Opinion & Analysis

How has Hoylake changed and who serves to benefit?

Published

12 years ago

Jul 16, 2014

The power of Tiger Woods appears to, at times, blanket all blemishes it encounters.

If you are looking for proof, click back eight years when Royal Liverpool, hosting its first Open Championship in 39 years, re-emerged dry, browned out, prone to powdery explosions following fairway strikes and a more convincing impersonation of a racetrack than a golf course.

One may have hoped that the purple flower bombs dropped on the final green that Sunday added a distinctive hue to the colorless layout, but the sizable remnants instead painted the course as an abandoned lot further tainted by loosely organized graffiti.

Yet, Woods’ merciless four-day assault on Hoylake became the main story for the week. The compelling narrative of golf’s dominant figure ironing the course into submission for an 11th major title covered up the damaging look of the layout brought on by unseasonably hot and dry weather. As Woods cried into caddy Steve Williams’ arms, no media were prepared to type up a scathing review of a course that was so baked out and such a fire hazard that spectator smoking was banned and the fire department was on hand throughout the event.

It’s 2014 now though, and Tiger’s fortunes have changed drastically in eight years—to the point that any hope he dominates the headlines this week with his play should be deemed quite unlikely.

But Royal Liverpool doesn’t need saving this time.

The course, affectionately known as Hoylake for the town it sits in, is almost unrecognizable from its 2006 incarnation. Sure, it only stands 54 yards longer, but the grass is lush and green, the balls aren’t running on the ground like…well this, and the rough has transformed from afterthought into bona fide hazard.

If you’re looking at the blueprint of how to play Hoylake from 2006, you might want to update a few things. These key alterations mean that players must be aware of how new factors change the strategy in attacking this course.

What exactly do these alterations mean for which parts of the game? We have a few thoughts here, including the players these factors favor at the end.

The Softer Conditions

Besides Tiger’s chances, the massive leveling down of the course’s firmness will be the prime story heading into the championship, and it already kind of is.

If it wasn’t enough for Rory McIlroy to be a media goldmine in terms of drama—significantly down campaign in 2013, lawsuit against his former agent, breakup of engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniaki and winning days later—he gave the assembled press an expert rundown of what to expect at Hoylake.

As McIlroy pointed out, the biggest difference he noticed from 2006 (when he watched it on television with his parents), is the color of the course and what that means for the speed on the ground. With Hoylake’s lush and green look, balls are stopping almost immediately on fairways and greens, a stark contrast to what occurred in 2006.

These comments came 10 days before the championship’s start and McIlroy was quick to note that the course is likely being protected right now and should be significantly firmer and faster once tournament play starts.

But let’s be clear, we aren’t getting anything on the levels of 2006. Even as one of the few longest drivers in the game at the time, Tiger Woods and his 291-yard average off the tee hitting mostly irons and just one driver is absurd. For good measure, Chad Campbell hit a three-iron 330 yards during one practice round that week.

With the reduced firmness the course plays longer, something that usually falls into the hands of the bigger hitters. But the opposite should be true this week.

Hoylake simply isn’t a long golf course. It will stand at 7,350 yards for the Open Championship, compared to Augusta National’s 7,435 yards and Pinehurst No. 2’s max of 7,562. And these distances aren’t exactly analogous, as Hoylake remains significantly firmer than either of theose layouts.

The course’s four par-fives are reachable by all hitters in dry or wet conditions, so don’t expect softer fairways to offer the long bombers a sizable advantage here.

Instead, a less bouncy short grass forces the bigger hitters to move away a degree from the near-certain safety that long irons provide into the fading accuracy of fairway woods and drivers.

Of course there will certainly be plenty of irons on the driving ground this week, but the one-driver-every-72-holes strategy simply will not fly like it did eight years ago.

This little affects the Luke Donalds of the world, but the Bubba Watsons and Dustin Johnsons cannot hide behind their long irons quite as much as they could have last time around at Hoylake. They must pump out significantly more woods and drivers, and however confident they feel with those clubs, the bigger sticks don’t offer the same fairway confirmation as irons.

