Phil Unveils Plans To Unveil North Course Plans
I've been a little under the weather and I couldn't tell if it was a cold brought on by (A) contracting a germ or (B) hearing a San Diego city official gleefully talk of spending $1 million on cart parths at Balboa in the course of the Mickelson North Course public meeting.
I'm going with B, even though the feeling was coming on long before what was a pretty typical meeting with the requisite audience members turning questions into speeches.
Tod Leonard has the highlights of Phil Mickelson's Torrey Pines North Course plan unveiling that ended up not including a plan unveiling until he could gather some public input:
“I do believe,” Mickelson said, “that modern-day architecture is the single-most reason why play and participation in golf has decline. It’s just too hard. It’s not fun.”
Among Mickelson’s ideas for the North: fairways and greenside areas that will feed shots toward the hole, not repel it away; chipping areas that will challenge better players but allow higher handicappers to putt from off the green; greenside bunkers placed to the sides and not the front of greens; at least one driveable par-4 on each nine; shorter holes for women and juniors.
Mickelson said the greens need to be altered because they are more severely sloped than those at Augusta National. He said Torrey North’s pins often sit on slopes that are angled at 3 to 4 degrees, whereas Augusta’s pin positions are at 1 to 2 ½ degrees.
I wasn't sure about that one when he said it and I'm still a bit miffed, but Phil left no doubt about his passion for improving the course and that certainly won over the crowd.
The video accompanying Leonard's story:
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 12:30 AM
Reader Comments (22)
I don't see how he can have chipping areas with the climate of San Diego unless the pour a lot of sand on to those chipping areas and get rid of the Kikuyu grass.
dumb grade changes and tons of blind shots. Golf is a lot more fun when you can see what
you are trying to aim at.
Maybe in Phil's and the country club world that might be true. But in the rest of the world the reason play and participation is down is money and time. Gave a friend my old clubs because he wanted to try golf. Asked him to go play, told him how much the cheapest green fees were around where we live and he said it was too expensive to play more than every once in a while. Heard others say they don't have the time to practice to make the game fun and not frustrating when they do hit the course. I for one am lucky to play 20 times a year, but I rarely if ever have time to go to the range in between rounds.
Blind shots are generally found on the ancient gems of the game - The Machrie, Ballybunion, Royal County Down ... so, you will have no fun there if you go.
I can't think of a single remodeled course that has incorporated a blind shot as part of the redo. I also have a hard time recalling any new courses with a blind shot included in the design.
Maybe these new or redone courses were so difficult that you were deep in the trees and you couldn't see what you were aiming at.
Maybe Phil should hand the job off to Tommy Naccarato if he's (Phil, that is) unable to make the long-term commitment?
Phil won at Torrey Pines in 1993... did he forget about his PGA Tour victory in Tucson in 1991 as an amateur?
Guy sounds like Rex Ryan, lots of words, not saying anything.
Let's see what he comes up with.
Nothing wrong with tyring something new here.
In terms of the people responding to the San Diego area grass, does that hold true for low-flighted shots intended to release? (ball hopping up in air, not forward). I think Phil's referring to a well-executed shot intended to release forward. Would those still pop up? Admittedly I have not played on the grass discussed above.
But I think a much bigger problem with golf is slow play, which is what keeps me from playing more that 20 rounds a year. Courses should adopt a 4 1/2 hour rule...either finish by then or have to drive to the clubhouse. This would force less skilled players to play from the shorter tees which is where they belong, to play ready golf and to putt out.
Phil's comments remind of a Johnny Miller book I read several years ago. Miller mentions such things as in inability to roll the ball up as Phil does, and also things such as long forced carries over water etc. that make the game more difficult and less enjoyable for the average amateur.
I find the Nicklaus designs to be less fun because of what i see s excessive and way to punishing bunkering..plus excessive blinds shots. But, having said that, I'm going to say that desgines of very tough courses such as Jack or giving the owner, the guy signing the check, what he's asked for. To that degree, the owners, developers are as much to blame as the designers.
After all of that...I think Phil is on a great path and more designers, developers and owners should listen to him.