Augusta..

[KiltedArab]

Is Augusta viewed as a 'fair' course?

[WhoElseButMe]

Seemed 'fair' enough on tv.

[KiltedArab]

I believe it to be fair, asked the question on behalf of a colleague who went on about 'good' shots being unfairly punished.

I reckon that if the top ranked players consistently do well over the years, then the course is fair.

It tends to be the top players who win at Augusta.

[WhoElseButMe]

You make a good point.

[Bravo35223]

KA:

The big issue at Augusta is pin placement. Each green has roughly four areas - two are moderately hard, one is fairly easy and one is "unaccessable". This (along with the depth of the rough) is how the tournament chairmen "adjust the dials" of difficulty.

Did you see that pin placement on 16 on Sunday? Several players almost made aces and Trevor Immmelman knocked his in. As a contrast, the front right placement there is inaccessable. You basically cannot get your ball within six feet of the pin.

So, I think the players would rate it as a fair course because they see that each green indeed has a placement or two where it can be birdied with two good shots and a good putt.

And of course the Par 5's on the back can both be eagled as well. Notice that Luke Donald eagled both on Sunday.

So, I think it is a course that - according to how you dial it in as the man behind the curtain - can be very fair or unfair if they decided to use all the hard pins...

[BogeyGolf]

All courses are fair since all the competitors play on the same course. It was a difficult course because of the narrow fairways and the slope and speed of the greens. A player shouldn't be penalized for hitting his approach to within 8 feet of the hole and have it roll off the green.

[KiltedArab]

All courses are fair since all the competitors play on the same course. It was a difficult course because of the narrow fairways and the slope and speed of the greens. A player shouldn't be penalized for hitting his approach to within 8 feet of the hole and have it roll off the green.

to say "All courses are fair since all the competitors play on the same course"

and then...

"A player shouldn't be penalized for hitting his approach to within 8 feet of the hole and have it roll off the green" is a tad contradictory.

To me, if a player is penalized after hitting a great shot, then there is a degree of unfairness involved. If a matter of an inch or two with respect to where the ball lands on a green can make a 40-foot difference to where the ball ends up, then I see unfairness.

That said, I also see the argument that it's the same for everyone - their the best in the world and should deal with it.

So I feel contradictory too. Oh well.

[KiltedArab]

KA:

The big issue at Augusta is pin placement. Each green has roughly four areas - two are moderately hard, one is fairly easy and one is "unaccessable". This (along with the depth of the rough) is how the tournament chairmen "adjust the dials" of difficulty.

Did you see that pin placement on 16 on Sunday? Several players almost made aces and Trevor Immmelman knocked his in. As a contrast, the front right placement there is inaccessable. You basically cannot get your ball within six feet of the pin.

So, I think the players would rate it as a fair course because they see that each green indeed has a placement or two where it can be birdied with two good shots and a good putt.

And of course the Par 5's on the back can both be eagled as well. Notice that Luke Donald eagled both on Sunday.

So, I think it is a course that - according to how you dial it in as the man behind the curtain - can be very fair or unfair if they decided to use all the hard pins...

Thanks, Bravo...good answer as always!

[BogeyGolf]

to say "All courses are fair since all the competitors play on the same course"

and then...

"A player shouldn't be penalized for hitting his approach to within 8 feet of the hole and have it roll off the green" is a tad contradictory.

To me, if a player is penalized after hitting a great shot, then there is a degree of unfairness involved. If a matter of an inch or two with respect to where the ball lands on a green can make a 40-foot difference to where the ball ends up, then I see unfairness.

That said, I also see the argument that it's the same for everyone - their the best in the world and should deal with it.

So I feel contradictory too. Oh well.

I don't think the course being difficult has anything to do with fairness. The tournament is a competition between individuals, it is really not a competition against the course. Augusta will not receive the purse for their difficult course setup once the tournament is complete. Now, I'm confusing myself.

[jc@bg]

Not to harp on semantics, but realize that we often read "fair" used to mean "the way I think 'it' should be," whereas those who interpret "fair" as "equitable" mean "equal for all"--aka, a level playing field. "It's not fair, officer; I didn't know I was speeding" is a common misuse of the term "fair," especially if Mr. Trooper gives everyone caught speeding a ticket, regardless of their learnedness in semantics.