GCAer does well in Tough Qualifier

[AndrewB]

Jeez, I'm glad I caught the course yesterday before many of the par fours became par fives for me.

We definitely played the new tee on three, but I'm wondering whether we played the new tee on two also.  I don't think there was anything behind us.

Is there really room 20 yards behind the fifth tee for a new tee?

Evan, when you say making 17 a par five, do you mean for the US Open?  Do they play it as a par four and, if so, at what yardage?

I think 11 is plenty long as is, though we did play it into a pretty good breeze.

[Joel_Stewart]

We definitely played the new tee on three, but I'm wondering whether we played the new tee on two also.  I don't think there was anything behind us.

Is there really room 20 yards behind the fifth tee for a new tee?

Evan, when you say making 17 a par five, do you mean for the US Open?  Do they play it as a par four and, if so, at what yardage?

You didn't play #3 with the new yardage since the tee hasn't been grassed.   It will measure about 255 when completed next year for the US Amateur.  You did play a new tee on #3, but not the championship tee which will only be used for major championships.

As for #5, there is probably 100 yards if we wanted to go back that far.   Also the new tee on #2 hasn't been finished but you can plainly see it, I believe it adds an additional 39 yards.

[Evan_Green]

Evan, when you say making 17 a par five, do you mean for the US Open?  Do they play it as a par four and, if so, at what yardage?

For member play the 17th is a par 5 of approx 525 yards from the back (Black) tees.

For the US Open they have moved the tee essentially to where the member's senior tees and/or ladies tees are and play it as an approx. 470 yard, par 4 (uphill of course). This hole I believe is the most difficult in relation to par in the history of major championships. The problem is you almost cant keep the ball on the fairway when they trim to US Open speed fairways because of the left to right slope of the fairway. Then most guys are hitting long irons to woods into a green that's meant to be hit by a SW.

Well one of the rumors I heard is they would move the tee about 40 yards behind where the current Black tee is which is across the little road back there next to the 10th tee of the Ocean course. Then they would be able to make it a 565 yard par 5. That adds 100 yards on the scorecard. Funny thing is I dont think it would change the average score on the hole all that much.

[AndrewB]

You didn't play #3 with the new yardage since the tee hasn't been grassed.   It will measure about 255 when completed next year for the US Amateur.  You did play a new tee on #3, but not the championship tee which will only be used for major championships.

Ah, I see, thanks for clearing that up.  From the description of being "on the edge of the practice area", I thought that tee was the new championship tee since the practice green was right behind us.  Now I'm not sure where the championship tee will be located.  I probably missed seeing where it will go because I walked down the left side of the hole to get a feel for how the shot was playing (rather than hanging out on the tee while the backlog of groups played up), but there didn't appear to be a lot of room behind the one we played for a new tee.  Where exactly is it going to go?

The one we played is the back one in this picture (photo credits to Mike Benham):

[AndrewB]

For the US Open they have moved the tee essentially to where the member's senior tees and/or ladies tees are and play it as an approx. 470 yard, par 4 (uphill of course).

Wow, I almost feel bad for those guys.  But, everyone plays the same course.

This hole I believe is the most difficult in relation to par in the history of major championships.

I am not surprised.

[Mike Benham]

Where exactly is it going to go?

About 15 yards behind where this picture is taken is the edge of the practice chipping area.  It is elevated about 10 feet higher than this tee box.  Joel's numbers say it will be 255 yards ... downhill ...

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

My hat is off to the Greens Committee and Members of other committees at Olympic Lake who supported and drove home the tree removal and recent changes to the course. It was a job well done.

[Joel_Stewart]

Well one of the rumors I heard is they would move the tee about 40 yards behind where the current Black tee is which is across the little road back there next to the 10th tee of the Ocean course. Then they would be able to make it a 565 yard par 5. That adds 100 yards on the scorecard. Funny thing is I dont think it would change the average score on the hole all that much.

I think the USGA is set in stone to play it as a par 4, with a par 70.  I guess they could change their mind but we'll have to see how it plays next year at the Amateur.

[Mike Benham]

A reason why the USGA wants 17 as a par-4 is to avoid finishing with three consecutive short iron approach shots ...

[Kevin_Reilly]

A reason why the USGA wants 17 as a par-4 is to avoid finishing with three consecutive short iron approach shots ...

Glad to hear that 16 is still considered a short iron approach...we'll see next year if it is still unreachable.

