Geoff Shackelford

Royal So What
July 18, 2006

The debate over Hoylake's internal out-of-bounds began before the first drive sailed over that lovely old berm-like "cops" and into a tent where people are discussing culture and politics, oh, and charging lots of stuff to their Visas.

You can bet that as soon as a contender has to reload on the 560-yard par-5 finisher or the par-4 third hole, there will be arguments over treating a non-boundary as a boundary.

Golf Digest architecture editor Ron Whitten dubbed this year's venue "Royal O.B." and pretty much declared the course a classy version of miniature golf.

But in a recent Golf World story, England's Nick Dougherty told John Huggan, "I have never minded the internal O.B. It's done in the right way at Hoylake. On some courses it looks strange, but the humps they have there work somehow. It looks natural because it is - and every time it makes the hole better."

There might be less debate if the R&A had kept the original routing in tact, but with the par-5 16th becoming the home hole, interior O.B. may influence the Open Championship's conclusion.

Photo: © David Cannon/Getty Images With the 16th hole becoming the 18th, the out of bounds on the right could determine the champion

So what?

Yes, an 18th hole drive could conceivably land just over the cops, find a nice lie, and be deemed unplayable because of some boundary stakes.

The undemocratic notion of taking away the opportunity to play a shot "as it lies" makes the hostility toward internal out of bounds understandable.

But in a game that used to religiously play the ball as it lies and now works overtime to make the ball lie certain ways in order to reduce red numbers, what's the big deal with one more hazard taking away the heroic recovery play?

How is the O.B. worse than harvesting knee high rough or contouring fairways to eliminate the best angle of attack?

At least in this case the contrived hazard has been around a long time and fits with the quirky nature of other links, where roads, railroad lines and other man-made hazards are just part of the fun.

The R&A should be commended for re-routing the course to create a more exciting finish. (Well, if that was their genuine motive.)

Unlike the home hole at Winged Foot, the tents this time will be out of bounds, so players won't need to figure out whether they can cut a recovery around the cashmere sweater booth.

Left of the 18th fairway rest two bunkers requiring a 283-yard carry to bypass. But the fairway narrows the longer one drives their ball, with the O.B. creeping in even more for the long hitters.

Photo: © David Cannon/Getty Images Hoylake as the sun goes down.

The hole then shifts to the right, with the berm cutting into the fairway at the 170-yard mark, before the boundary quietly fades away, opening up a benign lay-up area. The 38-yard deep green rewards those who approach from the right side.

Playing in front of the eventual winner Roberto de Vicenzo, Jack Nicklaus made a key birdie here during the final round of the 1967 Open Championship. De Vicenzo came to the then-16th and drove precariously close to the cops, but was able to loft a fairway wood high enough around them, securing his own birdie to hold off Nicklaus.

The R&A hopes that similar drama comes to Hoylake's 16th, only this time at the conclusion of play.

And rightly so.

The world championship of golf deserves a thrilling, architecture-inspired finish for a change.

Other than the Home hole at St. Andrews, the Open Championship rotation features little in the way of dramatic concluding holes where players have to make a difficult decision under pressure.

Each seems to demand two predictably straight shots and a pair of putts after a day of unpredictable links golf. The decisions center around defensive lay-up shots. Yawn.

The closer's at Muirfield, Turnberry, Royal Lytham and St. Annes, Birkdale, Troon and Royal St. George's are all perfectly fine two-shotters, but they rarely provide a heart-stopping, mind-bending conclusion to the Open.

Okay, so Carnoustie's 18th will forever live in tournament lore thanks to Jan van de Velde's hiccup in 1999, but we need to see it played with a sane setup before determining its worth.

And Hoylake?

Of all the recent atrocities committed in the name of protecting par, Hoylake's O.B. is not a reason to dismiss this history-rich venue. Instead, it is reason to believe we may see an exciting conclusion to the Open Championship.