Hilary Swift for The New York Times
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — In the 14 years since the United States Open was last held at Winged Foot Golf Club, which is probably the most feared course to host a major championship, technology and advanced strength training have revolutionized the game. Tee shots routinely soar 50 yards farther than they did even a decade ago.
With the U.S. Open returning to Winged Foot on Thursday, some in the golf community wonder if the modern golfer’s cutting-edge arsenal might be the formula for taming, or at least mitigating, the club’s rigorous challenge of narrow fairways, ankle-deep rough and dastardly sloped greens.