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Phil McDade

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Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #25 on: September 06, 2006, 11:04:57 PM »
"$150 seems pretty steep for an unproven course in that neck of the woods."

Ed:

OK, we don't have views of the Golden Gate Bridge out here in Cheeseland, but this place isn't a total cow pasture, either.

There have been a bunch of courses that have opened in Wisconsin in the past decade or so that have fees around (or higher than) what Erin Hills is charging. Herb set the standard with the River Course, but both the Haven courses -- Straits and Irish, along with River and Valley in Kohler -- as well as the Bull in Sheboygan Falls, Lehman's Troy Burne course along the Mississippi near Hudson, several "publics" in the Milwaukee area (the Bog, the Trevino/Player/Palmer troika in Lake Geneva) all regularly charge a standard fee north of $100, if not well above that. Geez, even University Ridge near Madison -- not a great course by any means (but RTJ Jr.!) -- charges around $75 for its typical in-season shelf rate. Not a judgement on the worthiness of any of those -- but, $150 a round isn't all that uncommon around here, untested or not.

Jeff Goldman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #26 on: September 07, 2006, 01:13:52 AM »
The caveats to my comments are that I only played it once, and so these comments are more on the order of first impressions rather than a completely thought out critique.  I reserve to right to change my opinions in the course of ongoing discussion and seeing the course again.  Also, since others have stated the positives they see in the course well, I am listing negative points.

Seemed to me that the routing created a bunch of ski slope or toboggan fairways, almost what folks refer to as goat track stuff, and which really did not use the slopes creatively.  Balls seemed to run to the bottom of the fairways, in flat spots for the most part, and therefore the slopes, though visually striking, didn't do anything for the course.  Also, I could find very little reason to be on one side of the fairway one most holes aside from being able to see the green, rather than getting a better angle; therefore, I found few choices or risk reward oppportunities that made much sense.  Strategic golf to me is not made up of "hit it on the left to see the green, or you have a blind shot," which I found to be a recurring theme on the course.

Many have spoken of the blind shots, which don't bother me, except having basically the same blind tee shot over the crest of a hill repeatedly speaks to a lack of variety.  So does having many greens perched up on hillsides, leaving few ground game options (regardless of whether the green is open or covered by a bunker).  To me, this is an aerial golf course.  And one of the few times the fairway was sloped on a diagonal, there was NO area for the ball to run down the slope and stay in the fairway, so everyone's tee shot ended in the rough.

The Biarritz green may be natural, but the wings slope so much that it looked like basically the only place to put the pin when the greens get to speed is in the swale, which sort of defeats the purpose of the green.

Also, while the greens may have subtle contours, they seemed mostly flat to me, though a few had interesting tiers, which is befitting a course that wants to hold major championships and have the greens run at 12-14.  This needs to be reviewed once the greens get decent, but unless you end up on the wrong tier of some greens, I didn't see many putts that will break more than 6 inches or so.  Not a selling point to me, but understandable if you want a tournament course.

Finally, for a course being advertised as having moved almost no dirt, some of it looked quite manufactured, especially in the huge rolls in the fairways and some greens perched up (as well as the second green).  That's an aesthetice judgment, and totally subjective, but it did seem odd to me.  

Obviously, folks who have been there repeatedly have a much better knowledge base to go on, but that's what I thought.
That was one hellacious beaver.

Jason Blasberg

Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #27 on: September 07, 2006, 10:15:33 AM »
Also, I could find very little reason to be on one side of the fairway one most holes aside from being able to see the green, rather than getting a better angle; therefore, I found few choices or risk reward oppportunities that made much sense.  Strategic golf to me is not made up of "hit it on the left to see the green, or you have a blind shot," which I found to be a recurring theme on the course.

Jeff:

You don't think that vision is a strategic benefit?  A very interesting issue would be if the blind side of the fairway actually had the better angle of attack in than the vision side.  

Also, what about distance off the tee leading to blind or clear shots?  For instance, at Engineers' 6th outside of 160 yards or so the green is seen, inside of that number your flying blind.  On top of that the clear shot is from a downhill lie and the blind shot from level to uphill lie as you get closer to the hole.  It's a pick your poison tee shot, plus with the left to right movement the hole has great appeal off the tee.  

There, I choose to get it as far down as possible and take the uphill blind shot with a wedge.  But many others lay back for the downhill lie with a 7-8 iron.  

I for one think blindness is a part of strategy . . .