The short hitters, then, gain a bit more with a greener golf course.

All of this is assuming that the wind is not fierce and the forecast points a mild breeze. Whatever the case, the softer conditions aid in significantly reducing the long hitter’s advantage.

Rough around the Fairways

There’s no question what the biggest hazard is when you miss the fairway at Hoylake: the pot bunkers. The fear those virtually-guaranteed one-stroke hazards engender lead Woods to adopt his now famous strategy off the tee in 2006.

Those sandy caves of doom remain eight years later, but they are no longer Hoylake’s (largely) sole defense off the tee.

One of this biggest casualties of the heat wave the last time the Open came around these parts was the rough on the Hoylake layout. The lack of proper watering from Mother Nature allowed the thick grass to whither into a nearly non-existent nuisance for championship week.

Without the freak weather though, the rough has returned in 2014 and it appears to be some of the most luscious grass these pros have faced all year—er, or at least since Congressional two weeks ago.

McIlroy’s take on the tall grass was pretty interesting, as he cited the stuff as patchy and overall quite penalizing. You’re going to get very few chances to sky irons from the rough and land the ball softly on the green. Most of the lies, it seems, will allow you to advance it to the green, but keeping it on the dance floor is the big challenge. And good luck if you get it in one of those bad patches, where chipping out is really the only option.

This second line of defense off the tee has an obvious effect; driving accuracy will be even more of a premium at Hoylake than in 2006.

Aside from its tee boxes, there was very little green to be seen at Hoylake in 2006.

Keeping it in the fairway was already of paramount importance on this layout eight years ago, so the value of the short grass is at an astronomical level now. You could at least afford to be inaccurate if it meant hitting it in the rough back in the day of Tiger’s triumph.

That’s no longer true, although finding the rough remains preferable to a trip to the pot bunkers.

The softer and slower conditions necessitate more aggression off the tee, but if your longer clubs are wild here, you might want to lay back on drives, no matter how much it handicaps you.

The combination of uncompromising bunkers and tough and unpredictable rough (not to mention gorse as well) offers too much in terms of potential lost strokes for any player to hit 6 of 14 fairways and come off the course with a solid score.

Iron play will be quite important at Hoylake still, but as these two points illustrate, driving takes center stage for a player who has eyes for the Claret Jug.

Shots Around the Green

I think we can all admit that the average Open Championship set up minimizes the role of the flatstick. Hoylake is no different with its slow and mostly flat surfaces.

Yet, in this sport, putting and short game tend to get lumped together and that is a short-sighted move. This tendency leads people to predict Open favorites based on ball-striking prowess, wholly ignoring what the golfer offers (or doesn’t) from around the green and in.

That is a blatantly bad move. Much is said about the creativity links golf induces in shot making from tee-to-green, but the same occurs for strokes only a few yards off the putting surface.

Players can commit to all types of shots close to the green: bump-and-run, chip, pitch, flop or even a putt. There is a great existence of imagination that some tend to gloss over here and by doing so they outright miss the fact that the short game plays a massive roles in an Open’s outcome.

Hoylake was no different in this regard in 2006, and if you have any questions about that, I refer you to my man, Jim Furyk.

There is an added element this time though.

The being-talked-about rough is not singular to the fairways. Bunkers and run-offs were the real defenses around the green the previous time at Hoylake, and now we can add thick rough to this equation.

Once again, we turn to McIlroy, who referenced holes Nos. 12-to-14 containing heavy rough guarding the putting surfaces and potentially bringing nightmares to those less inclined in that area of the game.

And that’s not all. The toughest greenside rough might actually belong to No. 16, and, as McIlroy also alluded to, there are certain surfaces where missing on a specific side can be deadly. The places he was likely referencing were the thin sliver of rough before out of bounds right of No. 3 green, the thick patch of grass long and left on No. 7 and the nasty stuff short and left with the bunkers on No. 17.

