One thing I've noticed about NSW from watching a bit of Day 1 is that some of the holes with crowned greens are actually more difficult during tournament week than they are otherwise - the galleries have trampled down the rough around the greens, which means that some balls that would stop in the thin rough just keep going right on down to the base of the hill. A pleasant contrast, methinks, to all the times that pros have errant shots kept from becoming even more errant by hitting people in the crowd!
I agree with the other posters - the course looks fantastic on TV. Not that Royal Melbourne didn't look great last week, mind you. I've got to say, it's a real shame that NSW and Pebble have to be played on the same weekend...really, shouldn't it be possible for a top pro to play all of the best courses available to him?
(BTW - Mike Clayton has made a nice start...+9 points, I believe, in the stableford system, good for a place in the Top 20 or thereabouts. Go Mike!)
Cheers,
Darren