Jason

Dan Moore

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Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #28 on: September 07, 2006, 11:17:57 AM »
Recent article on EH from the Chicago Sun-Times.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/golf/cst-spt-erin04.html
"Is there any other game which produces in the human mind such enviable insanity."  Bernard Darwin

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #29 on: September 07, 2006, 12:51:53 PM »
Phil,
   Thanks for the feedback. I had no idea there were that many overpriced courses in Wisconsin. I am not a views guy, so having an ocean to look at or any other scenery doesn't justify over the top prices in Calif. or anywhere else. Lawsonia is less than half the price of EH, and I LOVED it. I can't imagine I'm going to love EH twice as much.
  Again, I think Bandon's approach was best, starting low and letting demand dictate an increase in green fees. Maybe EH is full all the time already, so I could be wrong.

Jeff,
   Thanks for posting your thoughts. One of our regulars here has offered to pay the other half of my green fee at EH, since I wasn't willing to go above $75 to see an unproven course. Being a cheapskate has its rewards. ;D
« Last Edit: September 07, 2006, 12:54:32 PM by ed_getka »
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Dan Moore

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Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #30 on: September 07, 2006, 01:20:17 PM »
The overpriced issue is interesting.  Phil points out the market for "high end" courses in Wisconsin with the Kohler properties being the prime example.  Like Ed I would rather play Lawsonia 5 times for the cost of the Whistling Straits fee.  However if the course attracts a US Open the $150 may seem like a bargain to many.  

However what are the economics of greens fees relative to start-up costs for new privately developed courses.  A recent thread cited a ratio of $10 in green fees per $1.0 mil in development costs.  At Erin Hills the owner acquired 650 acres and bought out several adjoing houses at a premium to eliminate views of housing on the site.  Assuming $15,000 an acre (no idea if thats right but found a listing for 70 acres nearby at more than that per acre), thats $9.75 mil before construction costs.  Easy to see how the fee gets over $100 in a hurry with that size property even with a minimal style design and construction.  
"Is there any other game which produces in the human mind such enviable insanity."  Bernard Darwin

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #31 on: September 07, 2006, 01:22:18 PM »
Ed:

I think over-priced golfing is going to be its demise -- regardless of where it is. I do think Erin Hills, from what I've read and heard, is looking to price itself somewhat below what Kohler does with his four courses, and in line with what some of the other high-end courses around here charge. I do admire the guy who's creating it for not going the housing route, and he seems to be focused pretty much on just the golf course itself. It is a very scenic area of the state, although I haven't seen the course itself. I'm not surprised at all that area of the state would lend itself to a course of the sort that Erin Hills aspires to be.

Kohler really did set a new bar around here in terms of pricing when he opened Blackwolf Run -- he clearly wanted to draw from a regional area (esp. Chicago and Minneapolis), and it was pretty successful, and others have joined the fray. Kohler clearly envisioned his four courses as both a Bandon/Monterey Peninsula of the Midwest, as well as (with the Straits, in particular) a place where Wisconsin could host some major tourneys. It's different, in that respect, than what occured with Bandon, where I do get the sense the pricing was somewhat a reflection of folks there wondering whether something that isolated could draw and be financially successful in the upscale golf market. Kohler was pretty shrewed in that respect -- Sheboygan, after all, is less than an hour from a major metro market (Milwaukee), about two hours from a huge metro market (Chicago), a doable day trip from another sizable market (Twin Cities), plus close to the Green Bay/Appleton/Madison markets (combined close to 1 million folks in those smallish urban areas alone). Bandon is doable from Portland, but not much else is nearby.

I do wonder about just how many high-end ($150-plus) courses this state can sustain; it's pretty clear to me these courses are relying on not just Cheeseheads, but spillover from Chicago and the Twin Cities. I do sense a ripple impact downward -- tons and tons of Joe-regular courses in Wisconsin have been advertising discounts and reduced fees this year, all summer long, moreso than I can ever recall. Maybe the high-end courses are doing fine, and pushing aside the mid-range courses. Hard to tell; I do know of one nine-holer in the Madison area that closed its doors recently due to competition, and two more 18-holers (lowish end of the publics) are looking to close their doors.

Sorry, a bit afield from the original thread.....

Brendan Dolan

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #32 on: September 07, 2006, 01:59:31 PM »
Ed,
I don’t want to do much speculating, but I believe the high green fees are due to the much larger than anticipated bill to construct the entire Erin Hills complex.  Like Dan mentions Bob wasn’t satisfied with just a great golf course, he really wanted to create an experience for the golfers to escape from everyday life.  He bought three or four different properties to ensure that Erin Hills would be secluded as much as possible.  

