US Open - Chambers Bay

[Laloosh]

Wow, Gary Player just trashes Chambers Bay. Said its the worst Golf Course he has seen in his entire life. He actually said some good stuff, and He thinks Tiger can come back, but he needs to listen to coaches who have actually won tournaments, and know what it's like to play in a big event.

Saw that. Seemed as angry about how much water it must require as anything else though.

 

[Tical21]

Gary Player is correct. It is a fun place for amateurs to try a bunch of different, neat shots, but it is just gimmick after gimmick for tour players. The walks are way too long. The elevation changes are way too drastic.

Also, it is the worst possible sporting event to view in person that you could imagine. I thought it was going to be perfect to have all the spectators on the higher mounds. You'd be able to see multiple holes at once. You'd be able to see landing areas and see the green for the approach shots. However, ALL of these mounds were roped off. So you're there, standing below the level of the course, with high mounds blocking your views in all directions. We were there for about three hours and had walked three miles, a lot of it uphill on gravel, before we got to see any golf shots at all. You've got thousands of people tucked into these little pockets where even the people in the front row can't see anything. If you want to watch any golf, your only opportunity was to sit in a grandstand, which were full most of the day, and you had to wait in line for an hour to get into one. Then, you get to watch the same approach shot all day, which you can't see at all because there isn't any tree-lining. You can't see the ball off the club. You see a swing, and then you try to watch the fairway or green from a few hundred yards away to see if you can find it when it lands. It is really strange for the spectators in the grandstands to have no idea where the balls are going.

There is zero chance the USGA ever goes back there. I have no idea whose idea it was to rope off all the mounds, but that would have at least changed the viewing experience. Sad when the walk is so brutal that a golfer faints in 75 degree weather. Those guys were out there just trying to survive the walk, and I bet you a bunch of guys that missed the cut are glad that they did. I gave away my tickets for Sunday, I'm going to watch on tv, and at least have the opportunity to watch a couple of golf shots.

 

[ratso]

Gary Player is correct. It is a fun place for amateurs to try a bunch of different, neat shots, but it is just gimmick after gimmick for tour players. The walks are way too long. The elevation changes are way too drastic.

Also, it is the worst possible sporting event to view in person that you could imagine. I thought it was going to be perfect to have all the spectators on the higher mounds. You'd be able to see multiple holes at once. You'd be able to see landing areas and see the green for the approach shots. However, ALL of these mounds were roped off. So you're there, standing below the level of the course, with high mounds blocking your views in all directions. We were there for about three hours and had walked three miles, a lot of it uphill on gravel, before we got to see any golf shots at all. You've got thousands of people tucked into these little pockets where even the people in the front row can't see anything. If you want to watch any golf, your only opportunity was to sit in a grandstand, which were full most of the day, and you had to wait in line for an hour to get into one. Then, you get to watch the same approach shot all day, which you can't see at all because there isn't any tree-lining. You can't see the ball off the club. You see a swing, and then you try to watch the fairway or green from a few hundred yards away to see if you can find it when it lands. It is really strange for the spectators in the grandstands to have no idea where the balls are going.

There is zero chance the USGA ever goes back there. I have no idea whose idea it was to rope off all the mounds, but that would have at least changed the viewing experience. Sad when the walk is so brutal that a golfer faints in 75 degree weather. Those guys were out there just trying to survive the walk, and I bet you a bunch of guys that missed the cut are glad that they did. I gave away my tickets for Sunday, I'm going to watch on tv, and at least have the opportunity to watch a couple of golf shots.

Thanks for that write-up. I was seriously thinking of snagging a ticket on craigslist or stubhub and joining my brother up in Tacoma for Saturday's round. After reading your post, I'm glad I didn't. Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is the lack of shade, as in TREES. Walking around all day with no respite from the sun?.....No thanks..

 

[Tical21]

Gary Player is correct. It is a fun place for amateurs to try a bunch of different, neat shots, but it is just gimmick after gimmick for tour players. The walks are way too long. The elevation changes are way too drastic.

Also, it is the worst possible sporting event to view in person that you could imagine. I thought it was going to be perfect to have all the spectators on the higher mounds. You'd be able to see multiple holes at once. You'd be able to see landing areas and see the green for the approach shots. However, ALL of these mounds were roped off. So you're there, standing below the level of the course, with high mounds blocking your views in all directions. We were there for about three hours and had walked three miles, a lot of it uphill on gravel, before we got to see any golf shots at all. You've got thousands of people tucked into these little pockets where even the people in the front row can't see anything. If you want to watch any golf, your only opportunity was to sit in a grandstand, which were full most of the day, and you had to wait in line for an hour to get into one. Then, you get to watch the same approach shot all day, which you can't see at all because there isn't any tree-lining. You can't see the ball off the club. You see a swing, and then you try to watch the fairway or green from a few hundred yards away to see if you can find it when it lands. It is really strange for the spectators in the grandstands to have no idea where the balls are going.

