Many would argue that the existence of two particular golf courses is the reason for golf’s governing bodies wanting to reduce how far golf balls travel:
The Old Course at St Andrews and Augusta National.
The Masters goes to Augusta every year and, when tournament week rolls around in April, there are endless comments about what clubs players hit into the par 5s and how the golf course keeps being extended.
The modern tour pro is also seen as the biggest threat to venues such as the Old Course in Scotland. It is the most cherished and famous ground in the game, but it appears inferior when the stars arrive for The Open every five years.
“I’ve had a few arguments about this at The Open at St Andrews Old. You could get someone like Bryson DeChambeau drive nine greens. It can make it look stupid,” 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam told the Top 100 Golf Courses.
‘Forged by Nature’ is the line The Open likes to use, and the conditions at the tournament and the difficulty faced by the players are dependent on the wind blowing and the rain pouring. Otherwise, whichever host venue struggles to provide a stiff test.
“Why don’t you keep St Andrews Old as a souvenir, as history, and build another golf course on the side of it – on the old and the new – and make a golf course specifically for The Open and play it there every year like The Masters?” Woosnam added.
Hang on a moment. You mean not only forget the Old Course as far as golf’s oldest major is concerned, but forget the entire Open Rota altogether?
It is an idea, sure. But is it a good one? NCG’s Tom Irwin and Matt Chivers debate the Welshman’s comments about Open Championship venues:
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It might sound outrageous, but Woosy is right
For those of us who love nothing more than playing links golf and would love to spend the rest of our days trundling along the best seaside tracks of the UK, The Open can be a stressful affair, writes Tom Irwin.
We’re desperate for the best in the world to appreciate what the architectural geniuses of the home nations have produced. Portrush, St George’s, Birkdale, Lytham. We want them so much to face these tracks and think, ‘Wow. Every part of my game has been put through the mill this week’.
But after each Open, we delude ourselves into thinking the golf course has won and the players have been taught a lesson. This is never the case. The venues and all their beauty are done no justice.
Why not protect them from the most talented figures and let them battle on a new course that can start from scratch, that can be forged with the rocket-fueled equipment in mind?
Have this new thing here, and let us frame St Andrews, and the like, to keep forever.
I don’t need to see Cameron Smith 20-under at St Andrews. I don’t need to see Henrik Stenson 20-under at Troon. I don’t need to see back-to-back winning scores of 15-under in 2019 and 2021.
St George’s is at the top of our England rankings because it is a world-class golf course. The same can be said for the Old Course in our Scotland rankings, and for Portrush being second in our Irish rankings.
Let’s save these masterpieces from the scrutiny of golf course ‘experts’ and the eyes of the world judging each bounce and roll, and love them for the real reason. See the real them.
North Berwick, Royal Dornoch, Royal County Down and Royal Cinque Ports don’t host The Open, and they’re hardly worse off for it, are they?
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This would be the demise of The Open as we know it
This is what Woosy is suggesting: If you can’t beat them, join them. If we can’t regulate these monsters from hitting 400-yard drives on links courses, then give them a man-made ball park with fescue and pot bunkers, writes Matt Chivers.
What are we doing here?
There is justified concern that The Open Rota is shrinking because there aren’t enough golf courses that can host 280,000 people in a week. The tournament is on track to reduce the pool of host venues to an unrecognisable and small pool of choice.
This concept wouldn’t shrink The Open Rota, it would kill it.
Like the US Open goes to Shinnecock, Pinehurst, Oakmont and Brookline, The Open goes to Hoylake, Birkdale, St George’s and the Old Course. As a sport, we are showcasing our greatest arenas. If anything, it should be a source of pride and a sense of variety we should all enjoy.
I don’t want to attend an Open at a purpose-built course. As a golf fan, I want to visit venues where Tiger won, where Seve won, where Jack won, and where Rory won. Fast forward to 2050 when this custom-fit abomination has been made: ‘Who designed this course? A.I.’
That is more the semantic side of things dealt with, but what about the economic side, too? I’ve been emailed more press releases about how much money The Open brings in for respective local communities and how participation levels are skyrocketing than I’ve had hot dinners.
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Why on earth would we nail down The Open to one venue when there are quite obviously numerous venues that can provide a different test each year?
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What do you make of the Open Championship future venues debate? Do you agree with Ian Woosnam about the Open Championship future venues? Tell us on X!
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