With all of these dangers areas providing headaches with truly juicy rough this week, the underrated short game element becomes more magnified at this Open.

The thicker rough at Hoylake 2014 means more recognition for the short game, and it’s about time it got some.

The Players Who Benefit

As these changes have such sizable effects on certain parts of the game, some players gain significant good vibes.

The differences between 2006 and 2014 clearly aid players who register in the short-to-medium section on the driving-distance scale, those who are quite accurate off the tee and the competitors who possess a magic touch around the greens. Those who qualify significantly for two of these three factors, or all three, stand the most to profit off these changes.

Perusing through the field, the names that stick out on this end are, in no particular order: Jason Dufner, Ian Poulter, Chris Stroud, Matteo Manassero, Webb Simpson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Luke Donald and Brendon Todd.

All eight of these players fit the criteria above, some in different ways than others.

Dufner and Todd are the only two on the list who absolutely nail all three factors. Dufner is solidly in the middle pack of players for driving distance, as he is a bit below average overall in that category, has one of the best combinations of driving accuracy and precision on Tour and is a great short game player.

No, seriously. As poor a putter Dufner can be at times, especially inside five feet, he’s very much capable around the greens. In the PGA Tour’s Proximity to Hole (Around the Green) statistic—a much better indicator of short game success than scrambling, which is just as much about putting as off the green work—Dufner is top 25 three of the last four years, including first in the category in 2012.

Todd is decidedly a short hitter with high-end driving accuracy and precision numbers (35th in accuracy and 15th in distance from edge of the fairway). He’s also currently top 30 in Proximity to Hole (ARG).

No players will be better suited for Hoylake’s transformation as these two, but the others on this list will still see a great net plus.

Stroud and Simpson are just moderately accurate and precise drivers, but both prove mighty skilled around the greens. Simpson’s finishes in Proximity to Hole (ARG) from 2012 to 2014 are: T7, T38, T30, and Stroud’s are T10, T16, 8. The duo is is below average in driving distance, sticking them firmly in two of three categories.

The same goes for Poulter, Donald and Manassero. They possess the same traits here as Stroud and Simpson except that all three are exceptionally short drivers. The short game prowess is real though, as Donald has placed top-five in the Proximity metric three of the last five years with Poulter not far behind at four top-15 placements in six years. Manassero doesn’t have this data because he’s a European Tour man, but his reputation as the heir apparent to Seve Ballesteros should quell all doubts here.

The final one of the eight players most likely to take advantage of Hoylake’s changes doesn’t fit in with the rest.

That’s a pretty apt deal for Jimenez, who has been immortalized for his one-of-a-kind personality. (And we can’t forget this.) We don’t have full data on Jimenez due to his European Tour affiliation, but the limited metrics there show him to be both a very short and highly accurate driver.

Like many of the others here, that puts him in line to be a significant beneficiary of two of these three changes. As for his short game, he’s generally considered a solid player from that area, even if there is no objective data to back it up (or disprove it).

To be clear, this is not a short list of favorites. What we have here are the eight candidates whose games most directly benefit from Hoylake’s new look in its eight-year downtime since its last Open.

Maybe one wins, maybe not.

In any case, it would be unwise to use the results of the 2006 Open to determine this week’s standings. It’s been nearly a decade and the course is entirely different.

And even if Hoylake is still criticized for its bland views, at least the singed property that met us in 2006 is a thing of the past.

Opinion & Analysis

Brandel Chamblee PGA Championship Q&A: Rose’s huge McLaren risk, distracted LIV pros and why Aronimink suits the bombers

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

PGA Championship week is here, and Brandel Chamblee did not hold back in our latest discussion ahead of the season’s second major.

In our 2026 PGA Championship Q&A, golf’s leading analyst made the case that PIF pulling LIV’s funding has left its players competing in a state of confusion, called Justin Rose’s mid-season equipment switch a huge risk at 45, and explained why Aronimink will be a bombers’ delight this week.