There is zero chance the USGA ever goes back there. I have no idea whose idea it was to rope off all the mounds, but that would have at least changed the viewing experience. Sad when the walk is so brutal that a golfer faints in 75 degree weather. Those guys were out there just trying to survive the walk, and I bet you a bunch of guys that missed the cut are glad that they did. I gave away my tickets for Sunday, I'm going to watch on tv, and at least have the opportunity to watch a couple of golf shots.

Thanks for that write-up. I was seriously thinking of snagging a ticket on craigslist or stubhub and joining my brother up in Tacoma for Saturday's round. After reading your post, I'm glad I didn't. Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is the lack of shade, as in TREES. Walking around all day with no respite from the sun?.....No thanks..

It's cool to be able to say that I went to a US Open, but that is about it. I put sunscreen on before I left, but I am still painfully beet red today. There is no refuge. Somehow all of the tents are positioned to where the shade created from them is behind the ropes also. My dad propped up his cheer next to a hospitality tent in the shade where he could see a big tv screen and stayed there for the last 3-4 hours. You made the right decision. Let me know if your brother had the same experience I did.

 

[ratso]

Gary Player is correct. It is a fun place for amateurs to try a bunch of different, neat shots, but it is just gimmick after gimmick for tour players. The walks are way too long. The elevation changes are way too drastic.

Also, it is the worst possible sporting event to view in person that you could imagine. I thought it was going to be perfect to have all the spectators on the higher mounds. You'd be able to see multiple holes at once. You'd be able to see landing areas and see the green for the approach shots. However, ALL of these mounds were roped off. So you're there, standing below the level of the course, with high mounds blocking your views in all directions. We were there for about three hours and had walked three miles, a lot of it uphill on gravel, before we got to see any golf shots at all. You've got thousands of people tucked into these little pockets where even the people in the front row can't see anything. If you want to watch any golf, your only opportunity was to sit in a grandstand, which were full most of the day, and you had to wait in line for an hour to get into one. Then, you get to watch the same approach shot all day, which you can't see at all because there isn't any tree-lining. You can't see the ball off the club. You see a swing, and then you try to watch the fairway or green from a few hundred yards away to see if you can find it when it lands. It is really strange for the spectators in the grandstands to have no idea where the balls are going.

There is zero chance the USGA ever goes back there. I have no idea whose idea it was to rope off all the mounds, but that would have at least changed the viewing experience. Sad when the walk is so brutal that a golfer faints in 75 degree weather. Those guys were out there just trying to survive the walk, and I bet you a bunch of guys that missed the cut are glad that they did. I gave away my tickets for Sunday, I'm going to watch on tv, and at least have the opportunity to watch a couple of golf shots.

Thanks for that write-up. I was seriously thinking of snagging a ticket on craigslist or stubhub and joining my brother up in Tacoma for Saturday's round. After reading your post, I'm glad I didn't. Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is the lack of shade, as in TREES. Walking around all day with no respite from the sun?.....No thanks..

It's cool to be able to say that I went to a US Open, but that is about it. I put sunscreen on before I left, but I am still painfully beet red today. There is no refuge. Somehow all of the tents are positioned to where the shade created from them is behind the ropes also. My dad propped up his cheer next to a hospitality tent in the shade where he could see a big tv screen and stayed there for the last 3-4 hours. You made the right decision. Let me know if your brother had the same experience I did.

I certainly will.

 

[bigtrain21]

Who fainted Tical?

 

[Tical21]

Who fainted Tical?

Jason Day, like 15 feet in front of us. Luckily, it was his last hole of the day. He actually got up and finished after a long delay. He was later treated for vertigo it sounds like.

 

[bigtrain21]

Who fainted Tical?

Jason Day, like 15 feet in front of us. Luckily, it was his last hole of the day. He actually got up and finished after a long delay. He was later treated for vertigo it sounds like.

I figured that was who you were incorrectly referring to. He didn't faint. He has been having a problem with vertigo that has caused him to miss previous tournaments. You can't blame the course for that.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

When I was in the philippines, we were authorized to carry umbrellas for the rain we all got. I am kinda surprised they dont take those there too. Lonely Pine is the name of one of the holes...because it is the only pine on the course. Shade must be paramount there and I would have probably tried to bring either a chair with cover or an umbrella. Thanks for the updates all and the wisdom behind them. Be happy.

 

[Tical21]

Who fainted Tical?

Jason Day, like 15 feet in front of us. Luckily, it was his last hole of the day. He actually got up and finished after a long delay. He was later treated for vertigo it sounds like.

I figured that was who you were incorrectly referring to. He didn't faint. He has been having a problem with vertigo that has caused him to miss previous tournaments. You can't blame the course for that.

I follow him quite closely since he is Filipino, and my favorite current golfer, and I've seen a few of his vertigo spells. They were nothing like this. I was sitting feet away from him when he went down. If you want to see a guy go down from being dizzy from dehydration in the heat, that is what it looks like. Water and cooling would not help somebody recover from vertigo.

 

[Tical21]

When I was in the philippines, we were authorized to carry umbrellas for the rain we all got. I am kinda surprised they dont take those there too. Lonely Pine is the name of one of the holes...because it is the only pine on the course. Shade must be paramount there and I would have probably tried to bring either a chair with cover or an umbrella. Thanks for the updates all and the wisdom behind them. Be happy.

