Is the "Bear Trap" the three worst contiguous golf holes on the planet?

[jeffwarne]

The Bear Trap is an example of the type of architecture/conditions needed to contain the modern pro game. They certainly were not tearing it up and getting to 20-under. Having landing areas that are smaller then the expected dispersion pattern makes for the types of scores that we saw this weekend. The only way to keep scores up is to punish near misses/unfortunate dispersion with either water, deep rough or OB, preferably with greens that are very sloped and rock hard. These guys are so good with their recovery shots I am not sure that bunkering or short grass is any real concern for them.


It is not a course that I have any interest in playing.

But they do tear it up, just like they the winners do at every other course.
The only real difference between it and the 20 under sites is making it a par 70.
At par 72 they would've been 18 under despite the seasonally windy conditions.


To answer the original question, I didn't realize it was a "three" hole stretch, given that 15 and 17 are the same holes.

[Jeff Schley]

For as critical as we maybe of the architecture at PGA National I believe their tee sheet has been slammed this winter. Anyone know what a round is on the Championship course?  Seems they group everything into a stay and play like Pebble.

[jeffwarne]

For as critical as we maybe of the architecture at PGA National I believe their tee sheet has been slammed this winter. Anyone know what a round is on the Championship course?  Seems they group everything into a stay and play like Pebble.

If the tee sheet at a PGA Tour host course, coming out of a pandemic,in prime time in seasonal South Florida, in a newly remote "work" world, with the rich richer than ever, with as stock and housing market on multi year  runs, IN AN UNPRECEDENTED GOLF BOOM,


......it never will be.


My guess is the tee sheet would be full if it were a great course also.

[Kalen Braley]

Jeff,

They could play a PGA event at nearly any course, and the tee sheet would be packed for years.  The celebrity-based phenomena of  "Play where the Pros play" is always enough on its own to bring em in.  I mean how else can you explain Torrey Pines?      And I bet even Kingsmill still does well 20 years later after spending a few decades as a PGA Tour stop.

[Terry Lavin]

Bay Hill is a more fetching venue, IMHO. The pros are really struggling today in the final round, but mainly because the final exasperating condition is supplied by Mother Nature in the form of the wind, which is making the course 5 or 6 shots harder than it would otherwise have been.

Some might argue that the Tour could’ve, should’ve made today’s setup easier, but it’s pretty entertaining television without being overly punitive.

[Kalen Braley]

Terry,

I'm very much inclined to agree with you.  The play at Bay Hill seems a lot more interesting to watch than last week even thou scoring is similar.  I've thought about starting a new thread to discuss why Bay Hill seems interesting as opposed to PGA National....

P.S. One thing that looks different this week is the rough, did they do something different?  It always looked trampled in the galleries, but this week, even right around the fringes, tee boxes, etc, nearly everywhere looks really mashed....