Golf is getting unwatchable. Too easy for these guys

[Neumeier]

The winner of the PGA championship could be close to -20. They need to make the courses more like the U.S. Open. I want to see these guys challenged. Every week it's like this now.

[Greyfox]

The winner of the PGA championship could be close to -20. They need to make the courses more like the U.S. Open. I want to see these guys challenged. Every week it's like this now.

Really?
This track has over 1,000 sand traps and bunkers.
When the wind howls at Whistling Straits it will be as tough as any U.S. Open.

[sandpit]

It's really simple. The equipment has improved dramatically over time, yet the course length is relatively the same. All these guys (except Woods :rolleyes: ) can hit the ball well over 300 yards with mega-sized drivers, rendering even a 500 yard par 4 into something like driver-8 iron.

Unless the start making the fairways the width of the hallway in your house and the greens closet-sized, nothing is going to change. I certainly don't see them making 700-yard par 5's.

Maybe they should get rid of par 5s and just change them all to 4s. I saw today where Jason Day is averaging 4.09 strokes on the 5s for the week. That's basically -12 for those holes alone after 3 days.

[Greyfox]

Whistling Straits is a public course. 1 round = $360 plus caddy fees + tip.

mlD2eXlizmQ

[TJDave]

It's really simple. The equipment has improved dramatically over time, yet the course length is relatively the same. All these guys (except Woods :rolleyes: ) can hit the ball well over 300 yards with mega-sized drivers, rendering even a 500 yard par 4 into something like driver-8 iron.

Unless the start making the fairways the width of the hallway in your house and the greens closet-sized, nothing is going to change. I certainly don't see them making 700-yard par 5's.

Maybe they should get rid of par 5s and just change them all to 4s. I saw today where Jason Day is averaging 4.09 strokes on the 5s for the week. That's basically -12 for those holes alone after 3 days.

Jordan Spieth doesn't make the top 50 in driving distance and greens in regulation. He is a phenomenal putter. Unless a complete meltdown, by tomorrow night he will be the #1 golfer in the world.

[mountainman]

It gets tiresome listening to Jim Nance spearhead the "these guys are good" onslaught. Quick note to network golf coverage: I KNOW they're good, but I don't watch to marvel at their skills-the parameters of a tv camera can't do them justice, anyway.

So PLEASE, Jim Nance, the next time some upstart or infamous choke artist takes a lead 6 holes into the first round of a major, don't deify him or give smug assurances about how "steady and calm" the guy looks. Instead TELL us the dude's record in major tournaments is freakin' 0 for 44. And stop being an apologist when players crash and burn, the tragic aspect of sports is one reason I watch. Golf is a game of misses, and your subdued, apologetic tone just doesn't do the epic fails justice.

Too much reverence for the players and the game, not enough bold candor. They are systematically undoing most of the progress made by Johnny Miller.

[Tor Ekman]

I have to laugh when Nance or some other announcer/analyst praises one of the players as being an "excellent ball striker" . . . like, duh, is there anyone playing on the PGA tour who isn't an excellent ball striker? Seems a given that every guy on tour is an excellent ball striker (what a stupid term to boot) or he wouldn't have qualified for his PGA card in the first place.

[sammy the sage]

Instead TELL us the dude's record in major tournaments is freakin' 0 for 44. And stop being an apologist when players crash and burn, the tragic aspect of sports is one reason I watch. Golf is a game of misses, and your subdued, apologetic tone just doesn't do the epic fails justice.


looks like somebody ELSE had a DUD of DAY...and it wasn't the golfer Day who was leading....too bad for YA... :faint:

[raybo]

My personal opinion of this year's PGA, Whistling Straits is perfect for a PGA Championship as it usually plays, but this week things prevented it from playing normally; unusually calm winds, had enough rain early on to keep the greens holding, all Pete Dye courses reward good play and punish bad play and several players played very good out of the rough and traps, some very good scrambling, and good putting on greens that can be quite troublesome. If the wind had been more normal for WS things would have been much different.

Overall, the course played easier than it normally would, agreed, but some players just flat played great golf! Yes, the equipment has improved, but there were more than enough shots into the rough, by lots of players, to keep the scores lower, however there were some great shots out of that rough and those traps. Putting 4 good rounds together on a course as challenging as this one is not easy, but a few did just that. Jason Day simply played more aggressively on Sunday and kept everyone else at bay. Great round of golf, regardless of the course! Jordan is for real, but I felt he was waiting for Jason to make mistakes instead of being more aggressive, especially early on Sunday. If Day had not played lights out, it would have been a much better finish, but "ifs" are just "ifs" and Jason didn't crack!

I hope I get to see Whistling Straits again, soon, great Pete Dye course!!

[Valuist]

The thread is titled, "Golf is getting unwatchable". That implies it was watchable at some point. Playing golf is one thing; I can't bear watching it.