The Road Hole Was Looking So Much Better And Then...

You might have heard us talking about the Road hole on Morning Drive today and the most recognizeable hole in golf, while looking more like it's old self for the first 475 yards, still has some man-induced issues at the green.

With the advent of Pilates-infused distance increases over the last twenty years, the hole has seen a new tee, the pinch-point more defined to stop super-long drives and other attempts by man to use rough to keep the world's toughest and most historic par-4 as difficult as ever. (Nothing in scoring averages indicated it was getting "easy".) If you're playing the Golf Digest pick-the-hardest hole sweepstakes, it's a safe bet to rank #1 again this year.

As I noted in a post below, the R&A have gotten the setup just right off the tee. The fairway is wider and the left rough area that was so absurd in 2010 will allow for recovery shots. Don't be surprised if come Sunday someone gets too cute with an approach shot that would have been better played short.

In talking to John Huggan, R&A Chief Inspector Dawson covered the gamut talking about his vision for the 17th. He mentions how much more shallow the Road bunker once was, yet talks of the efforts to raise the surrounding volcano walls to collect balls, hold intimate conciertos and discourage a strategic play once afforded those willing to take an unusual path to the hole.

“The ground left of the bunker has also been remodelled so that more balls will feed into the sand. Going ‘long and left’ won’t be quite as easy as it has been in the past.”

I've put these images in black and white so you can see just how abrupt and out of proportion with the scale of the green the entire Road bunker has become.

And this is what is required to mow the Road hole ampitheater...

Just one of these years we'll get to come to The Open and find one of the world's greatest, strangest and most fascinating holes lacking any excess manipulation by man.