As U.S. captain Keegan Bradley conceded, the course setup at this year’s Ryder Cup backfired on the Americans. In the eyes of many architecture buffs, it didn’t do Bethpage Black any favors either. Soft turf and rough-less fairways muted many of the layout’s features — evidence that even A-list designs can lose their edge when the conditions clash with an architect’s intent.
Bethpage came up in a recent episode of the Destination Golf podcast, where my co-host Simon Holt and I discussed a broader, presentation-related question: does conditioning affect the rankings? It’s a timely topic, as GOLF readies to release its latest World Top 100 list on Nov. 19.
GOLF imposes no strict criteria for its rankings. Raters bring their own judgment to the task. Among the many factors they take into account is the relationship between conditioning and design. In theory, they should be able to consider context. A course like Brora, in Scotland, for instance, tends naturally toward rustic conditioning. As Simon notes in the video, that scruffier presentation wouldn’t cloud his view of the architecture itself.
Still, presentation matters. A course shown in its best light allows its design “to sing.” Simon offered Royal Melbourne as the perfect example. Its brilliance comes alive when the fairways are firm and running, when a ball that’s slightly off line scampers into an awkward stance or awkward angle — exactly as the architect intended. Take away that bounce and roll, and you take away much of the fun and strategy.
No conversation about course conditions is complete without a nod to the Augusta Effect. For decades, golfers have been conditioned to equate “great” with “green,” chasing the Masters’ velvety hues. The consequences can cut both ways. Augusta has the resources to maintain its turf as a blanket of unbroken emerald while keeping the ground appropriately firm. Not every club can pull that off. Many courses that aspire to that emerald sheen end up masking their own natural character — and sometimes, their architectural merits.
Presentation shapes perception. It also influences play. To what extent it tilts the rankings can be tough to quantify, but there’s little doubt that it’s part of the equation.
You can hear the full conversation in the video above.
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