[Jason Topp]

I have not watched much but this course looks really good. 

It seems to have a nice flow.  There is a tough stretch but plenty of opportunities for birdies.  16, 17 and 18 all look like great birdie holes that can burn the player.

Slopes seem to be a very significant hazards.

The bunkers both look good and are playing as real hazards with buried lies everywhere and small stacked sod lips.

I have not seen any water on the course but players are definitely challenged, particularly in this afternoon wind.

A ten year old could get around this course and have fun doing so.

[Matthew Essig]

Only minor tick is that it plays like Kiawah instead of playing firm and fast.

[George Pazin]

Felt a bit like I was watching one of the Aussie events during our winter.

[John Kavanaugh]

Only minor tick is that it plays like Kiawah instead of playing firm and fast.

It's those natural fertilizers in the water.

[MClutterbuck]

Only minor tick is that it plays like Kiawah instead of playing firm and fast.

They got rain last week and Tuesday and it seems like governing bodies did want to show a green course for the world to see. It might have been to risky to show a brown course.

[Mike_Clayton]

George


I arrived today and watched most of Marcus Fraser's 63. It's not that surprising someone who grew up playing in Melbourne did well. It's exactly like playing the sandbelt - in fact it's almost more Australian than any course in Australia. It's windy,wide, lots of short grass around the greens and a real emphasis on playing to the correct third or quarter of the fairway.
There are a few greens were the pins are hidden from the wrong side of the fairway by big greenside mounding - the 1st is one and 9 another.
16 is a really good short 4 showing -  as the best of those on the sandbelt do - how to make them without resorting to water and rough.

[Matthew Essig]

I give today an 8.5/10. A little firmer, a little more energy from the crowd, and a close competition and I can see this event receiving a 10/10 by Sunday. Then we get the women just three days later!

[Alex Miller]

Only minor tick is that it plays like Kiawah instead of playing firm and fast.

They got rain last week and Tuesday and it seems like governing bodies did want to show a green course for the world to see. It might have been to risky to show a brown course.

Also as Matthew mentions it's hosting another event (women) right after. I think it will continue to firm up and have no problem with how it's playing right now.


I think full congrats are in order to anyone involved in constructing the course - makes me want to fly down there and play it.

[Pete_Pittock]

foxy slopes greenside

[John Kirk]

I think full congrats are in order to anyone involved in constructing the course - makes me want to fly down there and play it.

I thought the same thing.  I watched for an hour or so this morning.  It looks great, not to mention the perfection of three year old fescue and bentgrass surfaces.

[John Kavanaugh]

Three years old. Chris Jansen wouldn't buy that line. Isn't it a year at best? 

[John Kirk]

I don't know.  Even when I wrote "three" I questioned it.  Let's compromise and say "two".

Anybody know when the grass was planted?

[Ian Andrew]

Grassing began in the middle of 2014

[Matthew Essig]

Fescue and bent greens? I thought it was said that the greens are paspalum and fairways/tees are zoysia?

[John Kirk]

I am the man!

I got my grasses mixed up with the new loop course in Michigan.


 

http://www.bladerunnerfarms.com/news-events/zeon-zoysia-chosen-for-olympics/

"Zeon Zoysia, planted on the fairways of the Olympic Golf  Course, is the same grasse used for Tiger Woods’ first U.S. golf course, Bluejack National near Houston, and Trinity Forest, new home of the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA golf tournament."

Thanks for the fact checking.  Ian, you must be very pleased with how it looks.

[Jason Topp]

I am enthused to read that the 14th is based on 16 RMW.  I loved that hole in my one play and it never is used for big competitions because it is not in the main paddock.

[Ian Andrew]

Ian, you must be very pleased with how it looks.

I think Gil, Jim, Neil, Ben, Scott and Kyle did a great job.
I thought it was really interesting in construction.


16th is one of the better holes I've seen anywhere ... you could tell right away




and for clarity ... I had no role in the results ...

[PCCraig]

From what I've seen, having watched some of the competition yesterday and for a couple of hours early this morning I think the course has been really neat. Better than I expected from the construction photos. I know everyone says it was based on the sandbelt, but to me for some reason the course seems to play a lot like Pinehurst #2 as well? I really like how a lot of the greens feature short grass as a hazard, and the blind tee shots over waste areas look neat. Seems like most of the tour pros really like the course (I heard one guy call it "fun to play").

[Tom_Doak]

Seems like most of the tour pros really like the course (I heard one guy call it "fun to play").

It was my impression from the IGF that they've tried to tell all the pros to be on their best behaviour and to be enthusiastic about the course, so that golf won't get voted out of the Olympics when it comes up for review next year.

I am confident it is an excellent course.  However, so far, most of the reporters are not exactly neutral observers, having either picked Gil to design it.  Hell, one of the main reporters is his paid consultant [G. Shackelford].  I wish Darius Oliver had gotten there for our book last year.

[PCCraig]

Seems like most of the tour pros really like the course (I heard one guy call it "fun to play").

It was my impression from the IGF that they've tried to tell all the pros to be on their best behaviour and to be enthusiastic about the course, so that golf won't get voted out of the Olympics when it comes up for review next year.

I am confident it is an excellent course.  However, so far, most of the reporters are not exactly neutral observers, having either picked Gil to design it.  Hell, one of the main reporters is his paid consultant [G. Shackelford].  I wish Darius Oliver had gotten there for our book last year.

I understand. "Consider the source" being key. I am hardy a cheerleader for Gil Hanse, all I know is from what I've seen on tv and from some of the flyovers.


Perhaps I gave some credence to the thought the pros enjoy the course as it apparently allows them to score when playing well as evidenced by the day one leaders at ~7 under, while on the other hand Ricky Fowler was in almost last place with a 74. So it's a course that in good conditions players can score on, but at the same time it doesn't beat them up.

[Jason Topp]

....
I am confident it is an excellent course.  However, so far, most of the reporters are not exactly neutral observers, having either picked Gil to design it.  Hell, one of the main reporters is his paid consultant [G. Shackelford].  I wish Darius Oliver had gotten there for our book last year.

Fully aware of the fact that the commentators are not neutral.  Perhaps for that reason, I was surprised at how much I liked what I saw once play began.

[Keith Grande]

Love the bunker placement with "no rough" around them!  Also some good dogleg angles with width allowing for variety of playing lines.

[David_Tepper]

Day One Recap:

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2016/8/11/mens-olympic-golf-day-one-recap-and-links.html

[Terry Lavin]

The course looks great, in a prototypical minimalist way. The golf, on the other hand, is as exciting as watching a B class European Tour event. Very few great players. I love seeing Pieters, Stenson and Fraser doing well, but it's been very uninspiring thus far. I'm sure some pulse rates will go up once they start sniffing the medals, but so far it's a snoozer.

[David Jones]

Hanse was on the Shackhouse podcast (with his 'paid consultant' - miaow!) talking about it this week and mentioned he had tried to make it open from the tees with wide fairways so playable for all but getting the right line to set up the approach was key to scoring.  Sounds almost identical to Castle Stuart from a philosophical pov.  The non-paid consultant journalists seem pretty sold on it too.


I played Yas Links earlier this year and it was quite something - knocked the rest of the Middle East courses we saw out of the water by a mile! 

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()