U.S. Open 2019: USGA Confidential
golfdigest.com/story/usga-confidentialPosted May 30, 2019, 1:51 PM UTC
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I gave up after quite a few quotes with a lot more to go, but I think there is a lot of damned if you do, damned if you don't for the USGA. Do I think they handle the US Open perfectly, hell no. But at the same time, no matter what you do, someone is going to complain.
There's just a lot of force being pulled at a lot of different angles and that creates conflict. Yes you have tour players complaining about bad set ups and course conditions, but at the same time, tour players have gotten a little soft in what they consider "playable", and dislike golf that breaks the status quo if it has the opportunity to embarrass them.
On the other hand, you have the USGA deciding that they want the US Open to protect par. I don't know that I think it should be as important as they do, and that there is a line between difficult and unfair, and they've crossed it on more than one occasion. But do you know who really enjoyed the set up at Shinnecock last year? r/golf did. So many people posted about how they loved watching the pros play poorly. The USGA has sold protecting par and "Golf's Greatest Test" to their viewing audience, and I think if they decided to make the course more playable, a lot of people would be upset.
I think the ultimate compromise, and the thing I think the USGA is sort of trying, but failing miserably at, is making the courses more difficult, but still fair. Tighten the fairways more, and create more difficult course navigation. I think that's how you make it tougher while not ruining the game. Having players hit the dead center of the green, and then having the ball roll 40 yards off the green to a runoff area isn't fair and it isn't entertaining. You can make a golf course play difficult, but still be fair. But the USGA just can't seem to figure that out.
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I think their biggest issue is not deferring to the local greens keeper with regards to how to maintain the courses. This was very evident at Shinnecock the last two times when they were advised to water the course and they didn't, and the greens turned into packed dirt with dead grass that couldn't hold a shot. They need to work with the local crews who understand their environment and their course.
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Tighten the fairways more, and create more difficult course navigation.
I was encouraged by the interview that Pebble's Pro did on the Fried Egg podcast a while back. He basically said just that. The fairways will be very narrow and the greens are already small, so there's no reason to make them THAT much more difficult.
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Yeah, I actually think this year is going to go well. I know people have argued the contrary, but I kind of feel like you can't really screw up Pebble. But I also think part of it is that Pebble is such an Anti-US Open course at this point, like if it wasn't historic, it wouldn't get chosen.
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100% agree. I forget where I read/heard it, but somebody called it "America's St. Andrews."
You don't mess around with such history.
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I kind of feel like you can't really screw up Pebble.
You can if you don't water the greens when you are told to.
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They could screw it up, but I hope not. Should be fun to watch!
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Mike Davis is cancer for golf. The formula for the US Open is simple. TIGHT fairways, very long rough, greens running around 13. There is ZERO reason for 60 yard wide fairways.
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Like others I only made it halfway through. I think this is great for golf, lots of controversy, everyone talking about it, people on both sides may not agree about the USGA, but both sides are talking about it.
I think the US Open should be about tight fairways, rough that increases the farther you get away from the fairway and greens that are fast. But today, people wanna see these guys bomb 350 yard drives. It's all about long and straight. How many commercials do you see for putters?
It should expose a players weakness at some point and reward those with a complete game, not just guys that can drive 350. I hope we get to see complete games and the greens stay where they are...even when the sun and the winds come up in the afternoon.
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Admittedly, I'm not big into following the USGA, but from a distance, I get a weird creepy vibe from them. The USGA are like the Trilateral Commission or something...it has less to do about golf and more to do about who you are, who you know and if are accepted into their cult.