7,000 YARD COURSES

[Jimbo]

In light of my previous post this will be less than trivial...if the fires and warming keep going there may be no place left to play, except here...
...BUT

Given the amount of available land for playing golf (the computer may be all that's left) or building 7,000 yard courses the time has come for equipment manufacturers (especially ball designers) to find a way to "shorten" the game so that the tour can remain accessible to the best players but
on 6,000 yard tracks.

I already commented on city courses-this has to be the next step...like I said if the land and water are available,

[FOOOOORE!]

Actually, despite the current population of Earth, only a small portion of available land is occupied by humans. There are various estimates, but somewhere between 10% and 15% seems in the ballpark. If anything, global warming is freeing up more previously uninhabitable land, assuming advances in technology make previously uninhabitable areas more viable. Remember there is serious talk about living on Mars and the moon! As far as golf courses are concerned, shortening them from 7,000 to 6,000 yards represents about an 8.5% decrease -- trivial really. There is a dead easy way to make existing courses and new ones more difficult, and it actually saves money! Just grow the rough out further, into what is now fairway. Make a 25-to-30 yard wide fairway only 20 yards wide, and watch what happens. No other changes necessary; any other changes would cost money. NOT mowing grass so often is free. Instantly, the long hitters are going to have to be much more accurate if they wish to maintain their usual distance off the tee, and long second shots.

[Adelade]

If anything, global warming is freeing up more previously uninhabitable land

Can you elaborate on how global warming helps on this as opposed to technological advances?

As far as golf courses are concerned, shortening them from 7,000 to 6,000 yards represents about an 8.5% decrease

What?

Just grow the rough out further, into what is now fairway. Make a 25-to-30 yard wide fairway only 20 yards wide, and watch what happens.

It still leaves the original strategic design of the golf holes butchered though. A thick rough cant entirely replace for example a water hazard, pot bunker, trees or a blind or suboptimal angle into the green.

[badgolfer1]

Depends if course is at sea level as that would be a short in thin mountain air. Shots going downhill, possibly with wind at back and ground being hard as other factors would make for a course to play all the shorter yardage. Another factor is drives going that much farther than used to do and other shots to greens by players hitting with a lesser club to impart more spin and hold green than before when was iffy if might stop on green or run through it into a hazard behind green---also lesser club might mean being able to carry over a hazard fronting the green stopping on green. Nicklaus once tried to introduce restricted flight golf ball, but ruling golf bodies have been silent for most part since around 1980 or so. Nicklaus was trying to say that old shorter reknowned courses such as Merion could no longer host majors since houses were now surrounding these courses and could not be changed to be challenging to pros by being lengthened, but there was a US Open there in 2013---probably the last time Merion might host a US Open, US PGA or even just a regular men's pro tournament there.
https://vault.si.com/vault/1984/07/23/a ... minicourse
https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/jac ... m-in-golf/

Should have mentioned previously that pros usually play highest compression golf balls possible. There are issues though as when near freezing temperatures that golf balls become hard as rocks and thus are not likely to be compressed or flattened out and then change back to normal round shape once have left clubface. Another factor involving physics that would be similar to playing in thin air that have already mentioned high altitude for mountain courses---also playing in warmer air temperatures has less drag for balls going through it, than otherwise playing in cooler air temperatures.

[Jimbo]

When I was younger I tried to follow the Seniors at Bear Mountain (degsigned by Jack) just north of Victoria-the Seniors got to ride...the fans didn't...the players finished their round...

[FOOOOORE!]

Can you elaborate on how global warming helps on this as opposed to technological advances?

Simple, overall there is less unusable land being covered by permafrost or glacier. By extension, that will include land that previously couldn't be used to build golf courses.

As far as golf courses are concerned, shortening them from 7,000 to 6,000 yards represents about an 8.5% decrease

What?

Ooops, calculator malfunction. I was looking at .857 and somehow that got turned into 8.5%. About 14%.

Just grow the rough out further, into what is now fairway. Make a 25-to-30 yard wide fairway only 20 yards wide, and watch what happens.

It still leaves the original strategic design of the golf holes butchered though. A thick rough cant entirely replace for example a water hazard, pot bunker, trees or a blind or suboptimal angle into the green.
[/quote]

Imagine what could be done with Banff Springs if only they narrowed some of those 40-50 yard wide fairways. That's one reason you'll never see a Canadian Open there (others being gallery accommodation and general location; they'd have to travel from Calgary airport). A thick, encroaching rough puts a premium on shorter, straighter shots. Now, those water hazards, trees, and suboptimal approaches become even more daunting. Any other changes to existing courses would be very expensive, though making the greens smaller could be relatively cheap, and lower future operating costs.