Tinker It appears that the update to Shinnecock done by Coore and Crenshaw included much wider fairways. Although the USGA has narrowed them for the open they are still the wisest ever for an open at Shinnecock. With modern drivers bigger and more forgiving than ever why in the world would you widen fairways for an open. The US open has always been my favorite because of the ultimate test it used to be.
The Wall Street Journal had an excellent article on Shinnecock this morning and here is one excerpt:
The golf equivalent was on display last fall at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the venerable host of this week’s U.S. Open. At the request of the USGA, which runs the tournament, the club removed thousands of yards of fairway grass and replaced it with fescue rough. The sudden makeover was intended to reestablish the value of driving accuracy, after wide fairways at Erin Hills last year allowed players to bomb away without much thought off the tee. More broadly, it showed the extent to which the USGA hopes this week will reassert the trademark toughness of its signature event.