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Anthony Gray

Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« on: December 16, 2011, 02:10:05 PM »

  Not including Augusta.     Olympic Club,Royal Lytham & St Annes,Kiawah.

  Which are you looking foward to the most?

  Anthony

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Rick Shefchik

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2011, 02:11:50 PM »
Seems like quite a while since The Olympic Club has been on TV. That's the one I really want to see.
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PCCraig

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2011, 02:12:46 PM »
The Ocean Course. It'll be really interesting to see how it plays in the August heat/wind and during a 4-round major.
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H.P.S.

Jim Franklin

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2011, 02:18:09 PM »
The Ocean Course. In August. Gimme some sunscreen.
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Mr Hurricane

Tom ORourke

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2011, 02:23:11 PM »
The Ocean Course. My wife and I were there for the Ryder Cup so I am looking forward to it, and already have my tickets for Thursday and Friday. It was there that I walked a few holes with Lanny's wife (then) during the singles round. I asked her if this was fun and she looked at me like I was crazy. I have been back there and know they have softened it up a little in spots but am looking forward to them playing it with a scorecard. I think the par 5s there are neat. You can make 3 or 6 on most of them which is what I like to see. And even Tiger will need to hit driver, so I think it will be a test of where his swing really is. I just wish it was in April, not August.
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Matt_Cohn

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2011, 03:22:14 PM »
I dunno if it's the best of the four but Olympic has the potential to be SO hard.
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Bill_McBride

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #6 on: December 16, 2011, 03:23:40 PM »
Quote from: Matt_Cohn on December 16, 2011, 03:22:14 PM
I dunno if it's the best of the four but Olympic has the potential to be SO hard.

Harder than the Ocean Course at Kiawah with the wind blowing?
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Philippe Binette

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #7 on: December 16, 2011, 03:24:17 PM »
Lytham and St. Annes... just love the place and provides a great winner
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Matt_Cohn

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #8 on: December 16, 2011, 03:50:58 PM »
Quote from: Bill_McBride on December 16, 2011, 03:23:40 PM
Quote from: Matt_Cohn on December 16, 2011, 03:22:14 PM
I dunno if it's the best of the four but Olympic has the potential to be SO hard.

Harder than the Ocean Course at Kiawah with the wind blowing?

I'm not sure. But two completely different kinds of hard, and that's pretty neat too.
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Howard Riefs

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2011, 03:57:06 PM »
I've only played Kiawah and am eager to see how it challenges the pros from 7,600 yards -- especially in a stiff afternoon wind. Also, hopefully it's a successful case study in crowd management in moving 27,000 people in and off the course and far end of the island each day.

That being said, I'm looking forward to being at Olympic for another US Open on the west coast.  Will be a different environment/feel than Pebble and Torrey.
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David_Tepper

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2011, 04:00:33 PM »
Matt -

It will be interesting to see how often the guys hit driver on the Lake Course. My guess is it will depend to some extent on how firm the course is playing that week.

DT
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JLahrman

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2011, 04:12:45 PM »
I don't know which one is the "best", but I'm most looking forward to watching the PGA at the Ocean Course.

Olympic will be fun because it's one of the few major championship sites that I've been fortunate to play. Always fun to see a tournament happen at a course you've played.

I like Lytham and how the course is integrated into the town.

But I'm really looking forward to watching the pros take on TOC. My golf-watching has dropped dramatically over the past 10 years, but this is one I might try to make time for.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2011, 04:32:16 PM by JLahrman »
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Tony_Muldoon

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2011, 04:39:25 PM »
Quote from: Philippe Binette on December 16, 2011, 03:24:17 PM
Lytham and St. Annes... just love the place and provides a great winner

Can anyone tell me how Seve won twice there?


Either
A he was a straight driver in his youth or
B he ignored the 200 bunkers by playing wide of them?

I'll watch because its the Open, but it's not my favourite course.
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Andy Stamm

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2011, 05:16:03 PM »
Quote from: Tony_Muldoon on December 16, 2011, 04:39:25 PM
Quote from: Philippe Binette on December 16, 2011, 03:24:17 PM
Lytham and St. Annes... just love the place and provides a great winner

Can anyone tell me how Seve won twice there?


Either
A he was a straight driver in his youth or
B he ignored the 200 bunkers by playing wide of them?

I'll watch because its the Open, but it's not my favourite course.


