For so long the USGA was fixated with par being the target score at the US Open, but at a course with as controversial a history as Shinnecock Hills the new mantra is to let the natural difficulty of the venue do the work.
In both 2004 and 2018 the USGA were accused of losing the course with borderline unplayable greens - which even needed watering during the final round in 2004.
The USGA’s chief championships officer John Bodenhamer says he will take a hands off approach to course set-up this time around, saying: "We’re going to let Shinnecock be Shinnecock.”
And according to the NBC Sports broadcast crew of Dan Hicks, Brad Faxon, Kevin Kisner and Jim 'Bones' McKay, that approach should this time showcase Shinnecock Hills in the right light - as one of the best courses in the USA.
"I think Shinnecock is going to shine in 2026," said Kisner, who played in nine US Opens including 2018 at Shinnecock Hills.
"We’re going to have much wider fairways, on average six yards wider, than we did in 2018. And they want it to play that way because they want all the golf to be around the greens.
"They want guys to really be thinking, using their 15th club, as they like to say, their mind, around the greens with many different options. They want to test the players.
"And that’s what they’re trying to accomplish here at Shinnecock by giving guys options around the greens with many different clubs and not just having 6-inch rough right off the edge where everybody’s taking big hacks with lob wedges and hoping they guess correctly on how it comes out."
Faxon, who played in 20 US Opens including twice at Shinnecock, believes the Long Island venue is the best on the rota.
"I think this has to be the best venue for a US Open for so many different ways," said Faxon. "The history of the golf course being one of the top five - or one of the first five USGA courses. I think it’s the closest the US Open will play links golf to an Open Championship."
Phil Mickelson's former caddie Mackay, a veteran of 26 US Opens, agreed about the stature of the course that lies in wait for contenders in the third Major of the year.
"I think that Shinnecock Hills is arguably the finest US Open venue there is on the rotation. I absolutely love everything about it."
USGA
It's not just at Shinnecock, but at several other venues over the years the USGA have been deemed a bit over zealous in setting up courses to be too difficult, and obssessed about getting a winning score of par of just over.
Kisner, though, has spoken with Bodenhamer as insists the USGA is no longer focused soley on generating a winning score to their liking.
"Dan and I spent a significant amount of time with John on the phone a few weeks ago and we didn’t mention a score one time, he didn’t mention a score one time.
"What he wants to do, and I think the USGA’s kind of changed their tune to, we want to go to the best golf courses in the world and play there, and we will understand if it tests the best players in the world to the ultimate test by their getting every club in the bag dirty.
"And I think that’s a great strategy, as long as we don’t get the golf course to a point that it can’t be playable. So Shinnecock is a great test all the way around and has all the different variables that you want to have to test the players.
"And I think they’re going to let Shinnecock Hills be Shinnecock Hills and not let agronomy get in the way and not let a target score get in the way."
Hicks added the USGA is "drifting away from the old philosophy" on winning scores, and after what happened in 2004 and 2018 the focus is on Shinnecock being the hero and not the villain.
"They want to take less of a role in dictating maybe what the scores should be," Hicks added. "And I think, honestly, I think they took a look back at what’s happened at Shinnecock in the years past and they don’t want that bad history to repeat itself.
"So, they’re telling us that this is the very first time that Shinnecock will be presented at a US Open on the original William Flynn designed width of the fairways that he came up with in 1931, which is really the course you see today.
"So, I think it’s a refreshing kind of philosophy by them. Just let Shinnecock be Shinnecock and not worry about, oh, you know, we can’t get under par here.
"I don’t think they will get under par if they let Shinnecock be Shinnecock. So, I think they’re just going to let things happen naturally. Mother Nature do her thing."
