Disappointment in the U.S. open Greens

[matt kluck]

I am watching some of the worst Open greens in my memory. It is beyond my comprehension that the best in the world can continually leave downhill putts short and misread them because of the inconsistent nature of the surfaces!!!
MK

 

[mgranato]

Shinnecock '04 has that title.

 

[ms1170]

Great course except for the 10th hole. The course is too soft. Doesn't have an "Open" look.

 

[johnnymarlboro]

So you're upset because it's too hard for most of them? Jeez. It rained like hell last night too, there's not exactly a whole lot they can do about that. I know the USGA is concerned about the greens too, they want them fast, but they don't want them to get too burned out and kill them. It's a US Open, but Congressional does have alot of members who would be none too pleased if their greens were killed because of a 4 day tournament.

 

[matt kluck]

They are not too hard, just not up to Open standards for speed, consistency, trueness and overall expectations of a U.S. Open. Medinah and Congressional should not be in the rotation. JMHO and speaking from experience.
MK

 

[gaspasser1]

You said "the inconsistent nature of the surfaces."

I think that a patch of formed dirt with grass on it that is mowed every day, fertilized and aerated, watered on a perfect schedule is still going to be an inconsistent surface. Linoleum is a consistent surface.

As for downhill putts coming up short, there might be an explanation. Downhill putts, since they are traveling at a slower speed, are more susceptible to the wobble effect. As the ball slows down it deviates from the line in a side to side fashion. I'm not sure this can be eliminated on even the most 'consistent' of greens. In fact, I suggest the wobble effect is greater as greens get faster (and downhill putts take more time.)

 

[carrera]

The greens are only two years old. That is part of the problem (the other factors being the heat last week and the use of SubAir systems to move water out of the greens which can result in inconsistencies in the drainage from green to green).

 

[Jared Willerson]

This does not feel like a US Open at all. I feel like I am watching the AT&T.

This venue is no longer worthy of being in the unofficial, unofficial US Open Rotation.

 

[mjstrong]

Interesting comments. I haven't watched any coverage except for a few highlights, but, apart from one guy playing very well (Yang) and one guy going ballistic, the scoring seems about normal, if not higher than the normal 36-hole leaderboard.

 

[ms1170]

On a a side note, I'll bet yesterday afternoon's ratings weren't so great. By 1:00pm, McIllroy was done with an 8 shot lead. Phil was done. Tiger was out. The top 3 pairing of Westwood, Kaymer & Donald were all starting the round at least 14 back. That left 6 hours of Yang. I took a nap.

 

[ekennedy]

So you're upset because it's too hard for most of them? Jeez. It rained like hell last night too, there's not exactly a whole lot they can do about that. I know the USGA is concerned about the greens too, they want them fast, but they don't want them to get too burned out and kill them. It's a US Open, but Congressional does have alot of members who would be none too pleased if their greens were killed because of a 4 day tournament.

You might be surprised at how many courses lose their greens after a tour event, let alone the US Open. The Greenbrier shut down the Old White basically the next day. Aronimink lost several greens and were on the verge of losing more. I wish I could say that the USGA cares, but I'm not sure that's true.

 

[johnnymarlboro]

You might be surprised at how many courses lose their greens after a tour event, let alone the US Open. The Greenbrier shut down the Old White basically the next day. Aronimink lost several greens and were on the verge of losing more. I wish I could say that the USGA cares, but I'm not sure that's true.

Huh, I had no idea. That's a shame.

 

[MikeD2]

This partial interview transcript from USGA Executive Director, Mike Davis, prior to the Open:

"Ideally I think it's fair to say that we would have been three years before, but I will tell you that the greens, even though some of them look a little thin and you can see some brownness to them, the root structure is very, very good. Mike Giuffre has been -- in fact, every day that we've been meeting we talk about the health of the greens. That's first and foremost because we are not going to do something this week that subjects Congressional greens to long-term health problems."

Members vote on whether to host an event. If you like to play golf at your club, figure a least a month in the middle of summer when the course will be unavailable to you. Hosting an event brings in a lot of money to the club, but there are a lot of headaches too. For example, Oakland Hills turns its spectacular north course (home to the 2002 U.S. Amateur) into a car park, complete with asphalt, when it has hosted the Ryder Cup, PGA and U.S Opens. That course is effectively lost for a long time after the event. The USGA paid for all the remediation necessary after it left but it is still an inconvenience to the members.

The USGA wants to have top level courses in the Open rotation. Losing greens to jack up stimp readings doesn't bode well for members voting for the next potential event. Whether you believe him or not, I get the sense that Davis is saying the right things when it comes to leaving a track the way you found it.

 

[cmartingolf]

Thrilled for McIlroy. Love that kid.

Hated the set up.

Guys could hit shots from the rough and STOP the ball on the greens. I know Mother Nature plays a big role, but Mother Nature could have left the rough up a bit more. Guys were basically "Bombing and Gauging."