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Courses: Palmer, Nicklaus Speak Out Against Augusta Alterations
Arnie and The Golden Bear finally speak out against Hootie's Augusta renovations.
Following retirement from the world of competitive golf after winning The Grand Slam, Bobby Jones entertained the idea of starting a private golf club. We all know that Bobby eventually decided to build the course that would become Augusta National Golf Club. Bobby worked intimately with legendary course architect Alister Mackenzie to create his "ideal" golf course.
Bob firmly believed that the game of golf revolved around the second shot - evidenced by the fact that when Augusta National debuted, it featured over eighty acres of fairway (more than twice as much as the average course of the day). Also notable was the fact that Jones demanded to design the course so that it would remain playable for both highly skilled golfers and those less gifted.
Fast forward to 1998, the year after Tiger Woods walked away from the Masters with a record 12-stroke margin, when Hootie Johnson was named Chairman of Augusta National, the course has been severely distorted from Jones' original "ideal" golf course. The course plays 520 yards longer, the fairways have been pinched and squished, bunkers have been added, and the strategy of playing the course has been reversed. The elders of the golfing community have remained strangely silent about these developments, until now (http://www.golfdigest.com/majors/masters/index.ssf?/majors/masters/gd200604augustachanges.html).
Golf legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus are finally speaking out against the bastardization of Augusta National. One of the catalysts behind these much-needed interjections is the fact that both of these Masters champions have not been consulted in the evolution of the club. In the long-lost past, Augusta co-founder Cliff Roberts allowed champions to make suggestions to course alterations - Gene Sarazen requested a fairway bunker on the second hole and it was built, for example. However, this quaint tradition has been terminated since Hootie took over in 1998.
Palmer, the first to step up to the plate and address this issue had this to say about it:
I love the place, just love everything that happens there, but now, I'm not so sure. It's changed dramatically from the course I knew the last 50 years.
Nicklaus later added his opinion on the changes, saying "I think they've ruined it from a tournament standpoint." The Golden Bear also said that the course looks like its been redesigned by "someone who doesn't know how to play golf."
The reason that these renovations even make the news is because Augusta National is not owned by the chairman and board or members - instead it is sentimentally owned by every person who has ever fallen in love with the game. In that regard I am a partial owner of Augusta National Golf Club, as are you. Augusta isn't just a golf course, its a national treasure - it's the legacy of Bobby Jones condensed into eighteen holes. The game of golf is changing - we witness it every week - and with the evolution of the golfer comes the evolution of the golf course. However, extensive efforts must be made to maintain the integrity of our great courses.
Augusta National seems to be in a mid-life crisis. It displays the same characteristics exuded by a middle-aged man struggling with an inferiority complex. The second shot on the seventh hole used to be a simple pitch, but now that the hole has been lengthened to 450 yards even the longest hitters will have a full shot to the green. The par-3 fourth now plays 240 yards, uphill. It remains to be seen if Corey Pavin will be able to reach the green with driver.
Hootie Johnson and the other elite members of Augusta need to take another look at the changes they've made to the course in recent years and realize how they have perverted the entire paradigm of of playing it. Progression is inevitable, but like I said earlier, its necessary to ensure that the integrity of this course remains true to Jones' vision.
http://thesandtrap.com/archives/courses/palmer_nicklaus_speak_out_against_augusta_alterations.php
Arnie and The Golden Bear finally speak out against Hootie's Augusta renovations.
Following retirement from the world of competitive golf after winning The Grand Slam, Bobby Jones entertained the idea of starting a private golf club. We all know that Bobby eventually decided to build the course that would become Augusta National Golf Club. Bobby worked intimately with legendary course architect Alister Mackenzie to create his "ideal" golf course.
Bob firmly believed that the game of golf revolved around the second shot - evidenced by the fact that when Augusta National debuted, it featured over eighty acres of fairway (more than twice as much as the average course of the day). Also notable was the fact that Jones demanded to design the course so that it would remain playable for both highly skilled golfers and those less gifted.
Fast forward to 1998, the year after Tiger Woods walked away from the Masters with a record 12-stroke margin, when Hootie Johnson was named Chairman of Augusta National, the course has been severely distorted from Jones' original "ideal" golf course. The course plays 520 yards longer, the fairways have been pinched and squished, bunkers have been added, and the strategy of playing the course has been reversed. The elders of the golfing community have remained strangely silent about these developments, until now (http://www.golfdigest.com/majors/masters/index.ssf?/majors/masters/gd200604augustachanges.html).
Golf legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus are finally speaking out against the bastardization of Augusta National. One of the catalysts behind these much-needed interjections is the fact that both of these Masters champions have not been consulted in the evolution of the club. In the long-lost past, Augusta co-founder Cliff Roberts allowed champions to make suggestions to course alterations - Gene Sarazen requested a fairway bunker on the second hole and it was built, for example. However, this quaint tradition has been terminated since Hootie took over in 1998.
Palmer, the first to step up to the plate and address this issue had this to say about it:
I love the place, just love everything that happens there, but now, I'm not so sure. It's changed dramatically from the course I knew the last 50 years.
Nicklaus later added his opinion on the changes, saying "I think they've ruined it from a tournament standpoint." The Golden Bear also said that the course looks like its been redesigned by "someone who doesn't know how to play golf."
The reason that these renovations even make the news is because Augusta National is not owned by the chairman and board or members - instead it is sentimentally owned by every person who has ever fallen in love with the game. In that regard I am a partial owner of Augusta National Golf Club, as are you. Augusta isn't just a golf course, its a national treasure - it's the legacy of Bobby Jones condensed into eighteen holes. The game of golf is changing - we witness it every week - and with the evolution of the golfer comes the evolution of the golf course. However, extensive efforts must be made to maintain the integrity of our great courses.
Augusta National seems to be in a mid-life crisis. It displays the same characteristics exuded by a middle-aged man struggling with an inferiority complex. The second shot on the seventh hole used to be a simple pitch, but now that the hole has been lengthened to 450 yards even the longest hitters will have a full shot to the green. The par-3 fourth now plays 240 yards, uphill. It remains to be seen if Corey Pavin will be able to reach the green with driver.
Hootie Johnson and the other elite members of Augusta need to take another look at the changes they've made to the course in recent years and realize how they have perverted the entire paradigm of of playing it. Progression is inevitable, but like I said earlier, its necessary to ensure that the integrity of this course remains true to Jones' vision.
http://thesandtrap.com/archives/courses/palmer_nicklaus_speak_out_against_augusta_alterations.php
