US Open setup, I don't like it

[AcesAZ]

Possible Spoilers!

Little rant- I didn't like the way the US Open was setup. The greens were too firm and crusty, what it does is make certain holes impossible. I think that a perfect shot should be possible. For example hole 17 was nearly unhittable all week. Only like 10% of the field hit the green on Sunday. That tells you its too hard and was nt possible to pull of even the best struck shot. You had to luck it through the rough to try and stop it. What it made was a back nine snoozer bogeyfest. I think you can make it very hard but at the same time make it possible to pull off a shot as well.

Agree or Disagree?

[budd1e_lee]

In reference to 17, it was roughly 10% that hit it on SUNDAY. I don't know the numbers, but just from what I saw, it was considerably higher than that the other 3 days. And you say that the PERFECT shot should be possible, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but shots aren't perfect more than 10% of the time. These pros just know how to minimize the misses. With a course setup like this one was, which is not uncommon for the US Open, it becomes harder and harder to minimize the misses. If you take chances, you WILL be punished.

I personally get bored with the tournaments that finish in double digits under par, it's just not as interesting to me.

[AcesAZ]

I think it was like 20% yesterday on 17. Point is you could not physically fly the ball on the green and stop it, you had to bounce it through the rough and luck it on, something like 1 out of 10 hit the green on Sunday. The perfect shot wasnt possible. Phil even hinted to that it was too hard but he didnt want to go there. I just think it was too hard on certain holes, but maybe it is just a design problem now. With greens running 13 and very hard they probably need to be a little bigger in a couple spots. I didnt even mention the clown show on 14, they need to blow that up.

[MtlJeff]

overall i liked it, you could make some birdies out there. I really like Mike Davis and what he is doing. The problem was more with the layout of a couple of holes which i guess Davis could have used different tees or pin locations on, but for the most part i liked it

14 was brutal, too severe IMO. Agree with you on 17 aswell. And i didn't like the saturday pin at 7 where it was like having a trampoline sending balls to the back of the green

[Dizz]

I don't necessarily think it was poorly setup but I think there are some holes that were unfair. Pretty normal for the US Open... I like the fact that it wasn't playing ridiculously long so it brings more guys into the mix. I thought this reminded me too much of The Open Championship which is a great tournament but to me always brings too much luck into play. I agree with you about 17 though, that hole is flat out unfair from 210-220 yards.

[OldSkoolTexan]

The granite, oops I mean greens, were ridiculously firm. Dropping a short iron on the front, having it BOUNCE like it hit a cart path, then end up barely staying on the back is ridiculous....

[rony]

Dustin Johnson.........."Look how far I can hit the golf ball."


Graeme McDowell.........."Look how accurate I can hit the golf ball."



Long Knockers don't impress me!

[Seufari]

17 played really tough... No doubt about it. It seemed to me there was some room left of the pin on 14 that the players should have taken advantage of....

I personally loved the final scores so if that is what it takes to get them there then so be it...

[Jetlv25]

The goal of the USGA is to identify the best players and I think that is exactly what they did. Almost every year in the US Open there is one or two holes that are boarder line "unfair" but that only helps the best players rise to the top. I thought the tournament was very entertaining and wish there was more than one of these a year.

[CryMeARiver]

The US Open is my least favorite major, mostly because more often than not there's no drama on the final day. No one can make a charge, the fans have nothing to get excited about, it's just about who screws up less. The USGA is so concerned with protecting the sanctity of par they forget this is also about sports entertainment. There wasn't a single shot Graham hit today where I went "Wow". While I can appreciate the victory, the lack of the dramatic meant that I had no emotional investment in it, and by this time next year I'll probably forget who won it.

[DRGJR72]

Greens appeared to be a little too much on the firm side.

14 and 17 were a little silly, 17 really silly today. I don't think the disasters that were commonplace on 14 are indicative of talent and the best players in the world. Seemed to be a little over the top to me, especially for a 5 par with wedge being the common attack club.

Other than those two holes and the over firmness of the greens I think that it was a great test and a great tournament.

I did like it today when there are many players in contention on the back 9 on Sunday in a major. Anyone could have won the tourney, it was up to them and if they had put together a nice back nine (aka Tiger yesterday) they could have won the event. Not sure if you can ask for more than that in an event, let alone a major championship.

