Questions For Peter Dawson

The R&A's resident spinner will sit down before the scribes Wednesday to talk about the Open Championship, the weather and if we're lucky, his budding design business.

I'd love to hear what you'd ask the Executive Secretary, because I think you'll find that my questions pretty much all come back to the same point...no one ever said I was original.

• When justifying the R&A-driven changes to Birkdale since the last time it hosted the Open, you said that "the game has moved on somewhat since then." Does this mean that the R&A feels it is more convenient to change courses instead of issuing decisions that regulate equipment?
  
  
• There is a perception that the R&A's refusal to act is the reason that the planned-for 2009 U-groove-rule change did not happen. Why did the R&A decide that the golf world was not ready for this rule change and can you give us some idea when and if the R&A will be jumping on board with the USGA?
  
  
• You mentioned in April that pace of play was getting to be abysmal. Do you see this as the result of players getting slower, or is there some connection between the increased length, thicker rough, narrower fairways, increased bunker and other post "game-has-moved-on-since-then" difficulties similar to those we are seeing at Birkdale this week?
  
  
• After the 2005 Open Championship, you said "Hitting distances have reached a plateau. This is definitely happening; all this discussion that players are hitting the ball further is not true." If that is the case, then why are changes driven by distance gains continuing to be made at rota venues, and do you think these course renovations have a positive influence on the game?

Comments

[phil]

geoff,

Birkdale is playing a total of 155 yards longer than it did last time, which is approximately 2%. The move of 17 green must be 50 or so yards in itself... so other than that, the tweaks couldn't be "driven by distance" could they?

[frank D]

geoff

i would like to know if any of the open courses will be sold to donald trump ?


frank D

[Geoff]

Phil,
You might want to go back and look at what was said by Dawson and what was done. All but two or three holes saw changes and he attributed it to the game "moving on."

[phil]

Geoff,

i had read what Dawson said... i was just pointing out that something doesn't add up. minimal distance increase here somewhat illustrates that something else is going on.. ie/ does his definition of "moving on" (in this case) mean changing angles of play?

[Melvyn Hunter Morrow]

Geoff

I like the questions – but I fear that as usual we will hear words but alas no action. The R&A will think about it for another 100 years before considering taking any action, by then the debate and game will have changes dramatically.

Distance is and will become a very major factor with old established courses (in seeking more land to constantly expand) not only in the UK but around the world. Add that to the oncoming environmental issues i.e. water , land fit for purpose (my little crusade) and maintenance costs. But let’s not worry because as Peter Dawson stated a few years ago “Hitting distances have reached a plateau”. Really, or has the world moved on a bit further since then?

I believe the R&A should be taking the lead after all they have the talent, instead of appearing to stick their heads in the sand of the bunkers and let the golfing problems pass them by making us all losers.

Melvyn Hunter Morrow
(I am the great, great
grandson to Old Tom Morris)

[frank D]

the equipment, if available to all competitors, is equitable and every player plays the same course set-up.

the weather is a factor that is not equitable. on any given day, an early tee time compared to a late tee time can produce very wide disparities in playablity.

given the above, is there ever any thought given to changing the current tournament to the MATCH PLAY format ?

therby each competitor will be facing the same circumstances simultaneously, course set-up and weather and available equipment, on the most equitable level.


frank D

[Tuna]

My impression of Dawson, from the very little I've seen, is that he may be a pretty canny old BSer.

He really might be good in the Sunday Masterpiece Mysteries on PBS, which seem to interest me more than golf nowadays.