Will Olympia Fields really...

[Ken_Boltz]

...play as a 36/34 for the US Open. It seems odd, but I was checking out www.olympiafieldscc.com to get the latest info for the US Open. Under the hole-by-hole, they show holes 1 and 6 playing as the par fives. This would mean they are only reversing holes 2-9/11-18(ie holes 1 and 10 stay in their usual places). Is this really going to happen? Is it as unusual as it seems to me for a major to have a par 34 back nine?

In reality I know it would be super tough for anyone to break par on that 34, but this still seems to be a really strange layout for the US Open. Also, given the routing at Olympia Fields North, it seems to me that going from the 10th green to the 11th(2nd) tee is asking for some trouble. Players coming off #10 would then have to cross over the tee boxes for holes 2(11) and 18(9) to get to the 11th(2nd) tee. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this, or is the website mistaken about the routing for the tournament?

[Jim Sweeney]

More than the other organizations that conduct the so-called "majors," the USGA has a history of experimenting with course set ups at its championships, from asking for course changes to making short par fives into par fours, to ending on a par three. So I don't find it too odd that par at Olympis would be 36/34. The USGA prefers a par 70 if possible.

As for the cross over of the holes, I suspect the USGA saw or learned something at the Senior Open which caused them to think that the course would play better, or be more balanced, or flow better from a pace of play standpoint if those holes were switched. I recall that at Shinnecock the walk from the third green to the fourth tee passes directly behind the seventh tee, and players and spectators had to be held up while players were hitting on seven. Didn't seem too much of a problem.

[Andrew_Roberts]

This can't be as weird than Royal Birkdale that had it's only two par fives at 15 and 17.  And how about the old course hole-by-hole par setup.  The Usga is doing this because they want to see players struggle coming in and it will be a struggle for all the holes after 6.  I like to see something like this in the Open.  Makes it hard coming down the stretch.  But a possible birdie hole coming in isn't bad either.  The 16th at Olympic is very birdieble being a 5 Par.  But a 7 could just as easily happen.

[Paul Richards]

Ken:

I just finished reading my copy of the European version of Golf World, and in it, they list the scorecard for Olympia Fields and the US Open course as 35-35=70, with the yardages being 3548 and 3640 for a total of 7188.

It appears to me that they will just be playing this Open with the nines reversed.

[Paul Richards]

Ken:

Maybe you can compare the Golf World scorecard with the one you mentioned above:

1 462 yards  par 4
2 402          par 4
3 389          par 4
4 164          par 3
5 440          par 4
6 555          par 5
7 212          par 3
8 430          par 4
9 494          par 4
-----------------
out 3548     par 35

10 577        par 5
11 468        par 4
12 458        par 4
13 397        par 4
14 414        par 4
15 187        par 3
16 451        par 4
17 247        par 3
18 441        par 4
-----------------
in 3640       par 35
------------------
total 7188  par 70

The 'real' 18th hole plays as a five par for everyday play.  It is a much better and prettier finishing hole than the usual 9th, which will play as the Open 18th.  However, the 'real' 18th doesn't have enough room around the green for the grandstands that should accompany an Open's 18th, so I believe that is why they are using the 9th instead for their closing hole.

[Ken_Boltz]

Paul,
The scorecard you show is correct if they just reverse the nines. Everywhere I've seen any discussion about this they have said they are just reversing the nines. It is only at Olympia Fields website that they show holes #1 and #10 staying in their respective places.

I understand why they would want number #9 to play as #18 for the Open, spectator room and all that. I do agree that the normal #18 is a far prettier and even a more demanding hole playing as a 494 yd. par 4. I really can't imagine that they would leave 1 and 10 alone, thats why I thought it was quite unusual when I saw it there.

[Paul Richards]

Ken:

It is indeed unusual.  I will check around and see if I can confirm or deny what you found.  As I mentioned, what I posted is the 9's reversed as listed in the European Golf World magazine.

[Paul Richards]

I did a little investigation on this, speaking with some OFCC members.

During the 1998 Senior US Open there, the routing played was #'s 1 through 8, then 11 played as the ninth.  The back nine was 12-18, and then #10 played as the seventeenth and the ninth played as the eighteenth hole.

Got all that?

[Paul Richards]

After more investigation, it appears that the routing for the 2003 US Open, is, as Ken says, play the first, skip over to #11-18, play the tenth, then the second, and then #'s 3-9.

I drew it out on a map to make sure it makes sense.  The tees in each of these routings are close together so there aren't any ridiculously long treks on any of these routings.

Frankly, I think the Sr. Open routing makes more sense to me than this, though.

[Pete_Pittock]

the usga just put out a press release/news interview with Tom Meeks which discusses Olympia Fields, Bethpage, an Olympic mea culpa and length. Hopefully I can route you there with www.usga.org/press/2003meeks_part1

The 1, 11-18, 10, 2-9 is correct, mostly for spectator movement.