OT: U.S. Open....golf...this week...triple yikes!

[Blakeon18]

http://www.usopen.com/en_US/course/index.html

I hope this link takes you to a site for Chambers Bay [Washington state]...where
the U.S. Open is to be played starting Thursday.

I saw a preview of the course on the Golf Channel and the course is unique...weird...you name it.
Come Sunday night THE story of the week will be the course....with the winner only having a supporting role.
Whether it will be a star or flop is to be determined. It is a links-style course on steroids built on the side
of a hill....way different from the typical Open venue.

Fescue grass on tees/fairways/greens....you often can't tell when the fairway stops and the green starts.
Incredible amount of bounciness...nasty rough...slowish greens [11 on the stimp]. One analyst said if the stimp was around 13 as in a normal Open, the course would be unplayable.

Some comments from players.."ridiculous"..."farce". Others seem to like it...and like it more, the more they play it.
"miniature golf-like"...and that one was from a guy who likes the course.
It will be fascinating to watch whether it turns out to be a disaster or a gem.
Gorgeous views of Puget Sound!

A public course....nice! Greens fee for non-residents...$299...not nice.

 

[uconnfan68]

http://www.usopen.com/en_US/course/index.html

I hope this link takes you to a site for Chambers Bay [Washington state]...where
the U.S. Open is to be played starting Thursday.

I saw a preview of the course on the Golf Channel and the course is unique...weird...you name it.
Come Sunday night THE story of the week will be the course....with the winner only having a supporting role.
Whether it will be a star or flop is to be determined. It is a links-style course on steroids built on the side
of a hill....way different from the typical Open venue.

Fescue grass on tees/fairways/greens....you often can't tell when the fairway stops and the green starts.
Incredible amount of bounciness...nasty rough...slowish greens [11 on the stimp]. One analyst said if the stimp was around 13 as in a normal Open, the course would be unplayable.

Some comments from players.."ridiculous"..."farce". Others seem to like it...and like it more, the more they play it.
"miniature golf-like"...and that one was from a guy who likes the course.
It will be fascinating to watch whether it turns out to be a disaster or a gem.
Gorgeous views of Puget Sound!

A public course....nice! Greens fee for non-residents...$299...not nice.

And its walkers only... and they have to have forecaddies.

I like Jack's approach to golf. No whining.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I've wanted to go since the USGA announced the venue, but I waited too long to look at tickets. I want to see the course for the vistas. It has only 1 tree and is on the side of a hill on lower Puget Sound, so there are water views from everywhere. It seems a bit like Whistling Straits to me.

What I don't like about the course is the multiple tee boxes that change the yardage and even direction of shots. As Tiger noted, it could play as 4 different courses over 4 days. I like the traditional approach of changing pin placements and modest yardage changes, but changing a par-4 into a par-5 and vice versa sounds gimmicky. It should be entertaining! I look forward to returning to Shinnecock and Pebble Beach.

 

[Blakeon18]

A little more: the course opened in 2007 and within a few months the USGA awarded the 2015 Open to them....incredibly new course....decision
coming incredibly quick. They held the 2010 U.S. Men's Amateur here as a test run....seemed to play very tough....but fortunately with no loss of life

 

[Orangutan]

I love the US Open because I like to see the world's best players suffer once in a while, so I'm excited to see how this goes.

From what I understand, they can make the course play really short if they want. They can make scoring range anywhere from easy to impossible. That should ensure that things don't get too out of hand and we have a winner within a few strokes of par either way.

The only think I don't like is the way the course looks visually. One thing I like about watching golf is gawking at beautiful landscapes but links courses take that element away.

 

[triaddukefan]

I love the US Open because I like to see the world's best players suffer once in a while, so I'm excited to see how this goes.

From what I understand, they can make the course play really short if they want. They can make scoring range anywhere from easy to impossible. That should ensure that things don't get too out of hand and we have a winner within a few strokes of par either way.

The only think I don't like is the way the course looks visually. One thing I like about watching golf is gawking at beautiful landscapes but links courses take that element away.

I actually like the way the course looks visually. Also looking forward to this year's PGA championship at Whistling Straights.