[ZBigStick]

It was FAIR.

The greens played about the same for the first groups to the last on the weekend. Apart from their growth, and subsequent bumpiness, they did not overly dry out as the tourney progressed. Mike Davis had it under control. They monitored the moisture levels. Additionally, the rough could be played from but you lost the ability to hold the greens. The bunkers weren't automatic up and downs due to the deeper layer of softness.

I think the 14th green should be reconstructed to be less severe. It had less to do with course setup, unless you wanted all of the greens to run at 10 instead of 12+ for the National Championship. No embarrassments from set up only from errant play.

[PorkChopExpress]

Its all about old man par

[morganmonroe]

[quote name='CryMeARiver' date='20 June 2010 - 10:47 PM' timestamp='1277092075' post='2522642']
The US Open is my least favorite major, mostly because more often than not there's no drama on the final day. No one can make a charge, the fans have nothing to get excited about, it's just about who screws up less. The USGA is so concerned with protecting the sanctity of par they forget this is also about sports entertainment. There wasn't a single shot Graham hit today where I went "Wow". While I can appreciate the victory, the lack of the dramatic meant that [b]I had no emotional investment in it[/b], and by this time next year I'll probably forget who won it.
[/quote]

[b]+1[/b] I did see [i]some [/i]drama yesterday, though.

[Qstick333]

MAybe I am in the minority - but I enjoyed watching this weekend. I enjoy watching the pros play a different strategy and shot selection based on the course setup. Something other than smash it out there as far as possible and spin a wedge onto the green.....

[daoldguy]

While I watched much of the coverage, this year confirmed again my belief that the US Open is the least enjoyable major on the schedule. The USGA has again turned one of the world's finest courses into a freak show, with modifications that make watching the best players in the world endure something akin to the Bataan Death March.

I get no enjoyment from watching shots fall off the course, shots hit from knee deep fescue, shots hitting greens that are harder than a Walmart parking lot and going who knows whre or great putters putting on greens that are so fast as torequire way too much defensive golf.

[IIdiceII]

the greens setup good for holes like #7. i love the fact that its just a short pitch (90yd's that plys like 75-80?) and it was damn near impossible to stop it on the green!

now the fact that the same firm styled green which was 220 yd's away on 17 is just flat out stupid.

14 was stupid but i looooooooooved tigers 3rd on sunday. everyone should play it like that lol

[ColinMB]

IMHO they set up a great Sunday by having some really good players in the mix on Saturday night.

Sunday was some of the most anti-clamatic "major" golf I've seen. Graham said it himself, something to the effect of, "If you're chasing, you're going to make bogies."

He was right, there was no opportunity to gain; it was all about playing safe for the win. No one could -really- gain ground it was all about not hitting it into the ocean.

Pretty much any time I saw someone take a chance (in order to stalk the lead) failed. There was just no movement.

Like I said, Sunday was all set up, and the course had to be played extremely well just to hold your score, but it was definitely rewarding 'defensive' golf which made for a really lackluster Sunday.

[johnnypro]

Here we go with the USGA / US Open bashing. Don't like it??? Don't play in it. Don't watch it. If you hit a proper 3rd shot on 14 you had no problems. 17? Tough hole. So what? They made other hole a LOT easier. All the other Opens at Pebble they NEVER moved tees up like they did this year. If Tiger, Phil, or Ernie had won instead of trying to recreate an episode of The Three Stooges, nobody would be complaining.

[Jake0331]

I think they should have played 7 a little longer than they did - 92 yards on Sunday seemed a bit gimmicky but all in all, I enjoyed watching it. And if you are going to host on U.S. Open on Pebble Beach then 7 will always be short by any par 3 standards these guys are used to. Personally, I enjoyed watching the U.S. Open during that stretch when missing the fairway was a death sentence and missing a green just as bad. However, I do sympathize with the pros when they used to gripe about shots needing to be perfectly executed time in - time out to have any chance of a respectable score. But each major has its own character and the USGA seems to think par is a big part of that.

[Huskygolfer]

Agree..It does not matter what the par says on the card. It is the total number shots that counts. If you made 3 on 17 you gained on the field. it was not that hard to get it up and down. i liked it wish ernie would have putted a little better during the weekend.

