Colin Montgomerie will this week be facing a longer, tighter Druids Glen layout than where he set a stunning course record 62 in retaining the Murphy's Irish Open last year. It will measure in excess of 7,000 yards, with a finishing 465-yard par-four - unless the weather prompts European Tour officials to decide otherwise.
Tournament directors tend to dislike the idea of players using wood for their second shot at a par four. It is an attitude which led to the medal tee at Mount Juliet's 18th being generally in play during the three stagings of the Irish Open there, rather than the back, championship tee (474 yards).
Either way, Pat Ruddy, who collaborated with Tom Craddock in designing the current venue, has given them the option. He also expressed confidence yesterday in the creeping-bent greens being of a far superior quality to last year, when they spiked so badly that officials were forced to press down marks between playing groups.
As a precaution, however, competitors in the pre-tournament pro-am tomorrow will be required to wear soft spikes. Ruddy admitted: "Clearly there was a problem last year when the grass formed into a thatch." But he insisted: "There is no question of those problems being repeated. Lessons were learned and the preparation on this occasion has been far more thorough."
By way of emphasising the point, he added: "For the last three months, three men have been on their knees on the greens, digging out meadowgrass and other unwanted growth. Meanwhile, the putting surfaces have been close to tournament speed since early May and I'm confident they will be of the highest standard."
Ruddy went on to explain the changes which have been made to the course on his recommendation. All are on the back nine, and the first is at the 522-yard par-five 11th. Here, a new, deep bunker has been built on the front right corner of the green, narrowing it from 31 to 22 metres at that point.
Though the green will still be reachable with second shots ranging from four-iron to three-wood, depending on the weather, the entrance will be tighter, forcing competitors towards the left side which falls away sharply. Then there is the par-four 15th, where the lake fronting the green is now much closer to the putting surface on the left side - five yards rather than 20.
On the 538-yard par-five 16th, the drive has been tightened appreciably through the introduction of two new bunkers on the right side of the fairway. In terms of distance off a new, back tee, they stretch from 194 to 262 yards, while the bunker on the left now stretches from 235 to 290 yards, effectively making this a no-go area. The fairway is 31 yards wide.
Finally, there are two significant changes to the 18th, which measured 435 yards last year. Off that tee, Ruddy was concerned that players were easily flying the fairway bunker on the left, effectively taking it out of play. Now, however, a new back tee lengthens the hole to 465 yards, bringing the left bunker (extending to 260 yards off the tee) very much into play.
There are also changes to the 18th green. The putting surface has been moved six metres closer to the water on the right and is tightened in on the left by eight metres. Then, an additional seven metres has been added to the front of the putting surface, bringing the third pond much more into play.
"These changes should be construed as nothing more than part of the normal development of what is, after all, still a relatively new course," said Ruddy. "I certainly have no wish to try to stop players doing low scores, which was the USGA policy at the Olympic Club, leading to a golfing lottery and one of the dullest US Opens I can remember.
"It was a bit like hiring the National Concert Hall to have John O'Conor play Beethoven's Emperor Concerto on a piano with half the keys missing. The audience would feel somewhat cheated.
"I think it's fundamentally wrong to take the driver out of a player's hands, as the USGA did. And where scoring is concerned, I had absolutely no problem with Montgomerie's 62 last year. Now, it would be a different matter if he did that sort of scoring in every round."
So, given that last year's winning aggregate was 269 - 15under-par - what sort of scoring did Ruddy consider acceptable in his capacity as a course designer? "I would think that that was just about right," he replied. "With an aggregate of about 15 or 16 under, a tournament professional is playing to a handicap of around plus-five, which is what we've come to expect."
Finally, what sort of difference did he expect the recent changes to make to this year's scoring at Druids Glen? "The objective was to tighten the course by a stroke a round for the field," he said. "Which means that while affecting the moderate player, it may make no difference to the top ones."