Check out the full Q&A below.

Gianni: With the PIF confirming that they’re pulling funding from LIV at the end of the season, what impact do you expect that to have on the LIV players competing at the PGA Championship?

Brandel: I would imagine that they have all been thrown into a state of confusion, and will be distracted, not knowing where they are going to play next year and not knowing exactly their road back to either the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. Or in Rahm’s case, being tied to a sinking ship for the next few years, likely playing for pennies on the dollar in events that no one cares about or watches.

I doubt this would put him in the best frame of mind to compete at his highest level. Keeping in mind, however, that majors are the only time that LIV disciples get to play in events that matter, so never disregard the motivation they have to prove to the world they are still relevant.

Gianni: Justin Rose switched to McLaren Golf equipment mid-season while playing some of the best golf of his career. What do you make of the change?

Brandel: I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment. It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.

Having said that, at best, it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame. At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.

Gianni: Aronimink has only hosted a handful of professional events since it hosted the 1962 PGA Championship. What kind of test does it present, and does a course with less recent major championship history tend to level the playing field?

Brandel: Even though Aronimink has only hosted a handful of meaningful professional events, it has been fairly discerning in who can win there. When Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship on the Donald Ross masterpiece in 2018, he was the 2nd best iron player on tour coming into that week. When Nick Watney won the AT&T at Aronimink in 2011, he was 2nd in strokes gained total coming into the week.

In 2020, Aronimink hosted the KPMG Championship, and Sei Young Kim won. On the LPGA that year, she was first in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation, and scoring average on the way to being the LPGA player of the year. And then there is the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, who eventually became just one of a few players to win the career grand slam on the way to winning 9 majors. It is a formidable test, and if it’s not softened by rain, it will bring out the best in the upper echelons of the game.

Gianni: Is there a specific hole at Aronimink that you think will do the most to decide the winner?

Brandel: The hardest hole at Aronimink in each of the three tour events that have been played there since 2010 has been the long par-3 8th hole, with the par-4 10th being the second hardest, so most of the carnage will happen around the turn, but with the par-5 16th offering opportunities for bold plays and the tough closing holes at 17 and 18, the finish is likely to be frenetic.

Gianni: The PGA Championship has always sat in the shadow of the other majors. What does the ideal PGA Championship look like in your eyes, and what would it take for it to carve out its own identity?

Brandel: The PGA Championship, to whatever degree it suffers from the comparison to the other three majors, is still counted just as much when adding them up at the end of one’s career. Almost 1/3 of Nicklaus’ major wins were the five PGA Championships he won. Walter Hagen won 11 majors, five of which were PGA Championships.

Tiger Woods twice in his career won back-to-back PGA Championships, and those four majors count just as much as the other 11 he won. The PGA may not have the prestige of the other three, but it carries the same weight. Having said that, I preferred the identity that it had as the last major of the year.

Gianni: You nailed your Masters picks. Rory won, Scottie finished solo second, and Morikawa surged to a tie for seventh. Who are your top 3 picks for the PGA Championship and why?

Brandel: I am not a huge fan of majors played on golf courses that have been shorn of most of the trees, although I understand some of the agronomic reasons for doing so and of course the ease with which it allows members to play after errant drives. However, at the highest level, it all but eliminates any strategy off the tee and turns professional golf into an even bigger slugfest. That means that it will likely be a bomber’s delight this week, but fortunately, Scottie Scheffler is long enough to play that game and straight enough to play it better than anyone else.

The major championships give us very few surprises anymore, going back to the beginning of 2012, so the last 57 majors played, the average world rank of the winners has been better than 15th in the world. So look at the highest ranked and longest drivers who are on form coming into the PGA Championship who also have great short games as the surrounds at Aronimink are very challenging. That’s Scottie Scheffler by a mile and then McIlroy and Cameron Young with a far bigger nod towards DeChambeau than I gave him at the Masters.

