Totally OT: Golf

[BobZag]

After watching today's U.S. Open, I've concluded golf can be the most frustrating sport in the world. How some guys avoid insanity is beyond me. I was pulling for Tiger and he couldn't make a birdie if his life depended on it, and others completely came undone. I'm beginning to think Mark Twain was right--

"Golf is a good walk spoiled."

lol. Congrats to Angel and Argentina. Few sports are as good to watch as a major like that, except it has to be maddening for all but one.

[LargeWilliam]

As my bubba and myself watched the open we mulled over why anyone would be a member at that course. We golf to relax. Granted there is some frustration (why do I alway seem to find that pond just to the left of the green on 7 no matter where my drive went?) but I have always insisted that the worst day on the golf course is always better than the best day at work. I just cannot imagine going out and playing Oakmont to unwind and have some fun. I'd rather commute on I-5 in LA.

[ExtremeJim]

The work the USGA does to set up any course for its Open championship sometimes gets overlooked. They let the grass grow over as much as two thirds of the width of the fairway that the members are accustomed to playing, and what the members play as "rough" may be allowed to grow as much as three feet high for the Open. I'm sure the Oakmont members are having the relaxation you crave, now that the mowers have restored the course to its normal, benevolent self.

Two years ago I had the "pleasure" of playing the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay, Oahu, one week before the Champions Tour event there in late January. The average fairway width was 20 yards, and that is a hard strip of short grass to hit; after three holes, I didn't even bother to try. I think I shot about 106, with my 13 handicap at the time. Touring pros, even the ones over 50, play a game we amateurs cannot even imagine.

Tuesday I got to play the new Chambers Bay links in South Tacoma (the formal opening is Saturday) and that is going to be the "must-play" experience in the Northwest for a long while. I understand 229SintoZag beat me by a couple, but we shared the thrill of getting our signatures on the document marking the final exam for the course management staff. It will be worth every penny you spend there. The greens are crazy slow, unlike any other course you will have played; a steep downhill 15-footer can stop 4 feet above the hole on you. There is one tree on the entire course, about a hundred feet behind the 15th green, so it's not in play. You can see every hole from the clubhouse, from various points on the University Place walking trail, and especially from the 8th and 9th holes. You can walk, jog, or cycle through the course without interfering with play.

[jbslicer]

Chamber's Bay

This course looks great. I've seen pictures of the course on a golf website.
$135-150 is a little steep but it's only money.

[longball]

A US Open setup is nothing that the average golfer will face in their lifetime. I was able to play Pebble Beach 3 weeks before a US Open and the difficulty was off the charts. I had played Pebble Beach before and my score was consistent with my handicap. When I played it prior to the Open, my score was at least 10-15 stroke higher --- primarily due to the rough. There were a few drives where I missed the fairway by 5 yards and I was in rough that was 6-10 inches deep. I must have found 20+ balls that day just walking around in the rough looking for my ball. I am sure the members at Oakmont don't have to face that rough every day.

Regarding Chambers Bay, it is a great layout and will be a must play. The greens will be slow for a few years until they grow in a bit.