 

[masshusk77]

If Rory wins this week he will be the same age (26) as Jack was when he won his fifth major. Being even with Jack puts him in a good spot to potentially make a run at the record. But a lot of work left to be done

 

[The X Man]

I'll be interested to see how FOX does with their first US Open. If you love to watch golf this is the tournament to watch.

Thur & Fri

FS1 Noon-8
FOX 8-11

Saturday & Sunday
FOX 2-11

 

[Alydar]

The best thing I can say about this venue is that it is on the west coast and I won't have to get up at 3 am to watch. LOL

The fact that they awarded this course an Open virtually before it even opened sounds very suspicious. The construction of the course went way over budget and now the taxpayers are not only saddled with huge bond payments but also have to foot the bill for a $200,000.00 annual operating deficit.

As far as the course, it looks like we are going to see some elite level players embarrassed. While it certainly provides a level of difficulty, it's done by employing unique conditions that vary from the way golf is played today at the highest levels. It's like holding a bowling championship where the lanes are cambered to keep the scores down. In the last several years the USGA backed off that "protect par" philosophy. Now they are talking about having sidehill tees. That's one step from putting windmills on the greens.

The problem I have with Chambers Bay is that it tests golfers on skills that are not emphasized any more, it uses tricked up holes that are not used anywhere else and it requires the greens to be slowed way below what these golfers face the rest of the year. The talk is about the greens rolling at a 10 rather than the 12 found at a typical pro tournament and the 13 or 14 we see at the Masters or most Opens. Doing that does not identify the best putters, it identifies those who can best adjust their strokes to an unusually slow pace. Imagine a pool tournamet where they use 1/4 inch felt. Or a Super Bowl where the grass is grown to 9 inches, giant fans are installed to create 30 mph crosswinds and the entire field is tipped 10 degrees sideways. Now that is a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.

But, as I always do, I will be glued to the TV all day.

 

[triaddukefan]

The best thing I can say about this venue is that it is on the west coast and I won't have to get up at 3 am to watch. LOL

I absolutely love when the US Open is on the West Coast. Something about watching a major championship being played when its dark here on the East Coast.

The fact that they awarded this course an Open virtually before it even opened sounds very suspicious. The construction of the course went way over budget and now the taxpayers are not only saddled with huge bond payments but also have to foot the bill for a $200,000.00 annual operating deficit.
y.

I blame FIFA

 

[Orangutan]

The problem I have with Chambers Bay is that it tests golfers on skills that are not emphasized any more, it uses tricked up holes that are not used anywhere else and it requires the greens to be slowed way below what these golfers face the rest of the year.

I get your point about the slow greens but I'm curious to know what you mean by "skills that are not emphasized any more" and "tricked up holes". Any examples you can offer?

 

[boontonbomber]

Robert Trent Jones, Jr.( the architect) : " put on your big-boy britches and play."

Nicklaus: " always loved to hear players complain about the course - to me that was one less player that I had to beat."
also Nicklaus: "the course isn't supposed to suit your game; you are supposed to suit your game to the course."

To me, this is an example of the type of layout that's needed in the game. The technology of the equipment that these guys are playing with these days has to be countered somehow with courses that demand more imagination and creativity from the players. Here's the course, guys, so go figure it out. As Jack also said," Somebody's name will be on the trophy." I love it!

 

[Alydar]

I get your point about the slow greens but I'm curious to know what you mean by "skills that are not emphasized any more" and "tricked up holes". Any examples you can offer?

How many courses played on the pro tour have holes that play as 5's one day and 4's the next? Or sidehill tees? Or greens that look like elephant burial grounds? Or links courses for that matter. As Tiger said in his interview today, there can be a complete change of 18 holes day to day. Championships are in part a 4 day test on one course. Tees at Chambers bay are set up to allow a totally different look day to day.

Watch the shots into greens this week. The undulations on the greens are at an extreme not faced anywhere in recent memory. While I love putting on that sort of green, it is a sure way to keep scores close to par. Good lag putters will have an advantage over aggressive putters. Players are also going to be forced to use putters from off the greens instead of using wedges. While it certainly makes for novel play for those watching the action, it is way off the conditions normally faced on tour. The only other similar situation is at the Masters, where the hard and fast greens require shooting away from pins. The difference is that they play Augusta every year. I doubt Chambers Bay will get another Open in this generation.