B, no bunkers in the car park! And to be fair, he was the best bunker player out there.
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David_Tepper

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #14 on: December 16, 2011, 05:38:26 PM »
"Can anyone tell me how Seve won twice there (at Lytham St. Anne's)?"

Tony M. -

Unless I am mistaken, Seve's best US Open finish (3rd) was at the Olympic Club, the year Scott Simpson won there. That is a surprise as well, as the Lake Course has the reputation of demanding accuracy off the tee and being a "plodders" course (i.e. S. Simpson and Lee Janzen).

DT
tcmnav@aol.com  
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Howard Riefs

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #15 on: December 16, 2011, 05:50:45 PM »
Quote from: David_Tepper on December 16, 2011, 05:38:26 PM
Unless I am mistaken, Seve's best US Open finish (3rd) was at the Olympic Club, the year Scott Simpson won there. That is a surprise as well, as the Lake Course has the reputation of demanding accuracy off the tee and being a "plodders" course (i.e. S. Simpson and Lee Janzen).

That's correct. Seve only had three top10 finishes in the U.S. Open, which he played 16 times.  Beyond placing 3rd at Olympic, he was T4 at Oakmont (1983) and T5 at Oakland Hills (1985).

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Jim Hoak

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #16 on: December 16, 2011, 08:31:56 PM »
Having taken many golf trips to Scotland and Ireland, i decided a couple of years ago to see the courses in England for the first time.  My favorite was Lytham--a real surprise and an unheralded masterpiece.  I will love seeing the Open there on television.
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jeffwarne

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #17 on: December 16, 2011, 09:58:48 PM »
Quote from: Tony_Muldoon on December 16, 2011, 04:39:25 PM
Quote from: Philippe Binette on December 16, 2011, 03:24:17 PM
Lytham and St. Annes... just love the place and provides a great winner

Can anyone tell me how Seve won twice there?


Either
A he was a straight driver in his youth or
B he ignored the 200 bunkers by playing wide of them?

I'll watch because its the Open, but it's not my favourite course.


When Seve was on, he was a beautiful driver of the ball.
like Tiger, he could contend when he was off and therefore his scrambling ability was highlighted.
Only late in his career did the driving get consistently bad
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Jay Flemma

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #18 on: December 16, 2011, 10:22:57 PM »
It's a tough call between Lytham and Kiawah.  That's like giving a starving man a menu!
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jeffwarne

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #19 on: December 16, 2011, 10:26:28 PM »
Quote from: Jay Flemma on December 16, 2011, 10:22:57 PM
It's a tough call between Lytham and Kiawah.  That's like giving a starving man a menu!

While I know I'd rather play Lytham or Olympic,
I might enjoy seeing the pros play Kiawah.....
Or perhaps simply watch a Masters rerun ;)
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"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

Bill Gayne

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #20 on: December 17, 2011, 07:13:20 AM »
Having just returned from Kiawah, the Ocean Course has the greatest interest of the three for me.
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Jud_T

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #21 on: December 17, 2011, 07:18:44 AM »
Cruden Bay
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Philippe Binette

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #22 on: December 17, 2011, 08:56:28 AM »
The reason why Seve won twice in Lytham and his best finish was at Olympic is simple... on both course everybody is going to find trouble and Seve was the best out of trouble..

as he said himself: I wish the fairway were narrower, so I wouldn't be alone playing from the rough
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David_Tepper

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #23 on: December 17, 2011, 05:50:46 PM »
"as he said himself: I wish the fairway were narrower, so I wouldn't be alone playing from the rough"

Philippe B. -

Actually, I seem to remember Seve saying, when he played the US Open at Olympic, that he wished the entire course was rough, with no fairways at all!

DT 
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Michael Tamburrini

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Re: Which Major has the best venue in 2012?
« Reply #24 on: December 17, 2011, 05:55:05 PM »
I've been looking forward to seeing Olympic ever since I read Hogan's biography.  I'd love for it to be set up as it was in 55, with rough so deep it took Hogan three hacks to get his ball back on the fairway.  The 17th could barely even be reached in two by most players - only Fleck, hitting a 3 wood second, managed to hit on the green in two.  I'd love to see how the modern player coped with such a set up.

But I'll also be very keen to see Kiawah host a major so I'd probably tend towards it.  Overall I think it's a pretty decent line up of courses though - probably the best for a while.
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