Similarly, the USGA adjusts speed according to architecture, as indicated by a tale of two A.W. Tillinghast designs. At the 2002 U.S. Open, the relatively flat greens at Bethpage State Park’s Black course allowed Moraghan and his staff to shave the grass as closely as possible. By Sunday afternoon, unofficial Stimpmeter readings were approaching 15.

In 2006 Winged Foot West’s greens, which feature tiers, mounds and slopes, ran about 12 feet. And for the 2006 Curtis Cup at Pacific Dunes, the greens were at 91⁄2 feet so the bold contours could come into play without the greens turning into an amusement park ride.

Elevating green speeds, especially at older courses, often disregards the architecture of the individual layout. Because the existing agronomy did not allow grass to be cut so short, most courses built during the Golden Age—Winged Foot, Prairie Dunes, Pinehurst—feature a lot of movement on the putting surfaces. Today, there are two ways to deal with the marriage of extreme speeds and severe slopes: Rein in the speed or soften the undulations.
 
Many architects espouse the first option. “When you start changing green contours to accommodate green speeds, that’s putting the cart before the horse,” says Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw’s design partner.

When performing restoration work, Gil Hanse avoids softening greens unless they are overly severe. “I think it is more important to retain the architectural integrity of these historic courses than to achieve some number on the Stimpmeter,” Hanse says.  “After we touch that green it is gone forever, and I think it is important that we are able to see the work that Ross, MacKenzie and others left behind in as pure a state as possible.”

Tom Marzolf, senior design associate for Tom Fazio’s firm, disagrees. He has reworked greens at a number of fabled layouts, including the last two Open sites, Oakmont and Winged Foot. At both, he recaptured lost areas with “green extensions,” softening the slopes in corners of green sections.

Marzolf argues that Golden Age architects designed slopes that were in line with the maintenance practices of the time. He surmises that if those designers were alive, they too would be altering their putting surfaces to reclaim hole locations lost to speed.

“I think there is a lot of romance that goes into preserving the past,” he says. “I think it’s just a bunch of nonsense.”

The problem isn’t just on older courses. When talking to owners and developers, Tom Doak discusses green speeds in relation to the style of putting surfaces he would build. But on several occasions, he has returned to find that the clubs had bowed to pressure and the greens were too fast for the contouring.

“Some feel drawn in by neighbors and members,” Doak says. “The desire for fast greens has led many contemporary architects to build boring greens because that’s the only style that can handle the quicker pace.”