[130R]

[quote name='Jetlv25' date='21 June 2010 - 02:47 PM' timestamp='1277092034' post='2522640']
The goal of the USGA is to identify the best players and I think that is exactly what they did. Almost every year in the US Open there is one or two holes that are boarder line "unfair" but that only helps the best players rise to the top. I thought the tournament was very entertaining and wish there was more than one of these a year.
[/quote]

+1
I love watching these guys struggle on high rough and fast hard green courses, every other week we sit and watch them rack up scores of 20+ under and its good to see even par for the week win. I wish there were a few more courses set-up like this a year, but I guess thats what makes the Open special because we expect it to be impossible tough.

[RCGA]

I thought it was one of the most boring Sunday finishes I've seen. Watching pros hack it isn't interesting to me.

[PlatinumNike]

[quote name='budd1e_lee' date='20 June 2010 - 11:15 PM' timestamp='1277090139' post='2522580']
In reference to 17, it was roughly 10% that hit it on SUNDAY. I don't know the numbers, but just from what I saw, it was considerably higher than that the other 3 days. And you say that the PERFECT shot should be possible, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but shots aren't perfect more than 10% of the time. These pros just know how to minimize the misses. With a course setup like this one was, which is not uncommon for the US Open, it becomes harder and harder to minimize the misses. If you take chances, you WILL be punished.

I personally get bored with the tournaments that finish in double digits under par, it's just not as interesting to me.
[/quote]

Well put

[birdieboy52]

[quote name='AcesAZ' date='20 June 2010 - 10:09 PM' timestamp='1277089764' post='2522566']
Little rant- I didn't like the way the US Open was setup. The greens were too firm and crusty, what it does is make certain holes impossible. I think that a perfect shot should be possible. For example hole 17 was nearly unhittable all week. Only like 10% of the field hit the green on Sunday. That tells you its too hard and was nt possible to pull of even the best struck shot. You had to luck it through the rough to try and stop it. What it made was a back nine snoozer bogeyfest. I think you can make it very hard but at the same time make it possible to pull off a shot as well.

Agree or Disagree?
[/quote]


The USGA has a goal of requiring short game and long putting. They succeeded. That said, the 14th green needs to be rebuilt. It is too sever for today's green speeds. The short cutting of the area around the green was also in error IMO.

[r9dhicks]

this right here is what is wrong with professional golf today. everybody who knows anything about golf knows that the US Open is supposed to be the toughest test of golf all year. so what part about the way pebble was set up did not support this? i mean jesus people, everyone is so used to seeing double digits under par, that when EVEN PAR, what a round of golf is based on, is the winning number, everyone freaks out. GET A GRIP, it was great US Open golf. I feel terrible for DJ, and and happy that Graeme won, he deserved it. Consistency wins the open. Always.

[hoganfan924]

Waaay too much luck involved on holes 7,14 and 17 IMO, the rest of the course seemed pretty fair to me.

[r9dhicks]

7 is a 92 yd chip shot, and is tough, true. 14 is made to be a 3 shot hole and par is respected, so props to mike davis. 17 is revered as one of the hardest par 3's in the game. nothing unfair about those.

[jons1]

did everyone face the same course, yes, so wouldn't that make it fair?

[JasonZ]

I think the USGA ruined what could have been and should have been a great showing for both talent and an unreal piece of property. I highly doubt anyone is getting on the phone today to make reservations to Pebble, which is a shame. Revenue is down 50% for Pebble and what was once a prize is now a joke. The course was set up to test who? No one wants to watch windmills, and I know I am not alone when I say if the top 150 had a tough going of it the USGA should be ashamed.

I agree the open should be difficult, the most difficult, the hardest of the hard. But the greens were past the point of bringing them back before the show even started, the pin placements were silly and no one wants to see 9's and 10's on 14.

The open is about theater, and there was none. It is the only other major that non-golfers actually will sit down and watch and with prime time coverage most thought at least from my conversations that "we" golfers are truly fools for playing this game. Trying to explain this is not what was supposed to happen it talking on deaf ears. I thought Tiger gave it to them good, and I welcome him tearing into Mike over the next month. The media had a field day with this. When you have to land the ball in a spot the size of a dinning room table on numerous greens, the course was set up wrong, just wrong.