2020 U.S. Open

clarkgriswold

clarkgriswold

Well-known member
The US Open is at Winged Foot this weekend. The USGA hasn't tricked up the course yet. It will be interesting to see what they do Saturday and Sunday if the scores are low. I love watching high pressure golf. The rough looks like my front yard after I take a two week vacation. I love the old classic courses like Winged Foot, Oakmont and Shinnecock.
 
 
clarkgriswold said:
The US Open is at Winged Foot this weekend. The USGA hasn't tricked up the course yet. It will be interesting to see what they do Saturday and Sunday if the scores are low. I love watching high pressure golf. The rough looks like my front yard after I take a two week vacation. I love the old classic courses like Winged Foot, Oakmont and Shinnecock.
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I agree, I would not be surprised if -5 is the best under par when the week is done. The way this season is going I would not be surprised if there is a large group there on Sunday vying for the title.

I too like the classic courses but am getting a little tired of the USGA's Open rotation. In the near future it will be the same group of classic east coast courses and west coast locations so they can finish in prime time. It seems like fly over country and the south, (outside of Pinehurst #2) need not apply.
 
Auggie said:
I agree, I would not be surprised if -5 is the best under par when the week is done. The way this season is going I would not be surprised if there is a large group there on Sunday vying for the title.

I too like the classic courses but am getting a little tired of the USGA's Open rotation. In the near future it will be the same group of classic east coast courses and west coast locations so they can finish in prime time. It seems like fly over country and the south, (outside of Pinehurst #2) need not apply.
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They are in the process of moving some of the USGA offices to Pinehurst and have already committed that Pinehurst No. 2 hosting the Open in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047. I do not like what they've done with that course. I get that the trend is to return courses to their original state, but drastic changes like that and the movement to remove trees is just too much.

There are plenty of courses that they could have an Open. I think some courses are hesitant to take them on as the USGA is a controlling PITA and it essentially results in shutting down a course for a year. Let's hope we're not headed to a roto system like the R & A.
 
clarkgriswold said:
They are in the process of moving some of the USGA offices to Pinehurst and have already committed that Pinehurst No. 2 hosting the Open in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047. I do not like what they've done with that course. I get that the trend is to return courses to their original state, but drastic changes like that and the movement to remove trees is just too much.

There are plenty of courses that they could have an Open. I think some courses are hesitant to take them on as the USGA is a controlling PITA and it essentially results in shutting down a course for a year. Let's hope we're not headed to a roto system like the R & A.
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I got to play the new Pinehurst #2 and love what they did to that course. The land there is really hard and sandy so the opening up of the course really led to multiple ways on how to play a shot. I can see why the pros love this as it really brings into the challenge the mental aspect of the game and separates ball strikers from golfers. By the way, I struggled to break 100 playing from the whites. I am strong at spinning the ball and controlling my irons but had all kind of trouble keeping the ball on the fairway from the tee, I always seemed to be just rolling off of the grass into the waist areas all over this course. You also have no clue how challenging the Ross greens are when viewing them on TV, there are these swales and false fonts that place a premium on the short game and on a couple of these I had what I thought were solid chip shots end up taking a U turn and sliding off the green into a swale that made the next shot further away.

as-pinehurst-no-2-greens.jpg
 
Auggie said:
I got to play the new Pinehurst #2 and love what they did to that course. The land there is really hard and sandy so the opening up of the course really led to multiple ways on how to play a shot. I can see why the pros love this as it really brings into the challenge the mental aspect of the game and separates ball strikers from golfers. By the way, I struggled to break 100 playing from the whites. I am strong at spinning the ball and controlling my irons but had all kind of trouble keeping the ball on the fairway from the tee, I always seemed to be just rolling off of the grass into the waist areas all over this course. You also have no clue how challenging the Ross greens are when viewing them on TV, there are these swales and false fonts that place a premium on the short game and on a couple of these I had what I thought were solid chip shots end up taking a U turn and sliding off the green into a swale that made the next shot further away.

as-pinehurst-no-2-greens.jpg
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Wow. Good for you! I just don't enjoy that scrubby look. My distaste may be in part from how the USGA tricked it up and made it virtually impossible for the Open, punishing some good shots. It was much more reasonable for the US Amateur.
 
