Patrick Cantlay Joins Scottie Scheffler in Blasting Modern Golf Course Changes
🌳 Are modern golf courses losing their soul? The debate over golf course design has officially gone mainstream — and now Patrick Cantlay has joined Scottie Scheffler in questioning one of the sport’s biggest architectural trends: removing trees.
After Scheffler recently criticized how modern course renovations are widening fairways and stripping away natural defenses, Cantlay stepped into the spotlight with blunt honesty on The Golfer’s Journal podcast.
🗣️ “If you just took one golf course with a bunch of trees and you took all the trees out, it would definitely be easier,” Cantlay said — a statement that has sparked intense discussion across the golf world.
🌲 Why does tree removal matter so much? According to Cantlay and Scheffler, cutting trees: • Makes courses easier • Reduces shot variety and recovery options • Rewards raw distance over precision • Removes visual framing and strategic angles
In an era dominated by long hitters, both stars believe this trend creates an imbalance — one that favors power at the expense of creativity and skill.
🏌️♂️ Scheffler, a 20-time PGA Tour winner, doubled down on the issue during a recent YouTube appearance, criticizing courses that widen fairways, enlarge greens, and eliminate the very obstacles that once demanded strategy. Instead, he praised venues like Augusta National, TPC Sawgrass, and Harbour Town, where narrow corridors and precise shot-making still reign supreme.
⛳ Cantlay understands why some clubs remove trees — citing agronomy, airflow, and sunlight — but he made it clear where his preference lies: classic, tree-framed courses that challenge decision-making and execution.
🌿 He even pointed to iconic layouts like Cypress Point, Seminole, Pebble Beach, Riviera, and historic venues such as Oakmont, Winged Foot, Merion, and Medinah — noting how many restorations now follow a single model of openness, risking uniformity across elite golf.
🔥 This debate isn’t just philosophical — it’s personal. Scheffler and Cantlay are now linked not only by their views on course design, but by history on the scorecard.
At the 2025 Procore Championship, Scheffler tied Cantlay’s PGA Tour record of 21 consecutive rounds under 70, a streak that stretched across the Scottish Open, The Open Championship, FedEx Cup Playoffs, and the TOUR Championship.
While Scheffler narrowly missed standing alone atop the record books, the moment further connected two of the Tour’s most consistent and cerebral competitors.
📊 Tiger Woods’ longest comparable streak? Just 14 rounds. 📊 Viktor Hovland? 19.
🎯 The message from Cantlay and Scheffler is clear: Golf’s future shouldn’t be about who hits it the farthest — it should be about who thinks, shapes, and controls the ball best.
👉 Watch now as we break down: • Why tree removal is dividing pro golf • How modern course design impacts competition • What Cantlay and Scheffler really want from golf courses • How this debate could shape the future of the PGA Tour
💬 Do you prefer tree-lined courses or wide-open layouts? 👍 Like | 💬 Comment | 🔔 Subscribe for more deep-dive golf stories, PGA Tour news, and elite player analysis.
Patrick Cantlay Joins Scottie Scheffler in Blasting Modern Golf Course Changes
🌳 Are modern golf courses losing their soul?
The debate over golf course design has officially gone mainstream — and now Patrick Cantlay has joined Scottie Scheffler in questioning one of the sport’s biggest architectural trends: removing trees.
After Scheffler recently criticized how modern course renovations are widening fairways and stripping away natural defenses, Cantlay stepped into the spotlight with blunt honesty on The Golfer’s Journal podcast.
🗣️ “If you just took one golf course with a bunch of trees and you took all the trees out, it would definitely be easier,” Cantlay said — a statement that has sparked intense discussion across the golf world.
🌲 Why does tree removal matter so much?
According to Cantlay and Scheffler, cutting trees:
• Makes courses easier
• Reduces shot variety and recovery options
• Rewards raw distance over precision
• Removes visual framing and strategic angles
In an era dominated by long hitters, both stars believe this trend creates an imbalance — one that favors power at the expense of creativity and skill.
🏌️♂️ Scheffler, a 20-time PGA Tour winner, doubled down on the issue during a recent YouTube appearance, criticizing courses that widen fairways, enlarge greens, and eliminate the very obstacles that once demanded strategy. Instead, he praised venues like Augusta National, TPC Sawgrass, and Harbour Town, where narrow corridors and precise shot-making still reign supreme.
⛳ Cantlay understands why some clubs remove trees — citing agronomy, airflow, and sunlight — but he made it clear where his preference lies: classic, tree-framed courses that challenge decision-making and execution.
🌿 He even pointed to iconic layouts like Cypress Point, Seminole, Pebble Beach, Riviera, and historic venues such as Oakmont, Winged Foot, Merion, and Medinah — noting how many restorations now follow a single model of openness, risking uniformity across elite golf.
🔥 This debate isn’t just philosophical — it’s personal.
Scheffler and Cantlay are now linked not only by their views on course design, but by history on the scorecard.
At the 2025 Procore Championship, Scheffler tied Cantlay’s PGA Tour record of 21 consecutive rounds under 70, a streak that stretched across the Scottish Open, The Open Championship, FedEx Cup Playoffs, and the TOUR Championship.
While Scheffler narrowly missed standing alone atop the record books, the moment further connected two of the Tour’s most consistent and cerebral competitors.
📊 Tiger Woods’ longest comparable streak? Just 14 rounds.
📊 Viktor Hovland? 19.
🎯 The message from Cantlay and Scheffler is clear:
Golf’s future shouldn’t be about who hits it the farthest — it should be about who thinks, shapes, and controls the ball best.
👉 Watch now as we break down:
• Why tree removal is dividing pro golf
• How modern course design impacts competition
• What Cantlay and Scheffler really want from golf courses
• How this debate could shape the future of the PGA Tour
💬 Do you prefer tree-lined courses or wide-open layouts?
👍 Like | 💬 Comment | 🔔 Subscribe for more deep-dive golf stories, PGA Tour news, and elite player analysis.
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