the throttle? 59s are exciting. Low scores are neat. And it doesn't matter who does it. While Tiger - the cash cow - gets his life together, the Tour has to get sponsors in line to replace others and prepare for a tough TV contract negotiation in '11 for the deal that expires the year after.
What better way to entice the checkwriters than to show low scores, happy faces, and lots of camera time for sponsor logos?
This whole commentary is NOT what I really think. The Tour isn't that ridiculous. In fact, this is a play on anyone who says golf is too easy now. Yeah, the equipment needs to be reigned in, but don't blame the Tour or trivialize how tough the sport is. Thank you.
41 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Has anyone said golf is too easy ?
Anyone who has played this game from the very best to the worst knows this is not the case. So, who said golf is easy ?
I should have added “riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.”
Sarcastic tones don’t carry through well in just words.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 2, 2010 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm pretty sure
I’ll be shooting a 59 tomorrow in the first round of the tournament I’m playing in. After all these articles I’ve read today it should be no problem. I’m just not sure about how I will do on the 12th hole Windmill.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Lay back on the throttle ? That means slow down. Which is it ? Make birdies or not ? Birdies are crowd pleasers.
Let’s go through this again – hopefully for the last time – 150 guys start – that’s 300 rounds on Thursday and Friday. 70 (or thereabouts) make the cut – add another 140 rounds. 440 rounds per week. In the last 4 weeks there have been 5 tournaments – which is 2200 rounds of golf. There have been 2 59’s and 2 60’s. The whiners had a field day at The John Deere – admittedly not the most difficult track on the schedule – but the low rounds went away as the week went on. Same thing a couple of weeks ago when Carl Pettersson whent lights out for a 60. Now we have another 59 on a course the players knew was getable because of a lot of rain softening up the course and greens too immature to be rolled and cut to the usual F1 speeds because of the heat.
Before SOMEONE on here got his GWAA tour card, he would have donned the Stat-Man costume and torn through all of these numbers and come up with……..A STATISTICAL ANOMILY – end of story. These guys are just that good. Appleby put on the show of his career to put up a 59 and steal that win. It was nothing short of amazing. 7000+ yards – only 7 wedge approaches – lots of putts made from outside of 10’.
Now – since said GWAA Tour Card came into play – we have to read that there is a conspiracy going on – these guys aren’t that good – yada yada yada. The PGA Tour is ruining golf (which can’t possibly be true).
Give me a break. Give me STAT-MAN !
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I'd recommend Alex Miceli
He talks a little fast but he always has his stats correct. The bow ties are very fashionable as well.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
nah – he gets that tie caught in the ’stache too much. Too many mistakes and way too much media bias big-timing since he started getting his grill on TV.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I'd say Appleby's best show of his career
was just missing out winning the Open in ‘02. Yes, these guys are good (was it Curtis Strange that said that ?) The 59’s and 60’s were brilliant scoring. All I’m doing is putting them in perspective. It’s pretty dull over in the USA with Tiger crawling along and Phil playing dad. So this spree of scoring on easier courses is good for the headlines. But lets be clear here. None of these players in both fields wouldn’t be anyone’s bet to win a major. They are good, but not great. Name me one great player in either field. Great is an overused word these days, so be careful. As for 7 wedges to the greens, 6 of the holes don’t require them in any case. 7,000 yards is big for most of us, but not them…
the ‘02 Open would’ve been his best tournament performance had he won – but a single round 59 is his best scoring day ever in a PGA Tour event.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I don’t know – look at the leaderboard with all those 65’s and 66’s – that course was playing TOO easy for a major. Besides, how tough could it have been if Thomas Levet and Steve Elkington got into the playoff ? (nudge nudge)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
J.B. Holmes hit driver and nine-iron stiff to the pin on the par-5 17th.
That’s just crazy.
If you’re looking for a point, keep looking.
GUYS! Read the Category. Humor!
Just sayin’. I really don’t believe this.
Though we do have a post coming on “horses for courses” as a statistical experiment later this week. Here’s a post I did with actual stats from earlier in the year.
http://www.waggleroom.com/2010/2/10/1304448/stats-show-minimal-impact-of
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
have you considered reworking the front page with these catagories in plain sight instead of just running the posts ?
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I'm no tour player
But I did hit Driver, 6 iron stiff on a 545 yard par 5. missed the eagle but made birdie.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
I totally believe the part about your not being a tour player.
