Another hole I didn't study as much.

Here's the relevant info:

Green   477
Blue   462
White   459
Red   431



This very difficult, blind, uphill driving hole has a severe ditch left and severe pot bunkers right.  This pivotal hole, which plays as a par 5 for the members, will play as a long par 4 for the U.S. Open.  The huge severely undulating green also serves as the practice putting green.

I'll try to add more later.

Making the turn fact of the week:

Here's the list of men's Open winners at Oakmont:

1927
Tommy Armour

1935
Sam Parks

1953
Ben Hogan

1962
Jack Nicklaus

1973
Johnny Miller

1983
Larry Nelson

1994
Ernie Els

Pretty damn impressive list.

Week 8: The 8th at Oakmont

Was this hole played as a par 4 or par 5 in previous Open's?  I seem to remember this one from TV coverage in '94 and thought that guys were occasionally hitting woods into #9 and making birdies, but 477 from the tips sounds like a possible US Open par 4 even in '94 before the technology changes.  477 in 2007 is bordering on driver/wedge the way some of these guys hit it.

I have never been there, so don't mean to bog down the thread with an obvious question to Oakmont experts.  I just have this memory of Tom Watson hitting a 3 wood close on #9 one of the days and almost making eagle.  

Thanks...

.....and just for fun

I like the hole as a par five.  If the drive finds fairway, this is one hole you feel that birdie is possible.  Just aim at the flagpole and let 'er rip.

In 1994, the ninth hole was played as a par 5 at 474 yards.  Players were going for the green with fairway woods/metals.  However this very large green is divided by ridges, valleys and tilting surfaces which allows for many hole locations, however each has a vey small effective area from which to one-putt.  What happened in '94 was that while reaching the green in two was not unusual, one-putting for eagle was.  Getting close to the hole by playing a lower trajectory shot with a longer club to an uphill green was not that easy.  That was 13 years ago.  With today's clubs, balls and players, I think making it a par 4 will make for a whole bunch of exciting par putts.

The huge green is quite unique.  The entire back half of the ninth green is the putting green which is still in play.  And the general slope of the green is from back to front.  however, starting about 5 paces from the right front of the green is a raised section called the "piano top" that tilts severely from left to right and slightly front to back.  Holes cut on the "piano top" are the most difficult to access and the putting is very dicey.  Keep in mind the greens at Oakmont are always rolling at 10 to 12 feet.

Because of the three basic plateaus that make up the front half of the green (each of a different width and slope but all tilting from left to right)  a ball played to the left side of the green would have a path to a hole cut on the "piano top" that goes downhill, uphill, downhill, uphill then downhill to the hole.  And yes, as it climbs over the ridges that transition to the next plateau, left and right breaks will need to be considered, then as the putt begins to lose speed on its last downhill run, it will break considerably.

To see some great golf action at this year's Open, I'm going to plant myself on the veranda just behind the green and take bets on two-putts.

Severe ditch, severe pot bunkers, severely undulating green maybe the club's website author needs a severe word on his/her limited lexicon.

Thankfully, "Ol' Man Yates" did not write about his days there in the 1910s. My two cents: No. 9 is good either way (4 or 5). I do think that a short five — in the mind of a golfer — causes more decisions. With a short five there is very good opportunity for EAGLE...and EAGLE is much more to brag about than BIRDIE. This is psychology. While the scores are the same, the journey and result is somehow different.

Some things to note:

It is a par 5 for members and the like due to the very uphill nature of the hole, especially on the tee shot.

Check out the "whoopsee doo" part of the green - very cool, and interesting that it's on what is the open entry side of the green.

I noted guys hitting 5 irons into the green during the practice round for the Am.

"...and EAGLE is much more to brag about than BIRDIE. This is psychology. While the scores are the same, the journey and result is somehow different." - "Woody" Richardson

Woody, those playing in this year's Open can find plenty to brag about by making scads of EAGLES on the countless Par 5 holes - that should be played as Par 4's - on every tour stop before and after the Open.  Since today's technology apparently allows for a drive and a 5-iron on #9, why then shouldn't holes playing with a drive and 7-iron be considered a Par 5?  They could really brag then.

Back in 1910 when I played regularly, Hole #1 was a Par 5, it is now a Par 4.  If you look at the course map and scorecard you'll see that holes #1 and #9 are almost equal in distance.

I say let the pros play this fantastic hole as a Par 4 and brag when they make birdie.

A "whoopsie-do area", also known as a JIC, JICYFU, or JICYRFU (figure it out!), is an area of yardages that probably shouldn't be necessary but they include it anyway - for example, 75 yards to the green on a 460 yard par-4.

 "whoopsie-do" is associated with quickly changing slopes that bounce one around.  Matt might be speaking of "whoop-de-do" meaning "so what" or "no big deal". This is very technical language, so I'm not sure

So players will be practicing their putting on the back part of the 9th green?  That is to say, if a player overclubs on his approach shot, his ball will come to rest at the feet of other competitors?  Or is there another putting green, and this one will be used exclusively for the 9th green?

Whoopsie-do about the whoopsie-do.

Is there a ridge or other demarcation between the 9th green area and practice green area?