Chambers Bay Hole 11

[Anthony Gray]

 500 yards  Par 4   HDCP 8

 This hole is all about the angle of the approach shot. Tee shot should hug the left for the best angle to the green. A long bunker protects the short approach from the right. Elevated green has backstop for the long approach. Slope in front of the green has a divot field at the bottom were most misses end up. Mounding off the tee blocks the view of the left portion of the fairway.

 

 

 

 

 

  Approach view

 

 

 

  Anthony

[Richard Choi]

Let's get Matt's questions out of the way.

The wind is from the left most of the time, but you will get occasional headwind which will make this hole a BEAR. What you cannot tell from these photos is how much the fairway pinches in. There is about 50 yards of landing space between the mound and the neck. It is about 250 to 300 yards to reach the neck. It is very penal as the mounds that pinch in are very scruffy and you lies will be horrific. There is about 15~20 yards wide opening at the neck. You have more room on the right than the left and missing to the right is bit less penal than missing left.

The green is where this hole really shines. Everything left of the green will bounce away and settle about 40 or 50 yards from the green. There is a sideboard on the right side that will feed the ball back to the green if you miss right. If the green is running around 10 on stimp, this can be a very very scary (and exciting) approach.

[Alex Miller]

So can we expect quite a few hybrids into this green for the Open?

[Rob Rigg]

While manufactured - the mound in the middle of the fairway provides a real "fun/blind" element to the hole.

Rich is spot on about the approach. If you are coming in from right of the mound, it is more challenging to work the ball onto the green bc everything is running away from you.

An approach from over/left of the mound will let you work it off the slope if necessary - although anything too far left will get caught up in the rough or gunk over there.

The green is kind of fun with a ridge in the middle (or slightly to one side - from memory).

This is a good hole and provides a solid challenge for the long hitter and accurate short hitter as well.

[Richard Choi]

It is unlikely we will have too many players use hybrids into this green.

I suspect if the wind is favorable, many big bombers will try to carry the neck. And if you do, you will have a wedge in. Even if you just carry the mound, you are probably looking at 165 to 185 yard approach. That probably translates to 9 iron to 6 iron for most pros and top amateurs.

It will be really interesting if the wind blows from the north, though. If it does, the correct play is to play a really low running shot that lands short of the green on the right side and used the mound to feed it back to the green. I wonder if anybody at US Am will try that shot though... (I kinda doubt it)

[Jeff Doerr]

Doing a lot of work in prep for the AM. A lot of bunker edges and hydroseeding and some bunkers totally redone, like here on #11

[Scott_Burroughs]

[Scott Szabo]

500 yard par 4 - handicap 8?  I've never been to Chambers Bay, but are there really 7 holes that would be more difficult than this one?

Does it play downwind much of the time?

I realize length alone doesn't make a hole difficult, but when I first saw Anthony's heading that's the first thought that came to mind.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

I haven't out to Chambers in a few months, but I have a question for the tree house. 

How do you feel about the difference between the new work being done on #11 right side bunker and the photos shot in 2007. 

Are maintenance practices removing rthe uniqueness by cleaning those bunkers?  Do you think the wispy grasses in the bunkers will grow back or is this new clean look the one we can expect going forward?

[Dale Jackson]

500 yard par 4 - handicap 8?  I've never been to Chambers Bay, but are there really 7 holes that would be more difficult than this one?

Does it play downwind much of the time?

I realize length alone doesn't make a hole difficult, but when I first saw Anthony's heading that's the first thought that came to mind.

Not to threadjack but Scott you need to review the handicap manual.  Stroke allocation is not done on the basis of difficulty.  The strokes are allocated on the basis of which hole the higher handicap player most needs a stroke to gain a half with a lower handicap player.  Difficulty has nothing to do with it.  Having said that, it is a fair comment that a lot of courses (especially public) do not follow this method and do allocate on the basis of perceived difficulty.