The competitive world of golf is a place of both joy and grief. While one player specializes in driving distance, another is good with short games. No two players have the same caliber but each has their own forte that helps work toward the title.

However, on Pebble Beach this week at the 2023 US Women’s Open, the competitor for the LPGA Tour contenders is not a player but an ever-lasting entity. If history is any indication, it is going to keep causing problems and delay the pace of the game.

LPGA Tour golfers are disenchanted with the 2023 US Women’s Open Setup

Bailey Tardy made a spectacular eagle at the 6th hole in Par 5 during the infamous US Women’s Open 2023. And she did it twice, on both Thursday and Friday, and finished with a 7-under. It should have been a delight but the infrastructure of the golf course itself left most LPGA Tour players as well as former Pro golfer-turned-commentator Brandel Chamblee, still annoyed and extrospective.

But why? Golf.com’s tweet explains it.

Tardy’s shot was a rare and noteworthy accomplishment. However, female golfers and the commentator were rather shocked. The thing is, the Par-5 stretch that dominates Pebble Beach, hinders player expectations and “It’s frustrating,” as they put it. No one was happy about the four long stretches of Par 5 on the 2nd, 6th, 14th, and 18th holes. While some of the pro golfers thought, “par-5s are far too long,” Brandel Chamblee said, “It does rob the LPGA tour of a lot of its excitement.”

Also read: PGA Tour Pro Gives a Major Update on the Unfortunate Incident During the Pebble Beach Pro-Am – EssentiallySports

Although the difference in driving distance between the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour is relatively significant, it is a challenge for both circuits when it comes to long yardage. Owing to the distance of four Par-5s on the golf course, the scorecard of almost all the players takes a hit. Even though, pro golfers such as Mel Reid, sport an incredible driving distance with their athleticism, due to the multiple 500-yardage and the inability to make par-5s in two shots, a good finishing score becomes a far cry.

“I can kind of be one of the longer hitters on tour,” she said. “The problem is, the way that we set up golf courses on the LPGA, is that it almost dilutes that for me and it brings me back into the middle of the pack because I’m just hitting the same shot as everybody else again.”

It deprives her of her tactical advantage and she is not alone. “This really is a very heated topic among players, that it’s very rare that we get to a tournament and the players can reach par-5s in two.”

Chamblee had a similar opinion on the pace of gameplay. He addressed the issue wherein the players want to finish par-5 in two shots. That’s what makes golf such a toe-curling game of anticipation. However, with a par-5 extravaganza such as at pebble beach, none, of the LPGA golfers today made it through the 18th hole in 2 shots. It was disenchanting for the former Pro Golfer.

Brandel Chamblee offers an analytical solution

During the 2019 US Open of the PGA Tour, male golfers played 71-par with a total of 7075 yards at Pebble Beach. For the US Women’s Open 2023, this Thursday, the yardage was reduced to 6491. But it still wasn’t enough to maintain the thrill of such a prominent event in the golfing world.

The golfer-turned-writer suggests a difference of 1100 yards would be ideal. He broke down his calculations as per the performance of the longest and shortest shots observed on both the LPGA and PGA Tour. With a 40 yards difference between the longest and shortest distance hitters between the men’s and women’s events, he came to a conclusion of 560 yards. Couple that with 540 yards of exciting gameplay on Par-3s, wherein the difference is 30 yards each for the LPGA and PGA Tour, the total yardage of 1100 would be sufficient as well as thrilling.

Chamblee’s solution may seem too technical but he makes a good point in support of the LPGA Tour golfers’ comments on the subject. It would revive the structure of the gameplay at Pebble Beach, and every golfer can showcase their innate talents more astutely.

What are your thoughts on the yardage problem in Pebble Beach? Do you think the Par-5s are manageable? Share your opinions with us below.

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