I would love to see these iconic Donald Ross masterpieces -- along with many other historic, traditional golf courses -- no longer reduced to venues where “strategy from the tee is pretty non-existent” and players simply “bash driver down there and figure it out from there.”
Rory McIlory is absolutely correct in saying that when traditional courses remove large numbers of trees, strategy off the tee becomes far less relevant.
As a former player, golf course architect, and lifelong admirer of traditional shot-making golf courses, I believe the widespread practice of stripping away magnificent specimen trees during renovations of these iconic venues must stop.
Many of these great classic golf courses were never designed to be overpowered by today’s equipment and athleticism alone. They were designed around angles, placement, decision-making, discipline, and consequence. Their brilliance was rooted in how they challenged the mind as much as the swing.
When you remove the framing, visual intimidation, strategic corridors, and risk-reward decisions created by mature tree lines and natural shaping, you fundamentally alter the architectural DNA of the golf course.
What remains too often becomes a one-dimensional test of power.
Traditional golf courses historically defended themselves through a combination of strategy, positioning, shot values, and extraordinary green complexes, with green speeds matching the contours -- not simply raw yardage. Today, many are left with only one remaining defense: their greens and putting surfaces.
To Aronimink Golf Club’s credit, it defended itself admirably this week against the extraordinary -- and frankly obscene -- distances modern professionals now hit both drivers and irons. But relying solely on green complexes to protect par should never become the long-term blueprint for championship golf.
The game at its highest level should demand more.
Professional golf is an art form when power and precision coexist — when players are required to think strategically from the tee, shape shots both ways, choose angles, manage risk, and execute under pressure. That combination is what separates great championship architecture from a modern driving exhibition.
We cannot continue modernizing classic golf courses into indistinguishable layouts built purely around distance.
The preservation of strategic architecture, traditional shot values, and the identity of these historic courses matters deeply to the future of the game.
As an architect, I have always believed the best golf courses challenge both the athlete and the intellect. That balance is essential — and it must be protected and restored at the highest level of professional golf.
Greg Norman is a two-time Major winner, an architect of golf courses around the world, and the former CEO of LIV Golf.