Jeff,
I think the blind tee shots have a lot more variety then you think.  What holes do you consider to have blind tee shots?  I think a number of the holes have a lot more playing options then you realize.  I am also curious to what pin placement you played to on number 10.  Hole locations in the swale are extremely interesting, as you can bump and run your ball down the front of the swale or hit it on the back swale and let it roll back to the pin.  One could almost consider this as an improvement as now you have 3 distinct pin placements all requiring different shots.  Finally I am curious to hear what areas you thought looked manufactured?  I spent a lot of time out there before any dirt was moved, and I have a hard time telling what has been moved and what hasn’t.  

Finally, I am curious to hear what holes people have liked and have not liked?  Personally my favorite hole is probably 12.  If the golfer is playing the correct set of tees and can carry his ball to the top of the hill it is an awesome approach shot that can be worked into the green from either direction.  Just my thoughts, keep the questions coming.

Brendan    

ed_getka

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Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #33 on: September 07, 2006, 05:37:42 PM »
Brendan,
   I am curious if you can break down #12 a little more since it is your favorite? What is the challenge off the tee? Is there a preferred side to approach from? You noted that approaches can be worked in from either direction, is there a central fronting bunker? What sort of trouble are you in if you miss the green? Where is the worst place to miss? What sort of challenge do the internal contours of the green present? Thanks for taking the time to respond.
   The costs of development vs. green fee makes sense. I never realized it would cost that much to develop property in Wisconsin.
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Jeff Goldman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #34 on: September 07, 2006, 08:37:45 PM »
Brendan,

Maybe the tee shots aren't blind exactly, but similarly have a ridge or slope or hillside blocking the view of the fairway.  According to my notes, which are a littel hard to read, this is on 2, 4, 9, 10, 12, 16, 17.  And the other general impression I got was of many, many perched up greens, with no run up options.

It appeared to me that on 10, if the greens were at speed, you could ONLY put the pin in the swale because the ends were too sloped, thus defeating the main coolness of a biarritz.

The course gave me the impression of being created because the fairways were so severely sloped, up and down and up and down and up and down......that and the second green seemed just put there with no tie in to the surrounds.

Jason, I agree that there can be strategy in being able to see the green from only one side of the fairway, but that seemed to me to be the only strategy employed on the course.  If you read the booklet they passed out, it describes several holes as having that strategy.  Admittedly, there probably will be some strategy created via various pin positions, but for better players, it seems like an aerial course with flat pinnable areas, which, as Shivas will tell you, means no strategy beyond "high and soft."

The reason I started the thread was that I wanted to hear what others had to say to give food for thought.  I appreciate others' views and will certainly see the course again.

Jeff
That was one hellacious beaver.

Adam Clayman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #35 on: September 07, 2006, 08:59:10 PM »
Jeff, Thanks for your considered comments about the course. You did a good job of making me feel like I was there. To prove that, I have a question.

Could these fairway LZ's, that you cite as a potentially repetive, look like saddles?
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #36 on: September 07, 2006, 10:39:08 PM »
It looks like this course is generating a good bit of contrasting opinions.  Perhaps, in that, a great course will evolve.  I wonder if the course is being held to too high of expectations as it just opened.  I know, the land forms are there and the routing and all is pretty much what it is going to be.  But, I think any course must season a bit to reach the proper or fair level by which it can be judged. I could just kick myself that I didn't go down there during early construction to know what was there, as Brendan has seen.

I have so much golf on my plate now, I'm going to pass on EH this year.  Then, after a frozen tundra winter, when the sap starts running again, I'm going to go late spring and give EH a look-see.  Even at that, it will be a very new course with plenty of unmatured features, I can imagine.  

I think when we look at newly opened courses like BN and DR, and other sandy dunes and great settings like that, we forget that the grasses establish and the terrain blends much quicker than a midwest course upon glacial till, or clayey loam, or within a mixed land of hardwood or coniferous trees and fields.  The latter takes more time, I believe...
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Jim Colton

Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #37 on: September 13, 2006, 08:00:39 PM »
The October issue of Golf Magazine has a small write-up of Erin Hills and one picture.  There's also a link offering to 'Take The Quiz: See if you can tell Erin Hills from genuine Irish links'.  I was hoping this would lead to some updated pictures of the course, but the link (golf.com/erinhills) just led back to the Erin Hills website.  Odd.

Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #38 on: September 18, 2006, 08:01:46 PM »
Played Erin Hills yesterday.

Boys, this here's the real deal.


More to follow.....
"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #39 on: September 18, 2006, 08:11:55 PM »
Before I comment on the course at all, one thing I do have to preface this with is the USGA is smoking something if they ever consider this a 'Chicago' course when it comes to hosting the US Open or other Major-type events.

Erin Hills was exactly a 2-hour drive to my home late yesterday afternoon (I live roughly near Butler National).  That was with no traffic to speak of.  

Two-hours away with no traffic does NOT qualify as a Chicago-area course in my book.  So, USGA, don't be like the PGA Tour and try to pass off other Midwestern sites as 'Chicago'.

The PGA Tour already got an earful when it decided to move the Western Open from its home in Chicago home (Dubsdread) to Indianapolis, St. Louis and Minneapolis.  At least Minneapolis has dropped out now.  Oh, and they are getting rid of the name "Western Open" which has adorned this tournament since 1899, the second-oldest US tournament.  Shame Shame.

Chicago has its own championship courses and, being the third largest city in America, deserves to be in the rota for the US Open and other USGA events.  Just don't try to pass off Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis or Minneapolis as 'Chicago-area' - we ain't buying !!!

"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

Steve_ Shaffer

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Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #40 on: September 18, 2006, 10:12:02 PM »
I think the original pricing for Erin Hills was supposed to be less than $100. I guess tha pre-opening hype and the USGA decision to have a tournament there gave the owners ammunition to jack up the green fee.

"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

RSLivingston_III

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #41 on: September 18, 2006, 11:25:30 PM »
Just visited there this weekend. Erin Hills will be a great golf course one day, but it needs some serious grow-in. I think the concensus in my group was it should not have opened until next summer. The thick mix of natural with fescue for the deep rough is going to allow them to perfect the six hour round.
It will be a couple of years before I would consider playing it again.
"You need to start with the hickories as I truly believe it is hard to get inside the mind of the great architects from days gone by if one doesn't have any sense of how the equipment played way back when!"  
       Our Fearless Leader

Steve_Roths

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #42 on: September 18, 2006, 11:40:03 PM »
Um, I have a question for anyone that had something good to say about Erin Hills.  Have all of you played either Crystal Downs or Shinnecock Hills?  How would you compare the Erin Hills course to either?  

Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #43 on: September 19, 2006, 12:00:02 AM »
Steve

Had to answer your question.

Yes, I have played Crystal Downs and Shinnecock.

Yes, there are parts of Erin that remind one of each of the other courses mentioned.

Courses that our group also mentioned were Kingsley and Olde Farm that were similar in nature, as well as some in Ireland and the British Isles.

"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #44 on: September 19, 2006, 06:48:23 AM »
I am reading through the comments above and wanted to respond to a couple:

Ryan said:
>If you use the yardage books(which I hope they do them up different, they were on 8 1/2 X 11 paper. Useless if you are walking) i


There are actually real yardage books now.  They are VERY helpful and go a long way explaining how to play the holes.


Jeff said:
>The caveats to my comments are that I only played it once, and so these comments are more on the order of first impressions rather than a completely thought out critique.  I reserve to right to change my opinions in the course of ongoing discussion and seeing the course again.  


Talk about CYA!!!

You wouldn't happen to be a lawyer, would you?  

 ;)

It's perfectly fine to give your opinions here on GCA, regardless of what others think, some people enjoy reading a different 'take.'

 :)

Jeff also said:
>I didn't see many putts that will break more than 6 inches or so.

Wow!  I guess we didn't play the same course.
Most of the greens had a lot of movement and our group all commented on how interesting the greens were.  I doubt more than a handful of greens had breaks that were LESS than 6 inches.

Jeff said:
>Finally, for a course being advertised as having moved almost no dirt, some of it looked quite manufactured, especially in the huge rolls in the fairways

I am doubtful that the little dirt that was moved was moved to make 'rolls' in the fairways.  These were courtesy of the glacier that 'built' the Kettle Moraine area where Erin sits.

Not to pick on you Jeff, but when you start your opinion with a buncha legal mumbo-jumbo, can't help but laugh.

