And Yet More Observations From Rainy Lytham...

Longtime readers know I have a simple rule to determine whether a major championship course setup crosses the goofy threshold: if the fairway landing area off the tee and then leading into a green is narrower than the green complex itself, you have a stinker.

Sadly, more than a handful of key holes at Lytham and St. Annes have been vandalized by paint cans, with a few fairways reaching an unprecedented 18 paces wide, which is as narrow as anything I've seen in the modern age of trying to stifle distance advances through setup.

On a positive note, I spent some time with the holes furthest from the clubhouse and the stretch of eight, nine and ten is magnificent. Meanwhile, the splendid weather drawn up by the Blackpool Tourist Board means the course will never be too fast and firm, making the silly fairway widths slightly more palatable. But if the wind blows, that's another story. Look at longshot bets if some wind creeps into the forecast.

On an even more positive note, I've never seen a club with a greater and more sophisticated devotion to its championships than Royal Lytham. As you'll see below, they have some of the simplest and best displays celebrating past championships that I've ever seen. Pity that the golf course here, so clearly loved by its members and treasured by players for generations, will be tainted this week by a combination of Mother Nature and regulatory ineptitude.

Here are just a few photos from a another gorgeous day in this summer beach resort town. Cheers!

Comments

[jjshaka]

That really is terrible with the fairway narrower than the green - may as well have fairway islands surrounded with rough and bunkers
Great coverage Geoff, the pictures are tremendous.

[Press Agent]

Gotta love the "Hog Roast Carvery" - I love me a bacon sandwich, on a rainly, windy day at the Open Championship - pure heaven.

[Stord]

Geoff, while I don't agree some of your opinions, your Open coverage is terrific! More of it please!

[Ghillie]

Opens are not "tainted" by weather. It's part of the best ones. No particular props to anyone who wins in windless conditions on the rota courses with wide fairways.

But I would be interested in more information about "regulatory ineptitude."

[Tim in Hoylake]

Although the fairways may be scoped down a bit, it looks like the rough is about 10 yards on either side; not the American 6 feet standard. That still gives a fairly generous landing area from which to play from. Don't some guys actually prefer to hit from the first cut if they are trying to get some roll on their shots anyway?

[james howard]

Outstanding report-many thanks for the photos.

[Techy]

A warning for Geoff - you will lose your high standing with your fellow journalists if you keep reporting from the course and not from the comfort of the press tent.

But keep it up please.

[OWGR Fan]

@Techy.... Or some that reporti from the comfort of Orlando.