Club Junkie

A putter that I love and hate – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

5 days ago

May 8, 2026

Brian Knudson

In this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, we dive into one of the most interesting flatstick releases of the year with a full review of the new TaylorMade SYSTM 2 putters. After spending time on the greens, I break down what makes this design stand out, where it performs, and why it has me completely torn between loving it and fighting it. If you are into feel, alignment, and consistency, this is one you will want to hear about.

We also take a look at some of the putters in play on the PGA Tour last week. From familiar favorites to a few surprising setups, there is always something to learn from what the best players in the world are rolling with under pressure.

To wrap things up, I walk through the process of building a set of JP Golf Prime irons paired with Baddazz Gold Series shafts. From component selection to performance goals, this is a deep dive into what goes into creating a unique custom set and why this combo has been so intriguing.

Opinion & Analysis

From 14 handicap to pro: 4 things I’d tell golfers at 50

Published

6 days ago

May 7, 2026

Jaacob Bowden, PGA

This year my 50th birthday. Gosh, where has the time gone?

As a teenager in rural Missouri, some of my junior high and high school years felt interminable. Graduation seemed light years away. But the older I get, the faster life seems to fly by.

I’m also increasingly aware of my mortality. My dad died recently. Earlier this year, a friend and fellow PGA of America professional and I were texting about our next catch-up. The next message I received was news of his unexpected passing at 48. Shortly after, a woman I dated in college succumbed to cancer at 51.

Certainly, one can share perspective at any age. Seniors help freshmen, veterans guide rookies. But reaching this milestone feels like as good a time as any to do one of those “what would I tell my younger self?” articles.

I’ve had a uniquely varied career in golf. I started as a 27-year-old, average-length-hitting, 14-handicap computer engineer and somehow managed to turn pro before running out of money, constantly bootstrapping my way forward. I’ve won qualifiers and set venue records in the World Long Drive Championships, finished fifth at the Speedgolf World Championships, coached all skill levels as a PGA of America professional, built industry-leading swing speed training programs for Swing Man Golf, helped advance the single-length iron market with Sterling Irons®, caddied on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, and played about 300 courses across 32 countries.

It’s been a ride, and I’ve gone both deep and wide.

So while I can consult and advise from a lot of angles, let me keep it to a few things I’d tell the average golfer who wants to improve.

1. Think About What You Want

Everyone has their own reason for picking up a golf club.

Oddly, as a professional athlete, I’m not internally driven by competition. That can be challenging, as the industry currently prioritizes and incentivizes competition over the love of the game.

For me, I love walking and being outdoors. Nature helps balance my energy. I prefer courses that are integrated into the natural beauty of their surroundings. I’m comfortable practicing alone. I’m a deep thinker, and I genuinely enjoy investigating the game, using data and intuition to unearth unique, often innovative insights. I’m fortunate to be strong and athletic, so I appreciate the chance to engage with my abilities. Traveling feels adventurous. I could go on.

You don’t have to overthink it like I do. For you, it might be as simple as hitting balls to escape work, hanging out with friends, and playing loosely with the rules and the score.

The point is to give yourself permission to play for your own reasons, and let that be enough.

But if improvement is your goal, thinking about your destination—and when you want to get there—is important, because it dictates the steps you need to take. When I set out to go from a 14-handicap to the PGA TOUR as quickly as possible, the steps I needed were very different from those of a working golfer trying to break 90 in six months. That’s also different from someone who just wants a few peaceful hours outside each week, away from work or family.

None of these goals are better than the others, but each requires a different plan that you can work backward from.

2. There Are Lots of Things That Can Work

One of the challenges of golf is that, although there are rules for playing, there aren’t clear, industry-wide standards for how to best play the game. There’s a lot of gray area.

