The US Open is the next big tournament on the PGA Tour calendar but its venue, Oakmont Country Club, is already coming under fire from golf fans.
Oakmont will host the US Open for the first time since 2016 and in time honoured tradition for the tournament, conditions are expected to be tough.
The US Open is historically synonymous with rapid greens and long rough and in the main, Oakmont is expected to offer that.
However, one of the true tests of golf is also avoiding trouble off the tee and historically, Oakmont has been a course that has plenty of tree trouble for even the best in the world.
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Now, after some renovation work and a change in layout, Oakmont have removed hundreds of trees, meaning the idea of getting in tree trouble is a thing of the past.
But while Oakmont Country Club will have their reasons for making the changes, things have gone down like a lead balloon among the golfing community.
Golf fans criticise Oakmont as they make huge changes for the US Open
Some golf tournaments have already been criticised this year for pandering to the needs of the modern golfer and it looks like Oakmont and the US Open are next in line for those angry fans.
With images doing the rounds of overhead shots of the course showing the now distinct lack of trees around the course, fans have been quick to criticise the layout.
Indeed, after golf analyst Lou Stagner criticised the move, plenty of fans jumped on the bandwagon.
One fan labelled the entire move as ‘dumb’, while another simply suggested it was ‘sad to see’ such a change to things.
Another fan then made the point about it helping the big hitters.
“Catering to the “swing as hard as I can” group – if there aren’t any trees doesn’t really matter what fairway you land in“
While another also had that train of thought, suggesting there’s a better way.
“I’ll never understand that move. Maybe thin the trees out a little bit, but this is just a shame.”
Commenting further on the matter, another suggested it’s a common issue in golf in general.
“The PGA WEST Stadium course also removed hundreds of trees a couple years ago. It ruined the course because there’s no shade out there on hot summer days”
While continuing the theme, another fan claimed it was now set up for the players who just hit it as hard as possible.
“Another mash and gash course great. Trees don’t have to be littered on courses but give me a track where you can hit a wayward drive and still have some kind of shot even if you have to deal with a little tree trouble”
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Of course, there were some who argued for the changes, as some pointed out that the original layout of the course was in fact without as many trees as we’ve seen in recent times.
Still, with so many players now capable of hitting the ball well beyond 300 yards, it will be interesting to see just how accurate they are around Oakmont.
In the end, it could lead to lower scores which as a general rule, is not what the US Open is about.
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