Top 10 Bomber's Paradises

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

Suppose that you could put a foursome together that included:

J.B. Holmes
Bubba Watson
John Daly
Camillo Villegas

What would be the ten best courses to showcase their talents?  What course(s) would you pay to see the slugfest on TV?

Be realistic - I am not advocating that the bombing style of play is best.  I am just trying to identify courses that place a premium driving distance and not accuracy.

I'll reveal why I am asking after the 25th response.

JWK

[Chris Kane]

St Andrews Beach

[Jordan Wall]

Kapalua Plantation.

I cringe when I think about the possibility of hitting a 7-iron into #18.

[PCCraig]

The Glen Club in Glenview, IL is about as wide open as any golf course I can think of off the top of my head. I remember watching Carmillo play the LaSalle Bank there last year...and it didn't look like he was holding back much.

[Tony_Chapman]

The Old Course, Sand Hills, Wild Horse, just off the top of my head.

[JWL]

The Summit at Cordillera
Eagle, Colorado

at 9000 +  feet elevation and fairly wide open on many holes, there would undoubtedly be some monster blasts.  

The scenery isn't too shabby either.

[Matt MacIver]

Prestwick -- 6550 yards, with all four of 'em trying wildly to drive the blind par 4s.

Edit: I WOULD pay to see them flail about, plus the scenary...but I guess Prestwick doesn't meet the accuracy criteria.  

[Dan_Callahan]

Those guys at Newport CC with a stiff 30 mph wind would be fun as hell to watch.

[Dan Kelly]

Crooked Stick? Or have they Daly-proofed it since then?

[John_Conley]

Be realistic - I am not advocating that the bombing style of play is best.  I am just trying to identify courses that place a premium driving distance and not accuracy.

Shoot, the PGA Tour's Q-School at Orange County National seems to be a good example of driving distance.  7400 at sea level for each course.

[ForkaB]

I'd like to see them play any one of the top courses which play at 6500-6700 yards, e.g.:

NGLA
Dornoch
TOC (medal tees)
Cypress
Rye
etc.

I think that on these courses, those guys could bomb away with impunity as long as they kept it in the park, and it would be interesting to see where they played their second shots from if they were playing for fun and not under tournament conditions.

[Kevin Pallier]

Dare I say Royal Melbourne

[Chris Kane]

Kevin, I would nominate RM too, except that the professionals at the Heineken tend to hit lots of 2-irons and 3-woods off the tee.  Its not as wide as you think 330m off the tee!  The only holes where its a driver every day for them are 1E, 2E, 17E, 2W, 11W and 18E.  Watson or Holmes would have to be insane  to hit driver on 18W, or example.

 

[Mark_F]

St Andrews Beach

Chris,

You're mad.

None of the abovementioned players have a short game, nor can they putt particularly well - otherwise they would be much further up the money list than they are.

St Andrews Beach would eat them alive in that department, half wedge in or not. In fact, their length would probably count against them for that very reason.

And why would Watson be insane to use driver at RM West?
He used one at Huntingdale, and that's a lot narrower.

[Chris Kane]

John Daly doesn't have a short game?    St Andrews Beach is a bomber's paradise - they could hit driver on almost every hole.  If you're looking for a course to showcase long hitting, I can't think of a better one I've seen.

Did you actually watch Watson at Huntingdale?  He hit mainly rescue clubs and 3-woods off the tee, only using driver on holes like 9 and 18 where the fairway is wide.

I'll continue to back the argument I made to you at Kingston Heath - St Andrews Beach would be eaten alive by big hitting PGA Tour professionals.  Thats no indictment on the course, but tough it is not.

[Matthew Mollica]

I can't believe noone has mentioned Moonah Links (Open).

What course is more rewarding and inviting of smashing it as long as you can, with no real fear of any significant penalty for errant shots?

Too long for anyone other than PGA professionals. No bends in the fairways, and no dogleg or use of topography to encourage an accurate shot, played with a club shorter than the driver. No trees lining the fairways, and no massive emphasis on an angle of attach to any particular green. Especially with PW or lower in one's hand.

