OT: Golf - Bummer for Rahm

[LIuconn]

Lot of money going to be dropped on Cantlay, Morikawa, Schauffele and the other SoCal youngins at the US Open. Some fools will drop money on an oldin' from SoCal too

Is there any evidence of golfers winning at a greater clip than normal in their "home town?"
And please don't point to TW

 

[uconnfan68]

Is there any evidence of golfers winning at a greater clip than normal in their "home town?"
And please don't point to TW

Anecdotal… sleep at home, familiar with weather, course, grasses, etc.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Is there any evidence of golfers winning at a greater clip than normal in their "home town?"
And please don't point to TW

There is a theory of horses for courses.

And yes, there are pros who have a large majority of their wins on certain courses with certain types of grass- winning on bermuda grass in Florida. Davis Love winning at Harbour town a bunch of times.

The California coastal courses like Torrey Pines have certain characteristics that change throughout the year- look at Pebble Beach when they play the Pro Am in the spring as compared to playing the same course in June for the US Open. Spring time has wet, heavy air and the ball doesn't go anywhere. Fast foward three months and it's dry air and lots of wind. Your Pebble Beach Pro Am notes are just about useless when figuring out wind, carry, roll, etc.

Knowing how to play in the kikuyu grass, especially out of the rough and around the greens, takes time. Greens are bent grass with Poa Annua which also tend to grow quickly and get hairy as the day gets longer. The leaders will be playing 10-12 hours after the greens were cut in the morning.

Golf is rarely a good sport to bet an outright winner as your only play. And many on this board are better at it than me, but putting some of these high level ball strikers, who also happened to have grown up on this stuff, is a decent move for betting on top-10's or stuff like that.

On the flip side a few years ago the Open Championship was played on a course Rory McIlroy basically grew up playing and people got all excited about it. He screwed the pooch big time on it and was out of contention by the end of day one.

 

[HuskyHawk]

There is a theory of horses for courses.

And yes, there are pros who have a large majority of their wins on certain courses with certain types of grass- winning on bermuda grass in Florida. Davis Love winning at Harbour town a bunch of times.

The California coastal courses like Torrey Pines have certain characteristics that change throughout the year- look at Pebble Beach when they play the Pro Am in the spring as compared to playing the same course in June for the US Open. Spring time has wet, heavy air and the ball doesn't go anywhere. Fast foward three months and it's dry air and lots of wind. Your Pebble Beach Pro Am notes are just about useless when figuring out wind, carry, roll, etc.

Knowing how to play in the kikuyu grass, especially out of the rough and around the greens, takes time. Greens are bent grass with Poa Annua which also tend to grow quickly and get hairy as the day gets longer. The leaders will be playing 10-12 hours after the greens were cut in the morning.

Golf is rarely a good sport to bet an outright winner as your only play. And many on this board are better at it than me, but putting some of these high level ball strikers, who also happened to have grown up on this stuff, is a decent move for betting on top-10's or stuff like that.

On the flip side a few years ago the Open Championship was played on a course Rory McIlroy basically grew up playing and people got all excited about it. He screwed the pooch big time on it and was out of contention by the end of day one.

I remember that year with Rory. There certainly is value to style and ability not just familiarity. If you were picking guys at The (British) Open back in the day, you'd never want to bet against Tom Watson, even though his home course was in KC (Mission Hills, KS). Of course the greats are just great everywhere. Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods.

Looking at guys who have recently been very good at Torrey Pines, Tony Finau stands out. Jason Day, Patrick Reed, both have done well there.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I remember that year with Rory. There certainly is value to style and ability not just familiarity. If you were picking guys at The (British) Open back in the day, you'd never want to bet against Tom Watson, even though his home course was in KC (Mission Hills, KS). Of course the greats are just great everywhere. Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods.

Looking at guys who have recently been very good at Torrey Pines, Tony Finau stands out. Jason Day, Patrick Reed, both have done well there.

But Watson grew up on wide open prairies with plenty of wind and hills.

You hear about west Texas golfers being such pure ball strikers because the ground is so dry and hard pan. If you don't hit it pure you're either bouncing your club in to the ball or blading it thin.

 

[NJHusky]

If you don't hit it pure you're either bouncing your club in to the ball or blading it thin.

You mean playing like me....If only I'd learned to play in Texas

 

[HuskyHawk]

But Watson grew up on wide open prairies with plenty of wind and hills.

You hear about west Texas golfers being such pure ball strikers because the ground is so dry and hard pan. If you don't hit it pure you're either bouncing your club in to the ball or blading it thin.

No he didn't. There's no wide open prairie in KC, it's quite wooded. Not sure how many golf courses there are in the Flint Hills either (which is where my family comes from on my mother's side). The original KC Country Club was links style, but it moved long before Watson was born, Kansas City Country Club - Kansas - Best In State Golf Course (top100golfcourses.com). Prairie Dunes would fit what you describe. Watson just had an amazing wedge/putter game.

I do think there's something to learning skills based on the courses you play, and the weather you play in.