So, Firestone in Akron. Yeah, I’ve got a few thoughts on that place, things I’ve seen and pieced together over time. It’s one of those spots, you know? Carries a certain weight.
I remember trying to get a feel for the South Course, not by playing it, ’cause good luck with that unless you’re somebody or know somebody. But just by walking around, soaking it in when things were quieter. It’s got this reputation, a really tough, old-school vibe. Not tricked up, just hard. You can see why the pros respected it, even if it beat them up sometimes.
And boy, did some of them tame it. You hear about Woods shooting 61 – twice! That’s just nuts. Then Sergio, Olazabal, Matsuyama all matching it. It’s like, wow. But the one that always got me was Fred Funk. Little Freddie Funk, not exactly a bomber, shooting a 62 there. That tells you something important about Firestone. It wasn’t just about smashing the ball a mile; you had to think, you had to play real golf.
My “practice” with Firestone was more about watching, listening, and following its story for years. I’d make it a point to see how it played each year during the big tournaments. You felt the history. You really did.
Then the PGA Tour decided to pack up the World Golf Championship and move it. To Memphis. That one stung, I gotta say. It really did. It felt like they just looked at a spreadsheet and said, “Okay, history? Nah, we need more of this other thing.” Corporate sponsorships, I guess. That’s always the excuse, isn’t it?
It’s like they’re just trampling over their own heritage. Firestone wasn’t just any course; it was a pillar. It had stories baked into the fairways, the trees. You don’t just replace that. You can’t. It’s like tearing down an old, beautiful building to put up some generic glass box.
I was pretty disappointed, to be honest. It’s more than just a venue changing; it’s a bit of the soul of the tour getting chipped away. These places matter. The connection with the fans, the local community, the generations who watched legends there. You lose that, and what have you got left? Just another tournament on the schedule.
So yeah, that’s my take. From what I’ve gathered, what I’ve seen unfold. It’s a shame. A real shame for a place like Firestone. It deserved better, I think. Still a great club, no doubt, but that chapter? Felt like it closed too soon, and for the wrong reasons. That’s just how I see it from my little corner of observation.
