2012 PGA Championship @ The Ocean Course

[George Pazin]

From the middle of the back set of tees, The Ocean Course measures 7,937 yards (not that it was designed to ever be played from there -- it only gives numerous set-up options.

I believe there are some posters who've actually played this imaginary maxed out course, possibly the toughest on the planet....

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

One club length off the back of the back tees.  I had one of the best rounds of my life and shot a 99!

[Nathan Cashwell]

#1 -- 395 - Par 3

Of course you mean it's a 395 yd. Par 4, unless they've changed it since I worked there in 2001.  We're not to the days of 395 yd. Par 3's yet, and hopefully never will be.

[Jerry Kluger]

The beauty of the Ocean Course in a tournament environment will not be its length.  With the wind blowing 10 to 15 mph the players will need to find the right strategy off the tee and then when they miss the greens they will need every bit of talent they have to think of the best type of recovery shot they will need to get up and down.  Sure there are deep bunkers and deep grasses around some greens but there are also areas where greens are raised and the surrounds are closely cut somewhat like Pinehurst #2 which require an entirely different shot to successfully recover.  It is great because of the variety of the holes and it should be a real test without ever needing to get back near 8,000 yards.  

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Having spoken to a quite a few players during the weather delay, the consenses is that the 4th hole is the scariest par 4 on the course.  Holes 5, 9, 10, 12 can also give the players real fits.  However, the 3rd requires an absolutely well struck shot to hold into a slight wind and a great shot to stop in a one club downwind shot.  It is only by luck that anything can hold in more than 1 club downwind.  The up and down is from about 7-12 feet below green level off of a very tightly mown height.

[Brent Hutto]

I just watched my recording of the Thursday round of the CPC. Caught Rob Deruntz's 15 minutes of fame making a nice birdie on the fourteenth hole.

The beauty of the Ocean Course in a tournament environment will not be its length.  With the wind blowing 10 to 15 mph the players will need to find the right strategy off the tee and then when they miss the greens they will need every bit of talent they have to think of the best type of recovery shot they will need to get up and down.

I watched a group playing the final five holes into about a 20mph breeze yesterday and that's all it takes to make the Ocean Course positively brutal. The fourteenth was set up for about 206 yards to the flag (back left) and anyone who had to hit a fairway wood to get there needed to land on the first few yards of the green to have any chance of keeping it from rolling off the back. The tee shot on fifteen seemed extremely daunting, sixteen was not even remotely a birdie hole and eighteen was playing like it was half a mile long. The flag on seventeen was front left and the tees were up to 180-ish so at least it was playable but it took a once in a lifetime shot to get it anywhere close to the flag.

The field averaged 79 yesterday and that's factoring in the morning groups who play five or ten holes before the wind picked up. Not a single player was under par for the day, even in the morning groups. Anyone who played in the afternoon without carding a double-bogey (or "other") played a hell of a round.