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Major Course Setup

Playdough

Playdough

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So read a snippet from the USGA presser from Pinehurst that the course will be set at 75xx yards for the men. That's a big, long track for a sea level course at the US Open. It's about 600 yards longer than Merion last year which played a shade under 6900 if I remember. It made ask myself this...

Do I want to see a big, long open course or a small, tight short open course?

I really enjoyed the US Open last year with its right fairways, waist high rough and salad plate greens. I'm not sure I will enjoy a bombers paradise as much as that.

What's your preference?
 
7500 is just stupid. I understand the point of the Open being hard, but these yardages just tell weekend hackers that 6500 yards is no big deal and they should play from those distances.
 
Doesn't really matter to me.
 
Are we approaching a major that will play at 8,000 yards soon?
 
I don't like it when they go too tight and punishing, I like to watch the golf world elite shoot rounds in the 60's, making birdies and eagles.
Needs to be a test but I think tough pin positions, well placed hazards and some length can do that.
 
fupresti said:
7500 is just stupid. I understand the point of the Open being hard, but these yardages just tell weekend hackers that 6500 yards is no big deal and they should play from those distances.
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I agree 100%
 
I don't get wrapped up in course length for these guys.

Last 6 years here is the course yardage.

08- 7,643
09- 7,426
10- 7,040
11- 7,574
12- 7,170
13- 6,996

Take a guess which years had the lowest scores?
2011,2009, 2008
 
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I like to see a pretty punishing course for the US Open. 7500 yards -- at Par 70 -- is crazy, though.

Good luck hitting mid-irons into turtle back greens that are rolling like concrete. It's hard enough to play that course when you're hitting low irons into those greens! Not to mention the rough that is there and will be even longer than usual.

Definitely a course were Par (possibly worse) can win the tournament.
 
The rough will be down this year so taking on doglegs will be an option.

As far as length, I don't care one way or another. 7500 isn't too long for these guys, plus it's doubtful they play it at that length
 
You know what's funny, someone wins the US open every year and every year it's something different. We all watch and we all enjoy, I think this year will the same.
 
Tadashi70 said:
The rough will be down this year so taking on doglegs will be an option.

As far as length, I don't care one way or another. 7500 isn't too long for these guys, plus it's doubtful they play it at that length
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That grass is the kind where the ball always sits down at the bottom, though. Brutal rough even when it's only an inch or two.

I completely understand that these guys are super human though.
 
11 if I remember correctly. But I that was aided with feet worth of rain leading up to it and Rory blitzing the field.

But don't we have to look at course length some? I know many like to discount it, but doesn't it still affect how many will play the course? Doesn't a short track bunch the field up more than long track? Doesn't Luke Donald and Zach Johnson have a better chance at 6900 than 7700? I know, I know. Both have won on tracks over 7300, but to me, 7300 in a regular event is different than 7300 in a major.
 
Nate said:
Are we approaching a major that will play at 8,000 yards soon?
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pretty sure they are playing an 8,000 yards erin hills in a year or 2 scheduled 2016 or 2017
 
ATLGolfer said:
That grass is the kind where the ball always sits down at the bottom, though. Brutal rough even when it's only an inch or two.

I completely understand that these guys are super human though.
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Remeber when bethpage black played 7400 plus and that has elevation changes.
 
The stupid part is that the USGA will lengthen it to a ridiculous yardage, and then do their best to dry the greens out so they won't hold anything. Good job, USGA.
 
I don't care. Mid-7000's are not really long for those guys, but it's been shown time and time again that length is not a good defence mechanism.
 
I like a tough set up for the US Open, Pinehurst has all the characteristics of what a championship course should be, length, turns, difficult greens, and really tough thought provoking ups and downs. 7500 yds lol is a long day, and someone's going to earn that lol, it will be fun to watch.
 
Playdough said:
11 if I remember correctly. But I that was aided with feet worth of rain leading up to it and Rory blitzing the field.

But don't we have to look at course length some? I know many like to discount it, but doesn't it still affect how many will play the course? Doesn't a short track bunch the field up more than long track? Doesn't Luke Donald and Zach Johnson have a better chance at 6900 than 7700? I know, I know. Both have won on tracks over 7300, but to me, 7300 in a regular event is different than 7300 in a major.
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Maybe, maybe not. How did Donald fair in the US Opens that were under 7300 yards? 07 - CUT, 10- T47, 12-CUT, 13-T8.

For the US Open I don't think shorter means easier by any means. I think shorter means they tighten the fairways a lot more, the grow the rough a lot more, and they get the course as fast as they can. I think a lot more goes in to the US Open setups than just distance.
 
Yardage won't matter, green speed & firmness will, most of those greens at #2 are brutal
 
I get that PGA players are fine with these distances, I am just saying if the PGA and governing bodies are concerned with lack of player participation, they should be focusing on playing at lengths more reasonable so average golfers watching don't try and go out and replicate the same distances thinking its OK. Play harder, shorter courses and the masses will find distances like 6000 more acceptable for average players.
 
Tadashi70 said:
The rough will be down this year
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I read they won't be cutting any rough but there will be a lot of "waste areas" with natural grass and sand, will be interesting to see how that presents.
 
ddec said:
Maybe, maybe not. How did Donald fair in the US Opens that were under 7300 yards? 07 - CUT, 10- T47, 12-CUT, 13-T8.

For the US Open I don't think shorter means easier by any means. I think shorter means they tighten the fairways a lot more, the grow the rough a lot more, and they get the course as fast as they can. I think a lot more goes in to the US Open setups than just distance.
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Luke was probably a bad person to pick, haha. He's brutal in majors..lol But I get what you are saying.

And I'm not suggesting that shorter is easier. 1 over won a US Open on a 6996 last year. I just like that short course, grown up, tight US Open set up. But thats me. I think it brings course management more into play. Brings more creativity in the game around the course.

And I feel that goes for all major courses, just not the US Open.
 
ATLGolfer said:
That grass is the kind where the ball always sits down at the bottom, though. Brutal rough even when it's only an inch or two.

I completely understand that these guys are super human though.
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What's this rough that you're talking about? Won't be there this year at Pinehurst #2: http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/usgas_mike_davis_no_rough_for_2014_open

"For the first time in the history of the U.S. Open, which goes back to 1895, we're going to be playing a U.S. Open with no rough to speak of, at least the way most of us think of rough as grass," Davis said. "It is going to be very unique; it's going to be great for television."

No rough! Where do I sign up?

Not so fast.

There will be "rough," it's just going to be of the "white" variety instead of green as architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw draped a throwback jersey over the famed course and reproduced the 1940s Ross version of No. 2, where wider fairways meet sandy wastelands, where a ball tricking off lightning-fast fairways will end up in - well, who knows what kind of lie.
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