"So the great thing is that professional golf might just be on the edge of seeing the end of long rough."

Geoff Ogilvy pens a grooves-related guest column for Scotland on Sunday. After explaining the beauty of the flyer lie that might return with the 2010 elimination of U-grooves, Ogilvy warns:

My big concern is that, once the grooves change, a corresponding alteration must be made to the length of the rough. There will be no point in continuing with foot-long grass. When rough gets that long, it really doesn't matter what grooves we are using. So I'd like to see rough no longer than it presently is at Augusta National. The Masters in 2010 will be interesting in that the rough will actually become much more of a hazard than it has been since it was introduced.

So the great thing is that professional golf might just be on the edge of seeing the end of long rough.

That would be the best case scenario, but I'm not as optimistic. Just look at the PGA this week, where they were coming off one of their most successful events ever with incredibly short rough and turn around with a narrow fairway, high rough setup.

However, you have to think the U-groove announcement provides a face-saving opening for the folks at Augusta National to eliminate the second cut in 2010.

I loved this point, which gets at the silliness of the hoped for elimination of bomb and gouge play.

Anyway, I like the fact that the new grooves will at least make players think more about hitting the fairway. Which isn't that big an issue, actually. I'm trying to hit the ball as straight as I can and I'm sure every other pro is too.

Geoff and others are trying to hit it straight, but sometimes it's just kind of hard to hit a sloping 24-yard fairway, no matter how good you are. That's not bomb-and-gouge, it's lousy setup.

Comments

[The La Habra Art Department]

Olg's continues to amaze me, the intelligence and not being afraid to say what he really feels.

I could only wish there were 124 more of him on the PGA Tour that did the same thing

[Greg]

I agree with Ogilvy, but it just doesn't sound convincing coming from a guy who seemingly never hits a fairway.

[Chuck]

It's also hard to hit fairways when you can air-mail the ball 330 yards. If I hit the ball as afar as tour players do, I'd also swing about 65% and just try to hit fairways.

[Smitty]

I disagree with Geoff's assessment of the rough--as a matter of fact, the rough was cut down just before the tournament. What happened was the same thing that happened at Birkdale: Detroit had a very wet and warm summer that caused the Bluegrass rough to come in real thick. Anyone who has grown up playing in Michigan knows that with Bluegrass rough, you have to hit the fairway--bluegrass is extremely broad near the ground and is very juicy and lush. Frankly, it is a bitch to get out of. I did hear a good comment from Mr. Kostis bemoaning the fact that since the fairways were narrowed, a lot of the angles that Mr. Ross had in the course have been eliminated--which is true. The fairways were too narrow--they needed to be widened and I believe the USGA graduated rough treatment would have worked here. The greens were fair, but stern as usual. The cool temperatures and the wind definitely made things more difficult. I think playing #6 up was a good idea. Actually, I look forward to seeing the U.S. Open there because I believe the new set-up guy would do a great job for the tournament. I do wish that there were more collection areas around the greens besides the false fronts. I would rate the set-up as an 8 for the PGA--I hope OHCC gets a U.S. Open with their latest USGA treatment by their new set-up guy.

[86general]

I don't want to see an end to long rough, at least not on the professional golf tours.

Like everything else, it needs to be balanced.

Why does EVERY hole in a US Open or PGA have to be set up with identical, measured, long rough? Maybe you set up some holes with long rough, others not. Maybe the fairways aren't uniform, bowling alley width, either. I guess the USGA has varied fairway width some, and the rough has been "graduated," but anyway...my point is that long rough should be a hazard, used judiciously, in tests of the finest players in the world.

I am not surprised Ogilvy doesn't like it. I hate it. But like someone said, there's lots of things we hate in golf, but that doesn't mean you just get rid of them.