The best players in the world have been making mincemeat out of even the very toughest golf courses on the planet for years now.
The sheer length that players hit the ball has made many of the best traditional old golf courses almost obsolete.
Who do you think will win the Cadillac Championship?
The PGA Tour returns to Doral after a decade away
Many of the PGA Tour‘s best golf courses have been lengthened beyond all recognition in order to combat the advancements in the technology of golf clubs and balls.
Golf’s governing bodies are implementing the golf ball rollback rule from the start of the 2028 season.
That decision was made in order to protect famous old golf courses like St Andrews in Scotland.
The golf ball rollback will also be brought into play for amateurs from the year 2030 onwards.
However, I strongly believe that the rule-makers have made a big mistake. Why not give the players more options and more decisions to make, rather than simply taking 10-15 yards off their drives?
Golf course changes are required to ensure a sustainable future
The PGA Tour is in Miami this week for the Cadillac Championship.
The Blue Monster at Trump National Doral is the second-longest layout on the PGA Tour, stretching out to just under 7,800 yards from the tips.
However, the lengthy track has caused the best players in the world little problems.
Cam Young leads on 13-under par after two rounds, while a score of four-under through 36 holes isn’t even good enough to get inside the top-15.
The average score from the 72-man field halfway through the event is 71.334. The world’s best golfers are making light work of a course which has a reputation of being incredibly difficult.
These lengthy layouts are becoming increasingly more reliant on wind to help protect the integrity of the par of the course.
With players carrying the ball 310 yards through the air now, 490-yard par-fours and 230-yard par-threes are no longer the challenge they once were.
A new plan of action is required and it’s obvious what the PGA Tour course committee need to do moving forward.
Four changes to make golf courses more challenging
Firstly, tighter, more narrow fairways need to be brought back. Pinch the fairways in at 300 yards so that players can still hit driver off the tee, but the risk is far greater than it would usually be.
Secondly, deeper bunkers need to make a comeback! Fairway and greenside bunkers on the PGA Tour are simply not hazards anymore.
Do you think Justin Rose has made a mistake by switching to McLaren irons?
A big risk or a well-calculated gamble?
In fact, players would prefer to find the sand than the rough! Bring back smaller, deeper bunkers just like they have on the links courses all around the United Kingdom.
Thirdly, greens need to be made smaller. Look at Pebble Beach and Harbour Town Links. Their greens are harder to hit and smaller putting surfaces brings so much more strategy into play.
Finally, more strategically placed trees are required. The modern trend in golf course design nowadays is to take trees out, and that is such a crying shame.
Tree-lined fairways instantly make a tee shot more intimidating and having more trees may make the players think twice about pulling driver out the bag on every par-four and par-five.
There really is no need for 7,700-yard golf courses anymore. The main defence of these layouts should not be length anymore – it simply doesn’t work.
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