 ;) ;) ;D ;) ;)
« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 07:01:36 AM by Paul Richards »
"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #45 on: September 19, 2006, 10:17:12 AM »
Paul:

I don't know if the PGA or USGA for that matter necessarily views Erin Hills, or the Kohler-area courses, as Chicago-area courses. But each organization does clearly want to move its major (not just men's) tournaments around the country, and that has as much to do with corporate sponsorship than anything else. Why do you think the USGA looked so hard to find another west coast site for the men's US Open -- they want to tap into West Coast corporate money every few years. Recent majors held in the Midwest (the PGA at Whistling Straits, e.g.) have been very successful from a fan attendance/money raising standpoint, and I think the USGA/PGA folks want to make sure they tap into the various major markets around the country (and I do think they want to give fans from various parts of the country at least the opportunity to see a pretty big major every few years). And, given Butler's exclusionary policies, where else are you going to hold a major these days in Chicago or its direct suburbs? Medinah already has the Ryder Cup, and its recent performance at the PGA led some to conclude its perhaps not the best test for a major. Not to get into the distance debate ad nauseum, but the Straits, Hazeltine and Erin Hills can all be lengthened significantly; what in Chicago can do the same? (I do see the USGA gave the Senior Am to Beverly in '08; presumably the distance issues aren't as great with that tourney as they might be for the men's Open or AM.)

Jeff Goldman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #46 on: September 19, 2006, 11:55:47 AM »
Paul,

Where did you get the idea I was a Lawyer?   ;D  However, given the extreme hype, I thought is quite likely that there were things I missed, either because of the lousy condition of the course, slow greens, whatever, and I wanted others' opinions to consider.  

There were a few greens with internal movement, but it did seem to me most were more tiered than contoured, and I thought in the putting areas there wasn't much movement (with a couple exceptions).  It seemed likely that the reason for this was that they want tournaments, and if there's any big contours, they won't be puttable at speed (which is why it looked to me that the only place to put a pin on 10 was in the swale).

The fact that it looked manufactured was almost solely an aesthetic judgment.  Did the 2nd green look like it was found? and the big rolls and perched greens did look like they had to have been put there because no one would choose to use the land that way so repeatedly unless they built it that way.

When I go back there I'm going to bring the discussions of holes to refer to and think about.

Jeff

ps.  Only 5 days until the Illini Invitational.  Supposed to rain.   :P
That was one hellacious beaver.

Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #47 on: September 19, 2006, 04:29:19 PM »
Phil

>what in Chicago can do the same?

Olympia Fields was a very good host site and Butler would make a good one, if they change their policies.  Dubsdread may be one if they make the necessary changes.


>(I do see the USGA gave the Senior Am to Beverly in '08; presumably the distance issues aren't as great with that tourney as they might be for the men's Open or AM.)

I don't think the 'old guys' are even gonna play the backs at Beverly.  It's 7000-plus yards at a par of 71, so it's plenty long and plenty challenging.  

Keep in mind that as recently as 2001, Beverly hosted the Chicago Open (now on the Nationwide Tour), and the best score in three years of play here was a single 67 shot the last year.

I think the Seniors are going to find Beverly plenty of challenge, even if it's not 8200-yards!

 ;)
"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #48 on: September 19, 2006, 04:56:05 PM »
Paul:

I wonder if the USGA will head back to Olympia Fields for the men's open. I know it's well-regarded, and drew generally good reviews from the pros, but did come under some criticism for its resistance to scoring (although in the end, I think there were half-a-dozen (?) totals under par.) I think it's neat the USGA went there in the first place, because of its pedigree, and I hope it gets consideration (maybe 2014?), but who knows what the length debate/response issue will be like by then.

I do wonder about Dubsdread hosting the Open. I know they really, really want to, but I've watched several of the Westerns, and I just don't see how that course can hold up to USGA specs. re. scoring (given how the pros seem to rip it apart every year there), other than to make it silly (20-yard wide fairways, greens stimping past 12 or something like that).

Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:So what's the deal with Erin Hills?
« Reply #49 on: September 19, 2006, 08:40:52 PM »
Phil

>20-yard wide fairways, greens stimping past 12 or something like that).

You mean like at Carnoustie or at Shinnecock????

Jim Furyk might have been the only guy to play under par at OFCC North.  Check it out.  The first two days, scores were low due to the USGA out-thinking themselves - they thought it was too difficult, so they cut the rough down and over-watered, and then got perfect weather.  Blame for low scores lies squarely at the feet of the USGA set-up guys.

When the weekend came, OFCC bared its teeth and produced higher scores and a great champion.

"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

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