2013 Memorial

[DougEDawg]

I guess if you need a ratings boost, just play tournaments at Fountain Hills!  Holy cats!

[Dan Michler]

I guess if you need a ratings boost, just play tournaments at Fountain Hills!  Holy cats!

The courses are very open.  OB comes into play often, which makes the courses somewhat challenging for a good player and extremely challenging for mediocre players.  But for the elite players of the game, the course has proven over the last 2 years to be fairly routine.  There aren't a lot of opportunities for an 'unlucky' break.  It just becomes a competition of who can make all their putts.  So, you see a more distinct separation between the elite players and the rest as compared to other courses, which results in higher ratings for the elite.  The average round rating should still be about equal to the average rating of all the players who played.

I have the opinion that most of the courses are too easy for the top players.  When you are seeing all the players on the top card birdie over 50% of the holes, it isn't particularly exciting for a casual observer.  I think these players need to play on more holes that have a large element of risk/reward, and less holes that are routine birdies for the Top 30 players in the world.  I wouldn't watch the PGA Tour on television if the lead scores were routinely -14 or -15.  The leader in today's PGA Tour event is at a -4.  Thats what I'd like to see at NT Events.  More big numbers.  More challenging shots to get out of trouble.

[discmonkey]

It's really fun to watch some of the european tournaments for just this reason.  Final card is sitting at even or slightly over par, not -48 or some such nonsense.

[CEValkyrie]

It is insane how easy they make these courses look. Just think if this game could offer a living for a lot of players. The spike in talent would increase dramatically. That is scary.

[Dan Michler]

It is insane how easy they make these courses look. Just think if this game could offer a living for a lot of players. The spike in talent would increase dramatically. That is scary.

I totally agree with that.  However I don't think the game will offer big money until it attracts spectators.  And I don't think it will attract spectators if it looks this easy.  Some of the Euro tourneys may be on the right track as discmonkey suggested.  USDGC is tough, but the top players are still delivering a birdie barrage on that course too.  -48 over 4 rounds won USDGC last year.  I think there are other things that could help make the game more difficult for the top players, and more entertaining for a spectator.  

Restrict the disc technology.  All the new advancements are only making the game easier.
Make putting harder.  You could make the target smaller, but obviously we've got what we've got at courses that are already installed, so this is a tough one to accomplish.  Maybe you could use a smaller target just for the big events at first.  Or maybe you could change the rules so you have to use a specific type of putter when you are within a certain distance, one that makes putting much more difficult.  These guys have no fear when it comes to putting.  They run putts from everywhere.  I think putting needs to become a lot more difficult to add more drama to the game.  Putting on the PGA Tour is far from routine.  For a fan, its exciting to see them hole putts.

[pickax]

One suggestion I  have seen is to use bullseye type baskets. That would make putting tougher.

[Tom McManus]

How about removing the chains? That would certainly make it tougher.

[Dan Michler]

How about removing the chains? That would certainly make it tougher.

There is something satisfying about banging the chains with your putter.  I was thinking you could make the bucket smaller and reduce the sweet spot in the chains by narrowing the width of the chains.  Like a more extreme version of Bevier's older baskets.

[discmonkey]

These guys have no fear when it comes to putting.  They run putts from everywhere.  I think putting needs to become a lot more difficult to add more drama to the game.  Putting on the PGA Tour is far from routine.  For a fan, its exciting to see them hole putts.

This is another great example of how good course design improves the game.  Going back to the Euro courses (Finland especially from what I've seen), not only do they have legit par 4 and 5 holes where disc placement is critical.  They have guarded baskets, lots of tight OB, and more mandos than in the US.

No one is running at the basket when there is OB, trees, or water 10 feet beyond and on 3 sides of the basket.  There are baskets that can only be run at from one, very small, spot because of placement within the trees.  They have used course design instead of smaller baskets to make putting considerably harder.

That design also brings into play the up shot.  So few courses require this shot.  More often than not, the upshot is there because the drive was errant, not because that shot was designed into the course.

I am looking forward to seeing all of this in the new Fairfield design.

[Tom McManus]

Is Paul McBeth's final round going to be the highest rated round ever?

[Sr.]

Will parks sudden death with a Innova Firebird.

http://youtu.be/Oz1XIM6Gg4k

[roman]

Tom, it should stick. Currently the highest rated rounds are 1117 held by Climo and Skinner.

Paul's 1126 will eventually get combined with Thursday's rounds at Fountain, but Thursday's SSA is about a stroke higher, so if anything that round rating might even go up a bit once they average it out.

At the same time conditions on Friday were even better than Wednesday, so the SSA at Vista was even lower on Friday. This would probably cause Nikko's 1118 to drop once they combine the two days, so he will drop below that 1117 line.