Chambers Bay course conditions

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By Frank W

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  • 10 Replies
  1. Frank W

    Frank W
    Florida

    I am interested to hear the opinions of other members about the USGA's set up of Chambers Bay. I am not a fan of what Pinehurst #2 looked like last year and am equally disappointed in this year's set up. 

  2. Ethan J

    Ethan J
    Woodinville, WA

    I was not a fan of how they set it up. I got to play it 1 month prior to the U.S. Open and it was in awesome shape, and difficult. They could have left it the way it was and it still would have been a difficult championship. As a person from the PNW, I was sad to see it browned out. I know that is what the USGA wants to do now, but this course is so fun to play and makes you think on every shot,  rewards good shots and penalizes bad shots. I hope another one comes to the PNW, and they leave the course they way it was designed. Attached are some pics of how green it was a month prior to the open.

  3. killerbgolfer

    killerbgolfer
    Lacey, WA

    Great assessment ethan. I've played it maybe 6 times and what I saw on TV wasn't what I'd played and grown to love. I hope we'll see more tournaments here in the future. 

  4. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    It is a shame that the USGA can't see enough daylight to think a 9.5 Stimp on a green can still be championship quality. The Open that does not need to use a national designation doesn't do this to links courses. I have a son that just moved to Seattle and this course likely won't be fit to play until next year, after they eliminate the poa annua and get the fescue to fill back in for the poa and bare spots. This is the third time I can remember the setup was an "oops". Olympic had a steep green that couldn't be held, Shinnecock was like watching a demolition derby on the final day, and now this. For all the talk about leading golf, the USGA still only sees greens as if they were competing with the Masters - a course only used part time. No excuse to abuse a public course that way.
  5. Steve M

    Steve M
    Hatboro, PA

    nice assessment. I think that with this setup, the bad shots tended to get rewarded more than the good ones. While I feel that the best player won, it was all to fitting that the tourney was LOST on a short putt rather than won with one. The USGA seems determined to NOT allow the best players to excel in the Open. Who wants to see a touring pro miss putts because the ball bounced or see roller coasters on the greens? Steve
  6. Dan H

    Dan H
    Yulee, FL

    Nice pics Ethan and ya I have heard from others that have played there that the USGA created the "brown-ness" of Chambers Bay and what the world saw was not accurate to the way it normally plays.  I agree, very sad and they are getting a little extreme on how they handle our National Championship and hopefully some of the negative feedback gets them to understand the clear reasoning.  Only time shall tell....

  7. Chris Hatem

    Chris Hatem
    Boston

    I heard that Jordan liked the course...
  8. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Chris Hatem said:

    I heard that Jordan liked the course...
    ...He did so long as 18 was a par 5. The best players rose to the top because it was difficult, but did the condition of the greens change the outcome from rewarding the best efforts or create random success?
  9. Chris Hatem

    Chris Hatem
    Boston

    Don O said:

    I heard that Jordan liked the course...
  10. memphisunited

    memphisunited
    Memphis, TN

    Chris Hatem said:

    I heard that Jordan liked the course...
    ...He did so long as 18 was a par 5. The best players rose to the top because it was difficult, but did the condition of the greens change the outcome from rewarding the best efforts or create random success?
    [/quote] Good comment Don. I have trouble with the word random though as it pertains to golf. Every shot could be affected by a "random" bounce and I agree that Chambers could have more of those than other courses. But then again everybody is playing the same course. Yardage books show contour plots of the greens that show every elevation change. It was a tough week and I applaud the guys who made the cut.
    [/quote] I think random bounces from tee to green are a part of the game that everyone has to deal with during a round. However, I don't think you should get random bounces on short putts during a national championship. If you hit a good putt from 5 feet, it should roll true and you should be rewarded. Hit a bad putt and you should be penalized. But, an unlucky (or lucky) bounce shouldn't determine whether you make a putt or not.
  11. Cole W

    Cole W
    Winter Garden, FL

    I think the USGA made some mistakes when it came to turf management leading into and during the tournament. I have never seen the course in person but I thought the course itself looked like a tough layout that would be a challenge to say the least. I liked the course itself, I didn't like the conditions.

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