The Major Topic Is a Lengthy Discussion

Here we are at Hazeltine National Golf Club, snugly located in this Twin Cities suburb, which according to legend, is the Native American word for “big mosquito.” And when they begin the PGA Championship today at Hazeltine, it must be noted that this layout means something else--the only players who have a chance are the ones who know how to dial long distance.

Let’s face it, Hazeltine is a long golf course, just as Ventura Boulevard is a long street and “War and Peace” is a long book. Hazeltine stretches the tape to measure 7,360 yards, longer even than Bethpage Black. Remember it? That’s where the U.S. Open was staged two months ago amid a steady stream of complaints by players who said it was so very unfair because they couldn’t hit it far enough to compete.

Did the PGA of America listen? Yes, of course.

Did Hazeltine get shortened to make it fair for all players? Absolutely not.

That is not the trend in the majors these days. If you want to see some trends, there are a bunch of options. You can read fashion magazines, go look at new cars, check out a dinner menu and see what’s being infused with what, or you can play in one of golf’s major championships.

So at Hazeltine, we’ve got a 636-yard par-five, which is reachable in two. Days.

It is the longest hole in PGA Championship history, which is understandable, as the tee box is in South Dakota.

Anyway, all this “longer equals better” stuff began at Augusta National in April, when Masters organizers changed nine holes, moved bunkers and tees and made the course about 300 yards longer. Bethpage Black was the longest U.S. Open site ever and it was counted as a rousing success, basically because Tiger Woods won.

Next time there is an open date for the U.S. Open, the USGA is probably considering filling it with a site that is comparable to Bethpage. It is called Yellowstone.

The British Open at Muirfield wasn’t much longer than it was in 1992 when it last hosted the Open, so it bucked the trend. Only a couple of the par-three holes were lengthened. The experts judged Muirfield’s defenses to be adequate if there was bad weather, which showed up on Saturday and blew almost every score into the Firth of Forth.

But that’s the exception to the rule, which dictates that courses on which majors are played must be beefed up and lengthened in order to combat players who hit the ball farther with technologically advanced clubs and balls.

Seems fair enough, because everybody has to play the same course. Only it’s not fair at all. That’s the message that players such as Nick Price are spreading around. Price is hardly a slouch, not with three majors to his credit--one British Open and two PGA Championships--so he’s worth listening to.

According to Price, the problem with making the courses so long is that it takes three-quarters of the field out of the equation. Major championship golf should not be decided only at the tee, he says.

Others say that there has always existed an advantage for players who hit the ball longer, beginning with Sam Snead, then Jack Nicklaus, then Woods. What’s the difference now?

Jim Awtrey, the PGA of America’s chief executive, says the idea with Hazeltine was to make it long, but fair.

He admitted that the third hole, the 636-yarder, is not only a long hole, but also described it as “challenging” because it has good bunkering and a small green.

Players such as Price might also describe it as “challenging” because they have no chance to reach the green in two unless the second shot lands in the back of a golf cart and gets carried there.

As major championship courses get longer and the list of possible winners supposedly gets shorter, it would be wise this weekend to keep an eye on such long hitters as Woods, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and David Duval and maybe some longshot big hitters, such as Chris Smith or Charles Howell III.

Of course, if there is such a premium on bombing the ball off the tee, how did David Toms beat Mickelson last year and win the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club?

Toms is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, which would seem to indicate that at some point, the shortest shots can take you the farthest. And a hole in one Saturday didn’t hurt him either.

It also needs to be pointed out that 12 times in the last 16 years, beginning with Bob Tway at PGA National in 1986, the PGA Championship has been either the first or only major title for the winner. As far as trends go, this is the one that should catch our attention. Unless, of course, someone drives the third hole and next year, every major has a 700-yard par four. Until that time, all players are advised to know their long distance carrier.