You don't mess with tradition lightly at the British Open - and when a new hole was created for the 151st edition to provide a 21st century thrill on the venerable Hoylake links, you just knew controversy was bound to follow.
But despite the underwhelming reaction to the really short but pretty deadly par-three 17th that's been the talk of Royal Liverpool this week, Australian Min Woo Lee is among those who loves the "brutal" fresh examination it presents.
Views have been pretty polarised about the hole designed by British architect Martin Ebert, which the club and organisers felt would bring excitement in the conclusion to the championship amid a reconfigured final stretch of holes.
"One of the sentiments that was felt after the 2006 and 2014 championships at Royal Liverpool was that the course could do with more drama," R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said on the eve of the Championships on Wednesday.
"I think it (the new 17th) fits well. So the final four holes will be a 610-yard par five, 480-yard par four, 136-yard par three and a 620-yard par five.
"A lot of things could happen on that stretch and I think that drama will unfold come Sunday."
Australian Lee, for one, is sure he's right. He first played the course a couple of weeks ago on a reconnaissance mission and found it an extraordinary test with the wind gusting off the Dee Estuary while aiming at a turtle-shell green that slopes down towards a fearful pot bunker just 136 yards away.
But, in truth, there are dangers everywhere surrounding the green, with deep traps that could completely disfigure a scorecard.
"This hole can be extremely dramatic," said Lee. "When I first played it, it was brutal. Playing into the wind when it's howling, if you hit it short into that first pot bunker, you're in real trouble.
"But when the pressure's on, with a championship to be won, it will be a really good hole."
Another Australian, David Micheluzzi, said the wind was blowing so hard when he played the hole a week ago that he had to hit a full-blown six-iron to get the full 136 yards.
"And you can't afford to miss the green. You don't go right, you don't go long, you just have to hit the green, whether you're five feet away or 40. If you miss the green, that's big trouble."
Defending champion Cameron Smith says he's looking forward to the "drama" there but 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick was being diplomatic while calling it "interesting", although his famously lippy caddie Billy Foster was happy to expound: "They've created a monstrosity!"
The hole, which replaces the old par-three 15th, is called the "Little Eye" in honour of the small island in the distance behind the green and looks tailor-made for great TV, just like the penultimate island hole at Sawgrass on Players Championship weekend.
But perhaps Spanish philosopher king and world No.3 Jon Rahm called it best, when he shrugged: "It's fair, because it's unfair to everybody! Like it's golf, and it's life. Simple as that."
