‘I don’t like it!’ Scottie Scheffler names one aspect of the PGA Tour he would change

Newly-crowned three-time major champion Scottie Scheffler isn’t entirely happy with one aspect of tour life – as he explained in a video with Grant Horvat…

Be careful what you wish for. Despite dominating the men’s game over the last three years and picking off wins and majors in Tiger Woods-like fashion, it’s safe to say Scottie Scheffler is not a fan of modern tournament golf courses. 

The 28-year-old dislikes the current trend in golf course design so much, in fact, that he would like to give it a whirl in future.

“One of the reasons I’d like to eventually get into some golf course design is because what they’re doing to golf courses now, I don’t like,” Scheffler explained in an appearance on Grant Horvat’s YouTube channel.

Elaborating further, he added: “They take out all the trees, and they make the greens bigger, and they typically make the fairways a little bigger as well. And so, the only real barrier to guys just trying to hit it as far as they basically want to or need to, is trees. 

“When you host a championship tournament, if there’s no trees, you just hit wherever you want. Because if I miss a fairway by 10 yards, I’m in the thick rough. If I miss it by 20, I’m in the crowd.”

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The bomb-and-gouge strategy has risen to serious prominence over the last decade or so. If you look back through history, it has always been effective, but never before has the game been littered with so many players with similar profiles.

As a result, more emphasis has been placed on golf courses and how they can properly challenge the world’s best. The solution so far has mostly been to add length but that is viewed as unsustainable. 

The governing bodies – the R&A and the USGA – have stepped in and introduced a golf ball rollback which comes into effect in 2028, but it remains to be seen whether that will have a tangible impact.

Some courses do still pose problems that can’t be overpowered, and it is those venues that tend to produce compelling action.

Scheffler named a few of his favourites, describing why he likes them so much.

“Strategically, Augusta is really good,” the two-time Masters champion said. “You still have to hit it far. Hitting it far is an advantage at Augusta, but the areas where you need to hit the ball are so small, and the big run-off areas, fairway around the green, is better in terms of shot-making and creativity and there’s more stuff to it than if you just put heavy rough right off the side of every green because then it becomes a competition of who gets decent a lie.”

“Harbour Town and Sawgrass are genius. I love Sawgrass. You have to hit different shots. I feel silly naming two golf courses I love the design of [that are] ones I’ve won at, but if you look at Sawgrass’s first hole, cut off the tee, draw into the green. 

“Second hole, draw off the tee, cut into the green, then it’s a cut and a draw, a cut on five, draw on six, draw on seven. You have to hit shots.”

Tell us you’re in favor of the rollback without telling us you’re in favor of the rollback.