You might hear a top coach or trainer insist that a certain move is the best way to swing or train. Then you dig a bit deeper and, much to your confusion and frustration, another respected coach or trainer says something completely different. I don’t think anyone is trying to confuse you—at least I hope not. It’s just where the industry is right now.

You have to be careful with advice from tournament pros, too. They might be great at scoring, but they’re also human and sometimes just as susceptible as amateurs to believing things that don’t really move the needle. Tour players might describe what they feel, but that’s not always what they’re actually doing when assessed with technology.

I recently ran a test on my YouTube channel (which connects to my GolfWRX article “How to use your hands in the golf swing for power and accuracy”), and, interestingly, two of the most commonly taught hand actions produced the worst results in the test.

Coaches can certainly help. If you find someone you connect with to help navigate, that’s great. But there are many ways to get the ball in the hole. In the current landscape, you may need to seek multiple opinions, think critically, and use your own intuition to discern what seems true and whose advice resonates with you.

I’d recommend seeking someone who is open-minded and always learning, because things constantly change. Absolutes like “correct” or “proper” should raise a red flag. AI can be useful, but it tends to confidently repeat popular advice, so proceed with caution.

3. Get Custom Fit

If you’re serious about becoming a better player, getting custom fit is hugely important. There’s no sense fighting your equipment if you don’t have to. Most better players get fit these days and, if they don’t, they’re usually skilled enough to work around clubs that aren’t ideal.

If you plan to play for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more upfront to get something that truly fits you and your game, rather than continually buying and discarding equipment.

Equipment rules haven’t really changed significantly since the early 2000s. To stay in business, manufacturers keep pushing those limits. If you pull a bunch of clubs and balls off the rack and test them, you’ll find differences. I’ve tested two new drivers and seen a 30-yard total distance gap. Usually, the issue isn’t bad equipment; it’s that the combination of components simply isn’t the best fit.

It’s like wearing a new pair of floppy clown shoes. Sure, they’re shoes—but you won’t sprint your best in them compared to track shoes that fit perfectly.

Be wary of what’s called custom fitting, too. Sometimes the term is used as a marketing strategy rather than an actual fitting. In some retail settings, fitters may be incentivized to steer you toward higher-priced components. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s not the best fit, but you should be aware of potential biases.

I learned a version of this lesson outside of golf. Years ago, I bought a tennis racquet at a big box store from a seemingly knowledgeable employee who thought it would suit me best. The racquet gave me tennis elbow, and I spent months recovering with rest and acupuncture. The next season, I invested more time and money to find what actually fit me, and I walked away with something amazing that I still play with years later.

So if you’re going to get fit, be smart about it.

Find someone you believe has deep knowledge—possibly with certifications, but not necessarily. Make sure there’s a wide inventory across many brands. Check recent reviews for the individual fitter if possible. Make sure you trust that the fitter has your best interests at heart. If they’re wearing a hat or shirt with a specific brand’s logo, proceed with caution. Unless you specifically want a certain brand or look, be wary of upsells, especially if two options perform nearly the same.

Also, while golf is called a sport of integrity, there’s a thread of manipulation in the industry. I once drafted an equipment article for an industry magazine, structured just like one of their previous popular stories, with matching word count and great photos. The assistant editor loved it; it was useful to readers and required little work on his part. But the editor-in-chief nixed the story. When I asked why, I was told it was because I wasn’t an advertiser. It turned out the article I’d modeled mine after was a paid ad cleverly disguised as editorial content.

I really dislike games, clickbait, and fear-based manipulation. I hope this changes, but golfers deserve to know it exists.

4. Distance and Strategy Matter

There’s a real relationship between how far you hit the ball and your scoring average, even at the PGA TOUR level.

I experienced this early in my pro career. I started as a power hitter, swinging in the high 120s and breaking 200 mph ball speed with a stock driver.

Back then, some instructors advised swinging at 80%, so I tried slowing down for more accuracy. That worked fine on shorter, tighter courses. But on longer setups, I was coming into greens with too much club, and par 5s stopped being