Do links style golf courses make good venues for U.S. Opens?

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    GolfDay
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    Whenever I think of a U.S. Open, narrow fairways, thick rough, and lightening fast greens always come to mind. Conversely, whenever I think of The Open, no trees, sand dunes, long, wispy grass, and bumpy greens come to mind. In the last 100 years there has only been two links style golf course in the rotation for U.S. Open venues, Shinnecock Hills and Pebble Beach Golf Links. Suddenly the USGA has now added Erin Hills and Chambers Bay. So in effect, four of the last six Opens have been played at links style golf courses. Is this a trend we really want to continue, or should we stick to the classic courses like Winged Foot or Merion? I happen to believe that we should try and distinguish the U.S. Open from The Open, and therefore I tend  to believe that links style courses, with the exception of traditional ones like Shinnecock, should not be used for U.S. Open events. Now, one might say, “But the U.S. Open is not known for narrow fairways, thick rough, and lightening fast greens. It’s known for being the toughest test of golf, and if links courses provide the toughest test, we should welcome that.” That would be a fair point of view, and that is why this topic is an interesting one in my opinion. Should we scrap the links course for U.S. Opens? Or should we welcome their presence? Share your thoughts below.

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