Wednesday, April 21, 2004
PGA courses scoring averages
Q: Recognizing that there have been significant advances in the technologies of equipment, are there PGA courses which have not significantly changed in the past 10 years where the scoring averages have remained fairly constant?
Answer: TPC at Sawgrass comes immediately to mind. Very few changes have been made to this layout and generally players give the host venue for The Players championship high marks because it gives players of all different abilities the chance to win.
Oh, Greg Norman got PGA Tour officials all flustered in 1994 when he shot 24-under to win The Players Championship, but they didn't push the panic button and call out the bulldozers; they merely tightened the fairways and made a concerted effort to get the fairways and greens as firm as possible. The result? Lee Janzen won with a score of 283 in 1995 and in two other years when conditions were extremely difficult, David Duval (3-under in 1999) and Craig Perks (8-under in 2002) also prevailed with higher than normal totals, but for the most part, the average winning score has been 13-under. Adam Scott went 12-under to win this year's event, so I like the course for how it has remained consistently strong in the face of technological advances.
Pebble Beach (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) several years ago changed dramatically the par-3 fifth hole, but it remains pretty much the same course it's always been, one that relies upon Mother Nature to supply defense. Westchester Country Club (Buick Classic) has made cosmetic changes, but is basically the same gem it has been for years.
golf tips are free golf tips online
Answer: TPC at Sawgrass comes immediately to mind. Very few changes have been made to this layout and generally players give the host venue for The Players championship high marks because it gives players of all different abilities the chance to win.
Oh, Greg Norman got PGA Tour officials all flustered in 1994 when he shot 24-under to win The Players Championship, but they didn't push the panic button and call out the bulldozers; they merely tightened the fairways and made a concerted effort to get the fairways and greens as firm as possible. The result? Lee Janzen won with a score of 283 in 1995 and in two other years when conditions were extremely difficult, David Duval (3-under in 1999) and Craig Perks (8-under in 2002) also prevailed with higher than normal totals, but for the most part, the average winning score has been 13-under. Adam Scott went 12-under to win this year's event, so I like the course for how it has remained consistently strong in the face of technological advances.
Pebble Beach (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) several years ago changed dramatically the par-3 fifth hole, but it remains pretty much the same course it's always been, one that relies upon Mother Nature to supply defense. Westchester Country Club (Buick Classic) has made cosmetic changes, but is basically the same gem it has been for years.
golf tips are free golf tips online
