More Open "Improvements" for Pebble

[Mike Jansen]

Along w/ #'s 1,3,6,7,11 and 15.... Hole #4 is the latest to get a "touch up" prior to the 2010 Open.

The existing fairway pot bunker (on the left side 240 from back tee) will be filled in and a new bunker, roughly twice as big will be constructed to the right (seaward) of it.

The long fairway bunker which runs along the left side of the hole will be enlarged about 20 yards towards the hole and also seaward, and will be joined by 2 new bunkers placed between the fairway and greenside bunkers, forming a long chain of bunkers down the entire left side.

The new bunkers pinch in the landing area at the 280-300 range and force the golfer to bring the right side/ coastline into play.

The smart play for me is always a 3wood to the fat part of fairway and a wedge in, so I don't see the need to bring out the driver on this hole.  And even before the new bunkers to left, if you ended up there you had a difficult pitch outta the rough, over the greenside bunker to a tiny green.

Seems rather strange that they make these changes to challenge 144 players for 1 week outta the year, when every other day your average golfer is going to have to deal with these. 

I do have pics of these new changes and will post them later this evening.

[Mike Jansen]

Pic

[CJ Carder]

I know it's blasphemy to alter a classic course like Pebble, but in general, I don't mind this change too much. 

What I do mind is that they replaced a pot bunker with an elongated bunker so now, if a player goes in it, he'll have more room to hit out and reach the green.  So they move the bunker closer to the sea to narrow down the fairway and make it more difficult, yet they make it easier to hit out of the bunker.  Basically a wash, no?

[Bill_McBride]

I know it's blasphemy to alter a classic course like Pebble, but in general, I don't mind this change too much. 

What I do mind is that they replaced a pot bunker with an elongated bunker so now, if a player goes in it, he'll have more room to hit out and reach the green.  So they move the bunker closer to the sea to narrow down the fairway and make it more difficult, yet they make it easier to hit out of the bunker.  Basically a wash, no?

No question about this comment - "yet they make it easier to hit out of the bunker..."

I didn't know that fairway bunkers are relatively easy to get out of until Saturday when I saw my son David hit a 6-iron 160 yards out of the bunker at #2 Wolf Point (Mike Nuzzo's terrifically entertaining course in South Texas) into the cup on the 425 yard hole!

If that had been a pot bunker instead of a pretty deep fairway bunker, no way Jose!

[Rich Goodale]

This hole is always going to be a chance for the hackers to get a par (or an "x") and a conundrum for the pros.  With current technologies and abilities making it driveable for the pros, I would opt for less and not more complexity in terms of numbers and placement of bunkers.  Moving and super-sizing the LH FW bunker does make the pros think more about what to lay up with and how, but it also penalizes the hacker who hits his Sunday best and probably takes the driver out of the hand of the low HCP , whic his not a good thing.  What are the new bunkers long left for if not eye-candy?

All being said, much ado about nothing.

[Anthony Gray]

  I think they are trying to get the water in play more by moving the mow line toward the cliff and with the new bunker location the landing area is more toward the cliff also.

  Anthony

[jeffwarne]

I know it's taboo to say something nice about a change or Pebble, but....

isn't moving the bunker more to the center creating a temptation to play a 225-260 placement shot down the left side for an optimum angle?
The bunker placement before merely dictated playing right of it and put the water LESS in play by allowing the player to aim left center.

[Anthony Gray]

  Good point Jeff. But I do not see many taking that option it looks very tight over there. Placement of the mow line closer to the cliff tells me they want the player more toward the right. I would like to see the green more open to intice the players to drive it.

  Anthony