Well it looks like the course is playing tougher on Friday, so far of the AM tee times only Bubba Watson is in with a red number and Thomas Pieters went from -4 to even in a day.
 
BHS83 said:
Agreed, this is a really bad trend.
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I went to Oakmont for the Open in 2016 and they've completely stripped the trees off of that course. It's still a great course, but it's very odd to stand in one place and see most of a course. The other odd thing about that course is that it spans the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
 
BHS83 said:
Agreed, this is a really bad trend.
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I disagree and think it is a great trend. If you look at pictures of these parkland courses when they were originally built most have just a few smallish trees usually added to help define the holes. After decades they mature and start to grow into the fairway and make some holes completely different than the architect originally envisioned. Additionally the grass grows differently when there are trees all over the course, try playing a lush well maintained course with limited trees and the rough is really thick and well "rough". Don't get me wrong strategically placed mature tress add to aesthetics of a course and are needed when there are a lot of parallel fairways, think Firestone South. Here is an excellent article on the development: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-undercover-war-that-swept-the-game
 
clarkgriswold said:
I went to Oakmont for the Open in 2016 and they've completely stripped the trees off of that course. It's still a great course, but it's very odd to stand in one place and see most of a course. The other odd thing about that course is that it spans the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
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You piqued my interest. Way cool.

www.google.com

Oakmont Country Club · 1233 Hulton Rd, Oakmont, PA 15139, United States

âââââ · Country club
www.google.com www.google.com

Zack Johnson's putt breaks left, then right and left again before making its final trek into the cup. Nothing to it. :)

Golf

Watch all the latest Golf clips, highlights, shows, replays, and more on NBC Sports.
www.golfchannel.com www.golfchannel.com

Putt-putt, anyone?
 
Auggie said:
I disagree and think it is a great trend. If you look at pictures of these parkland courses when they were originally built most have just a few smallish trees usually added to help define the holes. After decades they mature and start to grow into the fairway and make some holes completely different than the architect originally envisioned. Additionally the grass grows differently when there are trees all over the course, try playing a lush well maintained course with limited trees and the rough is really thick and well "rough". Don't get me wrong strategically placed mature tress add to aesthetics of a course and are needed when there are a lot of parallel fairways, think Firestone South. Here is an excellent article on the development: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-undercover-war-that-swept-the-game
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Fair point, it's an interesting debate. I'm just speaking from my experience as the club I belong to lost roughly 50 trees in a couple storms this year and several holes were changed as a result, and not for the better in my opinion.
 
I don't know golf course design for nothing but I knew a few landscape archtects and they put trees in with the idea of what it would be like down the road. Maybe course designers do the same?
 
The course is making up for Thursday. The first 14 guys out were 25 over in the first 45 minutes or so. The first few holes are brutal.
 
irish_buffalo said:
www.golfdigest.com

The notorious Hinkle Tree from the 1979 U.S. Open has died, but the legend lives on

The Hinkle Tree, planted after the first round of the 1979 U.S. Open at Inverness to thwart Lon Hinkle's attempt to take a shortcut on the par-5 eighth hole, was partially uprooted by wind and was cut down earlier this week.
www.golfdigest.com www.golfdigest.com

Nothing like F-ing with the course midway through tournament play.
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bah, pansies. I'd put a big frikken windmill in the middle of the fairway.
 
DeChambeau wins in convincing form, never would have thought His game could do it on that golf course.
 
Auggie said:
DeChambeau wins in convincing form, never would have thought His game could do it on that golf course.
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Nope, when I heard the strategy of bombing it and dealing with the rough when it came was a formula for disaster. All in all the final round was kind of a snoozer.

I'm not a big DeChambeau fan, but the scene of him talking to his parents was very touching.
 
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