"Just how tough does the R&A want the Road Hole to play? It seems to have held its own for decades."

Ron Whitten takes on the Road hole's new tee controversy and doesn't think it's that big of a deal. I would agree if the fairway width corresponded, but it doesn't and therefore threatens to be more goofy than great. Ron also won't be getting an invite to the R&A anytime soon. After spelling out the many architects criticizing the ball issue in light of the changes to the hole, he writes:

But if many architects are oblivious to the Road Hole's past, so is the R&A, which issued a press release last fall quoting Dawson: "Over the years, we have seen the threat from the road behind the green, and to a lesser extent the Road Bunker, diminished as players have been hitting shorter irons for their approach shots, allowing them to avoid these hazards more easily. This change will ensure that the hole plays as it was originally intended."

As originally intended? The hole has been around since play was conducted with sticks carved from tree limbs and balls stuffed with feathers. Nothing at St. Andrews plays as originally intended.