The course is tailor made for this. Much to the expense, I hasten to add, of the members of the public who are supposed to pay for the privilege of playing it with enjoyment for 51 weeks of the year. After all, it's their green fees keeping the place running!

Matthew

[Andrew Thomson]

None of the abovementioned players have a short game, nor can they putt particularly well

Daly is a two-time major winner who won the Open at TOC and he doesn't have a short game??

Camillo has an exceptional short game also, but I haven't seen much of the other two blokes to comment.

But to suggest Daly doesn't have a short game and can't putt is outrageous.  

[Glenn Spencer]

Camargo?  When the US Amateur qualifier is there, the good players from the area would shoot about 137-139 on this par 70 and then the real  guns from Australia started to come in on their way to or from the Western Amateur and the number dropped like crazy. 131 , 133 they were shooting some great scores there. I can't think of any drives that 'scare' me and I am a complete hack compared to them, so I would think the same for them. The long par 4's have room and the shorter ones an iron is the play, the par 5's are reachable, but 17 would be nice to have 6-iron instead of 3-4. I think a big difference would also be how they take on #3. They can drive it greenside and to the flat much easier than most.

[Mike Benham]

Rustic Canyon ...

[Jordan Wall]

How about Kiawah from the 7900 yard tips?

I wanna hear what James is thinking..

[mark chalfant]

Maidstone   open and windy

NCR  brilliant course for tee shots, some reqiuire shaping



Rustic Canyon- nice width

Pradera   many stunning elevated tees   photogenic

Inwood

[Mark_F]

What course is more rewarding and inviting of smashing it as long as you can, with no real fear of any significant penalty for errant shots?

Too long for anyone other than PGA professionals. No bends in the fairways, and no dogleg or use of topography to encourage an accurate shot, played with a club shorter than the driver. No trees lining the fairways, and no massive emphasis on an angle of attach to any particular green. Especially with PW or lower in one's hand.

The course is tailor made for this. Much to the expense, I hasten to add, of the members of the public who are supposed to pay for the privilege of playing it with enjoyment for 51 weeks of the year. After all, it's their green fees keeping the place running!

Matthew

Matt,

Does it have any redeeming deatures then?

Chris and Thommo,

If Daly has a short game and a hot putter,then where is he?

And why do you need a great short game at The Old Course?  

Chris,

I know you meant it as no indictment of St Andrews Beach.   But I will stick with Brett and mine's proposition - they wouldn't eat it alive.  

[George Pazin]

I don't think the question was whether or not they'd eat it alive, just that distance is overly favored versus accuracy.

Bombers would love my home muni, North Park GC, it's about as open as any course I've ever seen.

[Chris Kane]

Mark, you saw how Anthony played St Andrews Beach - almost every par-4 was a wedge or half-wedge in.  The four players listed are 30-50m longer.  They way they play the game is hard to contemplate, its that different from what you see week-to-week at any golf club.  

I don't think you appreciate just how good PGA Tour players are at pitching and chipping, even those who are "weak" in that category.  From 80m a bad shot for them is 15ft.  At least 2/10 will be to tap-in range.

John Daly has a terrific short game, high on the money list or not.  The contours on the greens at St Andrews Beach challenge the member-golfer playing from 150m, they don't have anywhere near the same effectiveness for a pro playing from 60m.

I struggle to see a hole besdies the par-3's at St Andrews Beach which isn't a birdie opportunity for these guys.  They'd have to do something dumb to make bogey on most of them too.  They would eat it alive, scoring between 61 and 66.  Next time one of them is down for an Aussie tournament, why don't you invite him to test our theories?

[Mark_F]

I certainly will, Chris.  

As long as they are someonw whose company I am interested in keeping for four hours, of course.

And remember, Geoff Ogilvy is a member.  He certainly didn't burn up the holes I saw him play, much less come near to making birdies.

Shane's magnificent effort on 9 and 10 the GCA day was much more impressive.