(J/K, PG. Well done.)
by TXQ on Aug 2, 2010 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions
It wasn't a tee, more like a cliff, I'm guessing. (J/K)
by TXQ on Aug 2, 2010 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
lmao
Gawd, I get no respect, lmao. Yeah and to add to that. I’m also a heart patient and it was not an elevated tee and because I’m over fifty, it doesn’t mean I play from the yellow senior tee’s. lol Dry conditions last week probably helped, however my second shot was from out of the rough on a side hill lie above my feet. I had a 4 iron in my hand and swapped for a 6 because of the rough. I must admit I was playing for the middle of the fairway and ended up 7 ft from the pin. Perhaps someone ahead of us on the course thought it was Tigers Ball and helped it up a little. hehehehe
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Tin Foiled
The low scores are great to a point – that point being when the scoring averages really start lowering (which hasn’t actually happened yet). Obviously there have been some low scores in the past while – alot of that has to do with set up and Mother Nature – The RBC Canadian Open for example was played at a golf course that is quite comparable (in slope and history) to the Greenbrier White Course – the difference was that one was set up for birdies and scoring and one was set up for shotmaking. The similarities are that both were playing soft, and basically without any teeth (one by design, one by weather). The RBC’s greens were at 11stimp – the tour would have prefered 12 and the Super was hoping for 12+. Being that the fairways were sponges as well the rough had little to do with the outcome. There would be no Peterson 60 without the soft spongy conditions – where as Appleby’s 59 was played on the course as they intended. While I am not a fan of low low scores, i understand why Justice dictated the setup as he did… it keeps people cheering and beering. Bogeys and Beer is not so fun. Unless you are in Canada where the beer is good;)
So if setting up a course for the fans fun
means bringing more fans..means the players might not be getting tested as they should.
Eas – why don’t you go out and play the forward tees sometime and tell me if you shoot 8 or 9 shots less than you average from your regular tees.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
in my experience forward tees have less to do with scoring than easy pins.
by Drew McCallum on Aug 2, 2010 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I tend to agree about the pins more than the tees, though shorter clubs do help.
Good point comparing St. George’s to Old White. Very similar old style courses that got absolutely torn up by the pros. And also very true that Canadian beer is good!
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 2, 2010 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Court, you seem to be overawed by the fact that Pros
make mincemeat out of 7,000 yard tracks. The distance, for them, on a course with little rough and soft greens is like you and I playing a course of 6,000 yards. Now I play off the back tees where I play and it’s 6,700 yards. There is a course nearby that is 6,000 yards. It’s always 3 or 4 shots easier for everyone. When a course the Pros play is set up like it should be, ie punishing the bad shots, firmer greens, so ball striking gets rewarded better, etc, they shoot about 6 shots more. Most Pros hit 300 yard drives and 200 yard 5 irons. We are talking Pros, not you and I. Get real.
Overawed ? Not really. But I really appreciate people who can control the ball like that – and when someone gets on a real run like Appleby did yesterday – yes – I’m in awe. You can pick on the course all you like – but the putts were rolling in. He didn’t have 11 tap ins for birdie.
I’m pretty cynical – but realistic. What he did wasn’t done by half the field. The way you make it sound, anybody could’ve done it if they put their mind to it…and that’s just not the way it is.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I didn't say anyone could do that.
a 59 is awesome. I’m just saying he couldn’t shoot that score on a course that would test all parts of his game. Watching golf like that, to me is the ultimate, so such low scoring on easier tracks impress me less. Still awesome though.Cynical ? We all get that with age. You just have to be careful you don’t get too blinkered in your views.
I play and work at a 7100 yard par 70 (for pros – 73 for daily play) course – if the course is set up with hard pins 75 is a good score – if the pins are easy 65 is good. Being that the last tour stop at the course produced a winning score of 6 under the length certainly wasn’t the deciding factor.
by Drew McCallum on Aug 2, 2010 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Pretty much – there are more things to consider regarding how the conditioning allows (or does not allow) for certain situations and certain pins (etc) but in the end the set up’s have been pretty mundane this year – i would say that the tour has been avoiding tough setups as they figure out how the grooves affect the play.
by Drew McCallum on Aug 2, 2010 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions
yup
i’d expect a push back next year – or atleast a balancing – back to the traditional set up procedures (6/6/6) and weekly setups (thursday Easy – friday Hard – Saturday – Medium (with stretches of tough placements) and Sunday tough with a couple risk reward pins.
by Drew McCallum on Aug 2, 2010 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Have a golf story tip? Contact editor Charles Boyer and he will follow the story! Thanks!
Related FanPosts on Waggle Room
Related FanShots on Waggle Room
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
