The 18th at Olympic - "That's One Mean Looking Finishing Hole"

[Michael Whitaker]

Joe Fairey sent me the following photo that was taken by Casey Whittenburg's caddy during their practice round yesterday.  As he said, "This is one mean looking finishing hole!"

[Jeff_Brauer]

The courtesy cut extends from tee to green!  I recall the fw cross slope on the last two holes in the last Open was an issue.  How could it not be this time around with a 15 yard wide fw?

[Howard Riefs]

Even more menacing when you realize that the USGA isn't playing with a "gradated rough" on the course.  I believe it's at 4".

[Ron Csigo]

Was the fairway that narrow (~15 yards wide) in the '98 Open?

[Wade Whitehead]

A compelling argument against the modern ball if there ever was one.

WW

[Matthew Essig]

Was the fairway that narrow (~15 yards wide) in the '98 Open?

The usga always makes the fairway tighter, but because they are overcompensating the difficulty of the course because of last year, they have made it extra tight.

[Matthew Sander]

I know that cameras distort things a little, but that looks ridiculous. It will probably serve the intended purpose though.

[Alex Miller]

How wide is it and how far in to the green is it from the crest of the hill? USGA trying to get players to play the hole 6i/9i?

[Kevin_Reilly]

You probably have to be a Golfwrx member to view this, but here is #18 from the "Tour Sherpa" yardage book.

http://c15090341.r41.cf2.rackcdn.com/25cd9a05aa43881f1ccc77f95753b935.jpg

That photo above is distorted, by the way.

[Jed Peters]

Meh. It's not really any narrower than it was in 2008.

And yes, I am that good looking.

[Kirk Moon]

This fairway has been cut to be the narrowest on the course (by quite a bit).  Looks like an undulating bowling alley.  I think it is narrower than in 1998.

The first cut rough is maybe 5 feet wide.  Outside of that, the rough is like a shaggy dog (at around 4-5".)  Ugly place to be.   

Most players were hitting irons off the tee and landing their drives on the relatively short flat area at the bottom of the hill, then hitting short irons  to the microscopically small green.  Should be a very interesting finish, as always. 

[Carl Rogers]

I think it is poppycock.  Is this what is called defending par?  6 iron then SW. .... crazy
Can the fairway be held?  Do you hit it up a few yards in the rough on the left and hope it bounces right a little?
Do the bigger hitters hit in the bunker?

What is wrong about 3 birdies in a row to win? (2 par 5's then a short birdieable par 4)

[Steve Salmen]

Can someone drive or come really close if they put the tee up front and the wind is helping?  Also, is the green above or below the level of the tee?

[Matt Kardash]

I think it is poppycock.  Is this what is called defending par?  6 iron then SW. .... crazy
Can the fairway be held?  Do you hit it up a few yards in the rough on the left and hope it bounces right a little?
Do the bigger hitters hit in the bunker?

What is wrong about 3 birdies in a row to win? (2 par 5's then a short birdieable par 4)

Did you actually just say "poppycock" and then expect us to keep reading the rest of what you said"   

[William_G]

wow, that is narrow...definitely a layup ...why even bother with a fairway LOL

[Sam Morrow]

Isn't the hole only like 350? I wish you guys would make up your minds, if the fairway was wide you'd bitch that USGA isn't challenging the player.

[Ronald Montesano]

I think it's shinier than it was in 1998, which leads me to believe that the USGA has sprayed the leaves of grass with silicone, making the ball slide off the fairway, into the rough. I don't know how I feel about that technological innovation.

Regarding poppycock, I prefer balderdash, palaver, prattle or the new flavor of the month in Jacksonville, Malarkey. We tried malarkey in Buffalo, but it didn't catch on.

[David_Elvins]

Google earth has the fairway measuring 24 yards wide at about 220 from the tee, so it isn't the narrowest fairway around, although the side-slope makes it narrower.

Interestingly, the left side fairway line appears to have come 35 yards down the hill, looking at the 1938 aerial on google earth.  The original fairway width appears to be about 60 yards.

[Kirk Moon]

Can someone drive or come really close if they put the tee up front and the wind is helping?  Also, is the green above or below the level of the tee?

The hole is oriented straight into the prevailing Westerly wind but the hole sits down in a hollow and is sheltered by the hill in the background and by the mass of the clubhouse.  

The green is higher than the tee.  There are bunkers in front of and to the right and left of the tiny green.  No way to reliably run a drive in on the ground.  The rough around the back and right side of the green is gnarly.  

I don't know the shortest distance this hole will play for the tournament, but even if a player could hit the ball the requisite distance (uphill and into the wind), which is dubious, they could never get the shot to clear the fronting bunker and still stay on the green.   If they hit a driver just short of the green they are faced with a steep uphill lie into a blind green and if they happened to leave the drive too far to the right they can be blocked out by the tree you see to the right of the first fronting bunker.  

The smart shot here is to lay up to the bottom of the hollow and then bring a short iron in high and soft.  Everybody I saw today played it that way.

[Kirk Moon]

Google earth has the fairway measuring 24 yards wide at about 220 from the tee, so it isn't the narrowest fairway around, although the side-slope makes it narrower.

The image of the Olympic Club on Google Earth is from last October when the course was in its standard set up.  They didn't grow in the rough and narrow the fairways down to USGA spec until a couple of months ago.  The fairway is MUCH narrower now than it was back then. 

[Ronald Montesano]

I'd love to have the shot in from the left fairway (now rough.) Look at what a perfect angle it would give!

[Tim Passalacqua]

The fairway is 22 yards wide.

[Bruce Wellmon]

The thing I remember the most about the landing area was the significant slope left to right.
And keeping it in the fairway.

[Kyle Henderson]

A wider cut might draw more players left to counteract the side slope, bring the flora on that side into play. It might also lead to poor shots down the right side running out into the trees. This narrow fairway business will remove much of the potential for miraculous recovery shots (and Mickelson @ Winged Foot collapses). Hacking a wedge out of rough is a boring shot for players and viewers (and it can harm wrist bones).

5 thumbs down.

[Mike Hendren]

Boo.
Hiss.
Catcall.