[James Bennett]

Kevin and all

I assume it has not stopped raining since I left.  If so, the rough is unbelievably thick and demoralising.  The only reason Kevin and I could finish our wayward game a fortnight ago was that we found just as many balls in the rough as we lost.  They were literlally falling out of trees in places, and stayin up in others.  And disappearing into a watery but grassy grave on others.

If I had to play and count a stroke rround - well it would be a slow round for sure with a lot of hits  Ed Getka told me prior to plying that Olympic Lake Course can beat you up.  From the comments above and my experience, he is right.  The penalty on poor shots can be severe, if you are trying for too much (Often a par is too much) on any hole.

James B

[Joel_Stewart]

We've had 3 days of great sunny warm weather and I'm sure the course has been cut and the greens rolled in these last few days.   We have a big club tournament this weekend and the super always makes sure the course is in good but not too difficult conditions.  Furthermore the entire golf course sits on a sand dune so it drains almost perfectly.

[Jim Nugent]

How long do you guys think Olympic plays compared to ANGC?  It measures around 600 yards shorter now, tips to tips.  Any way to compare the two?  

[Evan_Green]

How long do you guys think Olympic plays compared to ANGC?  It measures around 600 yards shorter now, tips to tips.  Any way to compare the two?  

A couple of factors that make the yardages a play bit closer than 600 yards:

1. Olympic Lake for US Open is a par 70 (par 71 for members) vs. ANGC par 72

2. Heavier San Francisco air given Olympic Lake is right next to the Ocean and gets the dense fog - and subsequently less roll.

When the Lake is lengthened for the Open, it may very well play as long as the current ANGC. Probably by then however ANGC will be 8,000 yards  

[Kevin_Reilly]

ANGC has more elevation changes -- hard to compare the courses' effective length based on yardages.  OC played long enough for the long-hitting high schoolers two summers ago (US Junior Am)...let's see if they've gained distance between then and next summer's US Am.

But if I were to hazard a guess (I've never been to ANGC) I would say it likely plays longer, and perhaps significantly so, "tip for tip" than OC.

[Jim Nugent]

A couple of factors that make the yardages a play bit closer than 600 yards:

1. Olympic Lake for US Open is a par 70 (par 71 for members) vs. ANGC par 72

2. Heavier San Francisco air given Olympic Lake is right next to the Ocean and gets the dense fog - and subsequently less roll.

When the Lake is lengthened for the Open, it may very well play as long as the current ANGC. Probably by then however ANGC will be 8,000 yards  

How about uphill holes/shots?  Olympic has quite a few, doesn't it?  They can add a lot to playing length.  And downhill shots make a course play shorter.  How do the two courses compare there?  

Seems to me we should take rough into consideration too. Heavy rough normally makes a course play longer.  More irons/fairway woods off the tee.  Longer clubs into the greens out of the rough, and plenty of chopouts that turn par 4s into three shot holes.  

These points make 17 at Olympic especially diabolical during the open.  Real, real hard to hit that sloping fairway.  Equally hard to hit the green from the rough.  The entire hole is uphill, adding more to its length.  For all these reasons, 17 will play way way longer than 470.  Longer, e.g., than either 10 or 11 at ANGC?  

One way to compare "playing length" off the tee, might be to look at the average drives during tournament play on each course.  To keep things even, take only those golfers who play both events.  Say during the Masters they average 295, while at Olympic during the U.S. Open they average 275.  With 14 driving holes, seems to me Olympic just added 280 yards in playing length, on drives alone.  I'm making up the numbers, though I bet the pro's do average longer at ANGC.  

[Walt Cutshall]

That is one great looking golf course. Looks like a pretty high pucker factor on a lot of those approach shots.

[Glenn Spencer]

Is local knowledge more of a factor at Olympic than any of the other truly great championship courses in America? Is this a fair statement?

[Joel_Stewart]

Is local knowledge more of a factor at Olympic than any of the other truly great championship courses in America? Is this a fair statement?

Not really.  Jack Fleck, Scott Simpson and Lee Janzen didn't have any increased knowledge of the course.

I played Olympic today and the course was in amazing condition considering the rain.   They were able to cut the fairways and rough the last few days so it wasn't overly tough.  The rough is still fairly difficult but at least you could get the clubface on the ball.  The greens are very fast considering the time of the year and it looked like they had rolled them at least once this week.