I guess my biggest complaint is that the USGA has a tendency to set up courses that reward conservative play and over-penalize aggressive, go-for-broke shots. The penalties for missing by a couple of yards from 200 yards out are so severe that players who take no chances have more success than the opposite types. That's how the Hale Irwins, Curtis Stranges, Andy North's of the world won so often. And it's what turned TV golf into a boring game of players who were happy to finish second or third rather to risk it to win. That changed with Tiger & Phil and has continued with Watson today. There's a reason Phil has never won an Open and it's because he is a risk taker. The USGA seems to hate that. Or at least that's how I see it.

Edit: Just thought of another trick. I'm not sure if it will be the case this week, but in too many Opens players have been forced to land approach shots as much as 40 yards short of the green and bounce and roll the ball onto the green, Now I happen to enjoy that style of play but it's a feature that has all but disappeared from championship courses and pro events in the US. Leave the bump and run links courses to the Scots and their Open. To suddenly put a premium on a player's ability to execute several of these types of bump and run shots several times a round is unnecessary if your goal is to find out who the best player is in today's game. Why not reinstitute the stymie and see who can pull off the chip-putt?

 

[MilfordHusky]

I love the US Open because I like to see the world's best players suffer once in a while, so I'm excited to see how this goes.

From what I understand, they can make the course play really short if they want. They can make scoring range anywhere from easy to impossible. That should ensure that things don't get too out of hand and we have a winner within a few strokes of par either way.

The only think I don't like is the way the course looks visually. One thing I like about watching golf is gawking at beautiful landscapes but links courses take that element away.

I totally agree about the players being humiliated just a bit. I've been to about a dozen Opens in person. The final round at Pebble in 1992 was almost unplayable. Wind and small hard greens caused world-class players to shoot 80, 82, 85, and 88. The 7th at Shinnecock in 2004 was maybe a bit extreme in terms of how many players putted into the bunker, but Goosen putted as if he were unconscious.

I like the looks of the classic courses, such as Congressional and Winged Foot, but I also like the views at Pebble and Shinnecock. Chambers Bay looks spectacular. I hope it is a good test of golf and not too gimmicky.

 

[Orangutan]

Edit: Just thought of another trick. I'm not sure if it will be the case this week, but in too many Opens players have been forced to land approach shots as much as 40 yards short of the green and bounce and roll the ball onto the green, Now I happen to enjoy that style of play but it's a feature that has all but disappeared from championship courses and pro events in the US. Leave the bump and run links courses to the Scots and their Open. To suddenly put a premium on a player's ability to execute several of these types of bump and run shots several times a round is unnecessary if your goal is to find out who the best player is in today's game. Why not reinstitute the stymie and see who can pull off the chip-putt?

Thanks for the elaboration -- I've read a couple of articles on the course. Just trying to get a feel for what we're in for.

That last point certainly crossed my mind -- why make this tournament like the British Open when the British Open is around? They've mentioned that almost no US golf courses have fescue like Chambers Bay. Why have the US Open at a venue that is atypical of US golf courses?

I take your point about not wanting to overly reward boring, conservative play. On the flip side, however, I'm always glad to see a course that won't just reward bombers and demands precise play, which it sounds like this course does. Hopefully, the USGA sets it up so that there are some birdies out there and good play is rewarded instead of merely not punished.

 

[Alydar]

From what I have heard in some interviews there are several holes where the bombers will have a huge advantage by being able to carry over all the trouble. I have no problem with rewarding the ability to hit it long. It's a skill just like being a great sand player or putter. As for how the course is playing, here's a link to a short video that will give you an idea of what concrete fairways are like.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/gol...homepage_us_open_latestnews_position_3_link_1

 

[triaddukefan]

Heartbreak City oh my .... hate for it to end that way

 

[sarals24]

Jordan Spieth is the greatest. Fun fact: he went to my rival grade school and my husband's high school. His family lives in our neighborhood. Great people.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Golf is a cruel game.

 

[Icebear]

I would like to officially label Fox's the worst coverage of a major ever. Terrible talking heads.

 

[Zorro]

I don't remember seeing putts hop across the greens the way they did at CB.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I would like to officially label Fox's the worst coverage of a major ever. Terrible talking heads.

Give them time. Golf is a new venture for them. I would suggest poaching talent from the Golf Channel.