The classic architects employed ultra wide fairways often in excess of 70 yards to offer numerous avenues en route to each hole. Such spaciousness provided unmatched variety. A golfer was presented with many choices and options. Depending upon factors, such as one's playing ability, wind direction, and pin location, there were preferred lines of play; however, these lines may differ between golfers or differ for the same golfer on different days. There was room to play and decisions to be made on every shot. Strategy was both the essential ingredient and the common denominator.

Donald Ross was certainly an advocate of strategic design. His fairways were ample and wide, but not because he was too considerate. Instead, Ross offered a full range of angles for all golfers to arrive at the hole. These angles of play were often understated, but never too subtle for the prudent golfer to discern. Ross explains his strategic use of angles on Hole 8 at Pinehurst Number 2 as follows:

Here there is a ridge in front the green. If the pin is on the right of this green, a player who wishes to avoid the effects of this slope must place his tee shot on the right side of the fairway, and conversely, on the left side of the fairway when the pin is on the left. A majority of two shot holes on Number 2 are of this general type.

Not only did Ross utilize wide fairways, but he also employed elaborately shaped fairways for strategic purposes. Seldom did Ross carve straight fairway lines. Rather, his fairways tended to be curvilinear in that they would gently bow in one direction from the tee, and then bow back into another direction toward the approach. Hence, if a draw was preferred from the tee, then likely a fade was preferred into the green, and vise versa. Such lateral movement effectively magnified the array of the playing angles.

Yet, today, very few Classic Age golf courses are left with their original fairway widths and shapes intact. Tight looking fairways akin to a bowling lanes are frequently carved into large expanses of terrain. Such imbalance generates an unnatural appearance which looks forced and contrived on the land.

Simply nothing has negated strategy more than substantial loss of fairway acreage. Too many old designs have been transformed over time into linear, bow and arrow courses where a good shot is restricted to the dead center of the fairway. Today, the center of the fairway is not one of many alternative routes to the hole. Unfortunately, it is the only route. It is a forced consideration! No lateral options or choices are available. The golfer must hit it straight to a precise distance using a required club. This transformation has destroyed the character of many classic designs. With typical fairways between 25 and 30 yards today, successful golfers are programmed toward the monotonies of target golf.

This type of golf was foreign to Donald Ross. Ross stated, "it is one thing to go out and hit every shot the same, merely using a different club for the various distances. The golfer with one shot in his bag will go nowhere in the future". Apparently. Ross never envisioned the evolution of the modern design.

In the 1950's, fairway grooming came with an expensive per-acre price tag. In order to lower maintenance budgets, clubs sacrificed total fairway acreage. In the 1960's, complete irrigation systems were becoming widespread. These systems were single-row, down the center of the fairway. Fairways lost their intricate shapes and narrowed even further to the outer extent of the water's throw. The problem was that these irrigation systems were installed without regard to design intent. In the 1970's, aesthetics became a growing rage. Consequently, well-intentioned greens committees throughout the country began beautification projects. Chief among these were the wholesale planting of trees along these even smaller corridors of play. Because these trees are ever growing, and because turfgrass and trees simply don't mix, fairways today are smaller than ever. Furthermore, the average golf course loses several square feet of fairway area per year just through normal mowing patterns. That's difficult to notice at the time, but over 70 years or so, it can amount to acres. Also, many hybrid turfgrasses, such as Tifway and Tifsport, are currently replacing older fairway grasses, such as Common bermudagrass. These grasses are more expensive. Without an eye toward design interpretation, fairway widths will continue to diminish when it is time to sprig or sod. Yet another problem is that all too many people presently accept today's fairway widths to be the desired norm.

With the United States Open, in 1951, narrow fairways became popular. Robert Trent Jones, who was hired to re-design Oakland Hills for the Open, championed narrow fairways. Jones dramatically constricted Ross' generous fairways to demand more precise driving from the world's best players. Clubs nationwide began squeezing fairways in emulation of Oakland Hills. Public perceptions today continue to be fine tuned by the USGA's heavy hand with classic championship venues.

Earthmoving equipment and maintenance and construction technology have also contributed toward narrower fairways. The classic architect utilized the natural contours of the land in designing a course. They did not have the earthmoving equipment necessary to level steep inclines or fill-in ravines. The golf course was designed over the natural elements of the terrain. Consequently, many landing areas manifested severe slopes whereby the ball could run laterally hundreds of feet. The absence of irrigation promoted firm, fast conditions which essentially magnified the severity of these slopes. Ultra-wide fairways were therefore necessary. Unfortunately, the modern architect utilizes his ability to level steep contours and fill-in awkward depressions with earthmoving equipment. Coupled with full-scale irrigation, the ball tends to roll very little in a lateral fashion on a typical modern design. Hence, the rationale that ultra wide fairways are not needed.

Old aerial photographs often reveal that many classic designs contained merging fairways as well. Fairways of adjacent or parallel holes tended to join as one. Consider the possible angles of approach from a merging fairway essentially one hundred and fifty (150) yards wide. With prevailing concerns toward issues of liability, high rough and trees have been planted through the years as buffers to separate holes. As a result, adjoining fairways have been defined and reduced in size. Therefore, liability concerns have also played a part in the evolving shrinking fairway dilemma.

With wider fairways, the classic architect utilized bunkers in a much different fashion as well. The classic architect often positioned obstacles, such as carry bunkers or cross-bunkers, in the center of their wide fairways. Golfers faced the strategic choice of playing to the right side, the left side, or even over these centrally located obstacles. Donald Ross employed this design element on hole 7 at Holston Hills. The golf hole simply had much more peripheral movement. Due to the evolution of narrow fairways, many of these centrally located bunkers have been covered-up, abandoned and rebuilt on either side or both sides of the fairway. Today, the golf hole consequently moves much more vertically from tee to green.

Modern Age architects believe that par should be defended from the tee, hence narrow fairways and landing areas. On the other hand, Classic Age architects attempted to create choices and thought-provoking scenarios from the tee. The challenge was primarily offered at the greens and the approaches thereto. There was no right way or clear way to play a hole. If there was a right way, certainly there was never an agreement of opinion Wide fairways create mystery, variety, strategy, options, and choices for the golfer and further encourage thought, decision-making, and shot making.

Many golfers believe that widening a course will make it easier. This may be true for high handicappers, but wide angles can make the course more difficult for better players. Less skilled players are afforded room to enjoy their round and better golfers are provided strategic options that induce thought and deliberation and, in turn, make for a more sporting game. The weak players may shoot 91 instead of 94. There's nothing wrong with that!

Tim Liddy, an architect, claims that because of today's golf ball and golf equipment, restoration can still be achieved by adding both width and length to a classic design. Classic architects were not pushovers, according to Liddy. Additional length, where appropriate, would compliment the classical elements of wide fairways and firm surfaces; however, wide fairway and firm surfaces should never be compromised due to the lack of length. Thus, length is a variable which can assist or improve the classic design, while width is a constant which is necessary to the classic design.

Tom Doak claims that super-wide fairways are not simply the product of the "restoration business", but more importantly, they are currently being incorporated into today's new designs. Presently, we are seeing "a resurgence in Golden Age architecture". Doak's new designs, Lost Dunes and High Pointe in Michigan, are known for their 80+ yard wide fairways. Likewise, Coore and Crenshaw employ ultra wide fairways in their new designs as well.

In conclusion, club memberships and the public in general must be educated about the strategic virtues of angles and width. This endeavor is essential to revitalizing the game that we love.

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