Transitions Championship: The Copperhead Course Truly Equalizes the Field

This week’s Transition’s Championship will once again see a strong field take on the brutal Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla.

The Copperhead course plays 7,341 yards, which is about average for a PGA Tour event.

However, the setup of the course is such that no player, including the long-hitters, has a marked advantage.

Narrow fairways with bunkers guarding the greens and landing areas combined with dramatic elevation changes and a large number of doglegs in both directions rewards accurate ball striking more than anything else.

During the late 90s and early 2000s, there was a lot of talk about “Tiger Proofing” courses, which at the time meant simply lengthening courses from tee to green so the long hitters would no longer be able to get home with a driver and eight iron on a par-five.

Well, the so-called “Tiger Proofing” of courses ensured that the big hitters no longer had a driver and short-iron into the par-fives, but it also managed to more or less eliminate half of the competition who did not hit the ball as long as players such as Tiger Woods and J.B. Holmes. 

This strategy of “Tiger Proofing” courses, in essence, had the opposite affect as it gave longer hitters even more of an advantage due to the fact that many highly talented players who were not big hitters could no longer hope to compete on these 7,600 yard courses.

So instead of equalizing the field they actually gave the bigger hitters even more of an advantage because they more or less eliminated at least a quarter of their competition.

Copperhead is the type of course that is truly “Tiger Proofed” and the winning scores over the past few years demonstrate just how difficult a golf course can be when not setup to reward only those that can blast 350 yard drives.

Since the Copperhead course was modified back in 2004, the winning score has never been more than eight-under-par. 

Last year’s winner, Sean O’Hair, finished 72 holes at just five strokes under-par.

In fact, this 7,300 yard course played the eighth hardest on the PGA Tour last year; and that list includes the four major championships.

The Transitions Championship, formerly the PODS Championship, falls between the WGC-CA Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, so although it typically attracts a strong field, it does not attract the likes of Woods, Mickelson, and Harrington.

But, you could be assured that a course setup in the way that Copperhead is, would certainly give players such as Woods, Mickelson, and Harrington a run for their money.

It seems as if each generation of golfers are hitting the ball longer than their predecessors.  

So, you can see the logic behind golf clubs feeling the need to lengthen their courses.

After all, no one wants to see J.B. Holmes reach a par-five on their course on national television with a driver and sand wedge; that would be downright embarrassing.

However, if you truly want to equalize the competition and not immediately remove half of the field by playing on a 7,700 yard course, the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook is a perfect example of how to do so.

The major championships now a day are played at host courses that seem to get longer by a couple of hundred yards each year.  This eliminates at least a quarter of the field before the event even starts because they simply do not hit the ball long enough to compete on a course of that length.

Furthermore, courses that play 7,700 yards or more typically give very few legitimate birdie opportunities and have changed the entire landscape of major championship play.

Before the “Tiger Proofing” of courses, one of the most exciting aspects of major championship play was the late Sunday afternoon charge. 

Now it seems like the only excitement on Sunday is seeing whether or not the leaders will make some bogeys and fall down towards the rest of the pack. 

Maybe one day the powers that be will realize this and stop increasing the length of courses at the major championships each year.  Otherwise we might have very well seen the last of the late Sunday afternoon charge in major championship play.