Because I lost our bet: Jason Kidd is an excellent human being, an incredible athlete and an even better golfer.
Even though I didn’t catch any of the US Amateur action last week at Chambers Bay, it doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about it and wishing I were. Whenever someone in the golf biz hears my roots are in the Seattle area, they ask, “Have you played Chambers Bay yet?” The answer is no. At least not yet. But you bet I will before the US Open rolls into town in 2015.
I relied on my friend and fellow writer Tony Dear for updates via email on Chambers and the event. I knew the reviews would be mixed because it’s a new venue and different (and we know how the pros feel about those two traits, but the amateurs are more receptive). Being that Tony is British and a good golfer, I trust his judgment when it comes to “links golf.”
A week ago I wrote, “So? What’s the consensus? Does it suck or what? I saw [Ryan] Moore today and remembered the harsh words he had for it back in June.”
Tony’s response:
When [Moore] was here in June, the week before the US Open, they had just punched the greens apparently and they putted like crap. He actually called Mike Davis to say how bad they were.
But the course is fantastic. It’s playing much like a genuine links. I know non-golfers would look at it and think it looks awful, but what do they know, right? I spoke with Davis on the phone this afternoon. He said it was just what he wanted.
On Monday I asked Tony for the final verdict.
Really impressed. It was enjoyable to watch the players figuring out the angles.
There’s nothing more boring for spectators when they know that 99% of shots are going to end up in the same place on the green because of the firmness of the surfaces, and that was starting to happen early in the week. But Mike Davis and Larry Gilhuly sorted it out, flooding the greens on Tuesday evening and making it more playable for Wednesday. Firm and fast is great, but when you lose control of the course and players can’t avoid hitting it in certain spots no matter how good a shot they hit, then it gets a bit silly.
Thankfully that didn’t happen, and I think it turned out well. The players were very complimentary and everyone in the media center seemed to think it was great too.
Tony also wrote a piece about Chambers/the Am in Global Golf Post here.
Oh, and in case you didn’t already know, Peter Uihlein beat Peter Chung in the finals. Also, it appears that the USGA was thrilled with the Chambers Bay experiment and expects to make plenty of adjustments by the time the US Opens rolls around. Hopefully that includes making it safer for spectators.
Watched a lot of the match play coverage on the weekend and absolutely loved the look of the course. I’m partial to links courses having played quite a few overseas and this one looks like the real deal. It’s certainly nothing like Whistling Straits. It’s brown, it’s hard, and it’s super fast.
My concerns after watching the Am are these: They said it stretches to 7700. As fast as it plays, I’m not certain this will even be enough length. These kids were hitting some drives 360+. It’ll feel miles shorter than BPB @ 7450 (and wet).
Other concern is the greens. They seem to have so much undulation, that the pins will likely either funnel, or be laughably difficult. However, I disagree with Tony about not enjoying watching the balls funnel… that was great fun – a bit of a break from the usual one-hop-stick target golf. These Ams played the hell out of the greens. Some luck, but a lot of strategy. Miss on the wrong side of a ridge and a 2-putt is simply not possible. Or unlikely at best. Pin positions will have to be chosen very carefully for the Open though, otherwise those guys will exploit them.
But I’m confident Mike Davis will set it up just right. I cannot wait for this event. Too bad it’s 5 years away!
Daniel is right in saying that Chambers Bay probably won’t play its longest. In the 2008 US Open, Torrey Pines played to a maximum of ~7600 yards, but they never played any of the round with every tee stretched all the way back.
i’ve played it and it really is beautiful and fun to play. the train comes by every now and then so you need to watch for the whistle in your backswing. on 18, there is an old brick warehouse in ruins without a roof that creates a cool echo as you hit your last tee shot.
so surprising that a piece of land could be so great just next to industrial (and sometimes stinky) tacoma. it feels like you’re a world away.
Daniel,
I agree with you absolutely; balls sticking on the green regardless of how well they’ve been struck is obviously no good at all. But I also think having every single shot end up in exactly the same part of the green when they pitched in different spots is also pretty boring. That’s what happened on the 7th at Shinnecock in 2004. No matter where shots were pitching, or how well they’d been struck, they all seemed to run off the green into the same spot. On the 3rd hole of the first round in Sunday’s final, I watched Uihlein pitch his tee shot about five yards onto the green. The ball bounced and ran to the back. Chung then pitched his ball about ten yards short of the green but the ball ran to within a few feet of Uihlein’s. Pretty much the same thing happened in the afternoon. Somebody told me that’s exactly what was happening on the 1st as well. No matter where players’ approach shots pitched, balls were running off into a collection area short and left of the green. If it’s inevitable balls will end up in the same place, it gets very dull.
Yeah Tony. The USGA will have to be careful where they put pins or the pros will eat them up. And as we all know, no birdie fests allowed at the US Open.
I just enjoyed watching the pinball action this past weekend. Lots of creativity, and most of those players had little to no experience on true links play. But they adapted quickly.
Only disappointment came with Tim Jackson – local career amateur legend – losing in the first round of match play.
I hear you. I watched him in the first round at Sahalee four weeks ago. He was brilliant. Shame he couldn’t maintain that form all week.
And he just came up against a very strong opponent in Scott Langley at Chambers Bay. That was probably the best match of the first round.