They weren't allowing chairs with backs or covers. I should have taken an umbrella though, although you wouldn't be able to use it in the grandstands.

 

[ratso]

Wow. Gary Player ripped Chambers Bay a new one.


Gary Player with an epic rant on Golf Channel's Morning Drive


It began simple enough, with an innocuous question on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive on Saturday. “Good morning, Mr. Player, how are you?” Golf Channel's Damon Hack asked.

The answer, if it can be called that, was more of a world-class rant from Gary Player, all this delivered, or so it seemed, without his stopping to take a breath. Here is the video, followed by the transcript:

“I’m standing in the most beautiful state in the world, Washington, Seattle, unbelievably beautiful, and we play this U.S. Open, this great championship, a group of people, the USGA that I have great respect for, but this has been the most unpleasant golf tournament I’ve seen in my life. I mean, the man who designed this golf course had to have had one leg shorter than the other. It’s hard to believe you see a man miss the green by one yard and the ball ends up 50 yards down in the rough.

“Imagine, this is a public golf course. This is where we try to encourage people to come out and play and get more people to play the game…It’s actually a tragedy. It’s 7,900 yards long. The world is suffering from a shortage of water. Can you imagine the water this course will take?

“An average golfer playing this golf course, I’m telling you, if he’s a 15, 16-handicap, he’s going to shoot 110 and he’s not going to go home a very happy man. We’ve got to make golf where it’s quicker, where it’s more enjoyable, get back to their family. We don’t want a husband and wife to argue because he’s taking too long and neglecting his family life.

“We’re going about it in the wrong way. The golf balls, and this is happening, why they’re building these crazy golf course is because it’s in defense of the ball going too far. We’ve got to cut the ball back for the pro golfer, leave it for the amateur golfer. We’re making golf courses longer and longer. More expenses, more water, more fertilizer, more labor. They’re taking a beautiful golf course, making undulating greens, bunkers in front of the greens, and the folks are resigning from golf in numbers as far as amateurs are concern [that] are down. We don’t want to see that. We love the game. We’ve got to promote it in the right way.

“Professional golf has never been so healthy. But we’re in trouble amateur-wise.”




http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loo ... -rant.html

 

[Tical21]

The one thing that kind of eats at me, and this is a bit silly, is that we are the Evergreen State. Sahali is a great representation of our state. Chambers Bay just doesn't look like a Washington State course. We should have tight, tree lined holes. There is only one tree on Chambers. Here we are, showing ourselves off to the rest of the world, and what they're seeing isn't us. I know, kinda stupid, just annoys me a bit.

 

[ratso]

The one thing that kind of eats at me, and this is a bit silly, is that we are the Evergreen State. Sahali is a great representation of our state. Chambers Bay just doesn't look like a Washington State course. We should have tight, tree lined holes. There is only one tree on Chambers. Here we are, showing ourselves off to the rest of the world, and what they're seeing isn't us. I know, kinda stupid, just annoys me a bit.

I agree. The tourney is actually pretty exciting. The crowd favorite Jason Day is making a run, just 1 back.

 

[DTexHawk]

If anyone gets out there today, please get rid of the idiots who are yelling "bababooie" or "get in the hole" after tee shots on par 4's and 5's.
As to Fox, their coverage has been poor. They aren't showing enough golf, going back to Buck or Menefee for updates and talk. Show me the golf!!!! Interviewers are horrible. Asking golfer's about other golfer's rather than asking about their game.

Of course the reason may be because their camera work is horrible, you can't see the ball. But at least they have mics in the holes. :sarcasm_off:

And Go Spieth!!!

 

[ratso]

If anyone gets out there today, please get rid of the idiots who are yelling "bababooie" or "get in the hole" after tee shots on par 4's and 5's.
As to Fox, their coverage has been poor. They aren't showing enough golf, going back to Buck or Menefee for updates and talk. Show me the golf!!!! Interviewers are horrible. Asking golfer's about other golfer's rather than asking about their game.

Of course the reason may be because their camera work is horrible, you can't see the ball. But at least they have mics in the holes. :sarcasm_off:

And Go Spieth!!!

I'm thinking those idiots go home after the round and get their jollies by listening to their shrieks on their DVR.

 

[mbtitleist]

So just a few minutes ago I lost Fox. Luckily the leaders don't tee off for almost another two hours so hopefully this gets fixed before them.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

So just a few minutes ago I lost Fox. Luckily the leaders don't tee off for almost another two hours so hopefully this gets fixed before them.

You can stream it on USopen.com. I was on Thursday and Friday for a while. They I believe also have select groups too.

 

[mbtitleist]

So just a few minutes ago I lost Fox. Luckily the leaders don't tee off for almost another two hours so hopefully this gets fixed before them.

You can stream it on USopen.com. I was on Thursday and Friday for a while. They I believe also have select groups too.

Luckily we got it back around 2pm. I have been using the app the last three days because I haven't been home during most of the coverage.

 

[mbtitleist]

Whether or not you like the golf course you can't deny that it's been great to watch down the stretch.