An interesting marketing strategy I received via email

[Tim Martin]

US Open conditions at CCFAD
"You may never get to tee it up in a US Open,but if you want to feel as if you are playing US Open caliber greens, then come to the CCFAD in Anytown on June 10 for the inaugural "Open at CCFAD." You will get to experience green speeds similar to those faced by US Open players on a course that was designed to emulate green complexes at US Open courses. Two shot gun starts will tee off at 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.. Cost is $51 and includes cart. Call XXX-XXX-XXXX or visit CCFAD.com."

I can't say I have ever seen this type of promotion and wonder what the treehouse thinks. I didn't think there was any reason to list the actual name of the golf course but suffice to say it was built in the last 10 years by a fairly well known design firm and is struggling.

[Brent Hutto]

I think a "struggling" golf course will try anything they can think of to drum up business. I'd rather play on "US Open greens" than play a course with 15" cups...

[David Kelly]

Next time I'm in Anytown I'll have to check out CCFAD.

[Paul Gray]

The last thing people need is any encouragement to return to their home clubs and wax lyrical about the virtues of the super quick greens they just played on.

[John Kavanaugh]

For $51 including cart they can have Matt Ward stand outside the gate in a cowboy hat and I ain't complaining.  "Come right on in pardner!"

[Kevin_Reilly]

The last thing people need is any encouragement to return to their home clubs and wax lyrical about the virtues of the super quick greens they just played on.

That is the problem with this promotion if they simply sped up the greens.  Anyone who has played a US Open course within a short time frame of the tournament would know that the speed of the greens is probably the 5th or 6th most difficult aspect of an Open course.

#1 thick rough, combined with ...
#2 narrow fairways
#3 firm greens
#4 thick rough around greens
#5 extended length of all holes
#6 fast greens

Firm conditions throughout can help and hurt, so I wasn't sure where I'd place it.  For an average player, it probably hurts more than helps, as any additional yardage from firm landing areas is mitigated by #1 and #2 above.

Creative idea by the CCFAD, but just a gimmick.

[Jim Hoak]

Lead story today on Bloomberg that Thousands are Leaving the Golf Game!  I guess you need to try anything.

[Paul Gray]

Lead story today on Bloomberg that Thousands are Leaving the Golf Game!  I guess you need to try anything.

Attempting to reinvent the wheel is what led to this mess so I'm not sure attempting the same is the smartest of ideas. Then again, if the competition is surviving for now with short term thinking, you're options become limited.

We could easily get into the same old debate but I'm reminded of Ran's review of West Sussex where he reflects on a shorter course, a two and a half hour round and just where the message was lost.

[Bill_McBride]

The last thing people need is any encouragement to return to their home clubs and wax lyrical about the virtues of the super quick greens they just played on.

That is the problem with this promotion if they simply sped up the greens.  Anyone who has played a US Open course within a short time frame of the tournament would know that the speed of the greens is probably the 5th or 6th most difficult aspect of an Open course.

#1 thick rough, combined with ...
#2 narrow fairways
#3 firm greens
#4 thick rough around greens
#5 extended length of all holes
#6 fast greens

Firm conditions throughout can help and hurt, so I wasn't sure where I'd place it.  For an average player, it probably hurts more than helps, as any additional yardage from firm landing areas is mitigated by #1 and #2 above.

Creative idea by the CCFAD, but just a gimmick.

The club in Portland, OR where I was a member had an annual "US Open" event which I was there for once, luckily never again.

They triple cut and rolled the greens (which the LPGA ladies had voted best on tour), let the rough grow for a couple of weeks, and picked tee boxes that sometimes weren't even on the hole in play.  For example the second tee was on the 17th tee 50 yards back.    And the pins were in semi-impossible locations.   IIRC the medalist was 85 and I limped in with a smooth 115.  Never do that again!   Sadomasochism at its finest. 

[Jason Topp]

I played Hazeltine a year before they hosted the PGA and they were doing a practice course setup and trying to get it in the same condition it would be for the event.  The main thing I can remember is my wrists hurting from hacking the ball out of the rough.  We also played from pretty deep tees which meant I did not need to worry about fairway bunkers.  I could not reach most of them.

[Niall C]

Interestingly Trump, or at least the management company managing the place, are trying to sell tee times at Turnberry on the basis of come and play the course as it was set up for the last day of the Open incluidng from the Championship tees. Don't have the advert in front of me so can't recall whether it says anything about green speeds (doubt it) but what would appeal to me would be playing from some of the back tees, particularly the 9th, that you normally don't get near.

Anyone ever played Carnoustie with the 6th hole tee beside the OB fence ? I've lost count of how many times I've played there and yet to tee it up on that line. For some reason I've always been on the other side of the tee.

Niall   

[Thomas Dai]

In England I can immediately think of 3 courses - Haythrop Park, The Players and Frilford Heath - that advertise an amateur singles open comp played from the super-back "black" tees and as set-up for the pro's. Some are held the day after a pro event. I'm sure there are more.

atb

[Jason Thurman]

What's wrong with this as a one time promotion? If you give people a first hand account of how miserable it is to play such a setup, doesn't it slow some of the clamor for tournament conditions for daily play?