Not the field, just the crowds, and the native grasses.

Mike, your post works on so many levels  

Score is the crux, give-up on the number, and every course will not become defensless, they will come alive with excitement.

Shivas,

If 90,000 can gather in a field near Manchester, Tennessee for Bonnaroo III anything is indeed possible.  A bonus of my trip last week to Lookout Mountain CC was driving home with the Bonnaroo crowd cued up for five miles in the right-hand median.  When's the last time you saw a guy skate-boarding down an interstate? Or a guy pushing a shopping cart loaded with 12-packs in the right-hand lane?  Or young ladies --- never mind

Tom,

Given the USGA's self-appointed role of defending par, I'm not sure Sand Hills would hold up unless they made it something other than Sand Hills.  There again, that might be true for a lot of places.  

Mike  

If I was a member at Sand Hills I wouldn't just say no to the US Open, but HELL NO!  The site is much too delicate and I'd hate to think what the droves of people would do to the dunes and native vegetation.  Besides, it is not a medal score course, which would perhaps result in more timid play than the one already found at most US Open venues.

Brian:

The whole idea is so far-fetched based on the reality of how all this works, I assumed it's just a given for purposes of this discussion that Mr. Youngscap - and the members - would want such a thing.  Hell yes is that far from a good assumption though!

So yes, that's obviously the first of about 1000 logistical hurdles to overcome to make this dream come true.  But Mike said "logistics aside", so at least I am just talking about how the course would hold up.

And Lou - again the assumption must be that spectators are SEVERELY limited, and all TV logistics are done with the greatest of care.  Remember, Mike said "logistics aside."

Let me re-direct the thread despite my caveat of logistics aside.  Assume a) ownership/membership would embrace the event; b) a resurgence in the pioneer spirit for participants, media and gallery that leads to pitching tents and renting motor homes; and c) limiting the gallery to 5,000 tree-huggers who would rather vote for W than damage the environment.  

Then, would the golf course its ownself be a good playground for the national championship?

Mike

Truthfully, I don't know what logistics go into an Open.  But North Platte is not even an hour away, and you can certainly house all the workers there and make them do what every other worker in America does -- commute!  And it should be no problem for people in North Platte to rent out their houses for a week to workers/fans/players, etc.  

Actually, having the workers commute is not at all a reasonable theory.  here is why.  The tent guys, bleacher guys, TV guys etc etc all work on average (average being key so it can be more)15 hour day for the WEEKS leading up to the Open, then adding 2 hours on top of the 15 hour day for the commute would leave a whopping seven hours for sleep, laundry, showeing etc, do the math, it will never work.

Players?  There are some cottages.  That should be a perk for the top money list guys.  Everybody else?  Rent a John Daly-mobile.  If it's good enough for DLIII and JD, it's good enough for a week.  

If you could find enough of those Prevost coaches that were of high enough caliber, yes, this idea could work.  However, seeing that the price on these (to buy) is in excess of $3 million, the rental rate for one week would be close to $10,000.  Now, keep in mind, those units need to be staged, powered, cleaned and then the reverse after it's done, so what happens now is you have a minimum of 3 week rental.  Thats $30k per player X 150 players = $ 4,620,000.00 in lodging alone.

And God knows, there's enough land to have thousands of RV's parked. IN fact, SH happens to have one thing going for it that a lot of courses don't -- plenty of room for parking!

Food?  Truck it in.  TV?  No issue.  Satellite.  If they can show us a war in Iraq on live TV, they can certainly show us the Open in Nebraska.  Corporate tents?  No problem.  How many do you want?  We've got plenty of room for them.  

Food is almost always trucked in regardless of venue, there isn't a Golf Club out there with enough kitchen space to provide food service for in excess of 30k people.  Just look next time you are at a tournamant, Sysco trucks EVERYWHERE.

TV is always broadcast via satellite and fibre feeds.  No network in their right mind would let the entire US Open hinge on only a satellite feed.  Networks always plan for a minimum of redundancy if not in triplicate.  Lose the feed, lose the ad revenue.

The wind is an issue for the caliber of tents available in the US.  Most tents used for this are capable of standing up to (in reality) 50+ MPH every now and then.  European tents are much better quality and have much higher wind tolerances.

Guys, let's not forget, the most famous rock concert in history, Woodstock, drew half a million people to a cornfield in the middle of nowhere.  That's what made Woodstock SPECIAL and that's what would make an Open at SH perhaps the most special Open in history!!  I can just see it now:  30 years from now, we'd be telling our grandkids that we were at the Open when they held it at Sand Hills.  They'd be in awe, just like we are when we hear aobut people who were at Woodstock.

Let's not also forget the fact that Woodstock was a LOSS for the promoters for just that reason.  It is estimated that Woodstock LOST almost $6 million (if you convert it to 2004 dollars that is OVER 10 million) once you figure in all of the costs including state & federal assistance.  I think we all know one thing, the USGA never loses money, and certinaly if they do, it's not much!

Shivas, you wise man - that's exactly what I've been trying to say, in too few, too poorly-chosen words.

There certainly is room for the few additional back tees needed.  And yes, it if is firm and fast - an absolute given - it will hold up.  The greens alone will be enough.

TH

Well then you need to be stunned.  There is no way possible for the USGA to run an Open at SH and NOT lose money.  Keep in mind here, I am not saying SH is not worthy of an Open, it's just that it would be fiscal suicide to even try it.

How is it fair to expect that patrons of a NY event would be footing an additonal $20 per to fund a WEST coast event?  Is that a reasonable request?

SH is a special place because it is not anything like any other area where there has been an Open in the past, no infrastructure = no Open.  Has nothing to do with the quality of the course itself.

You say the USGA does not charge enough for tickets?  In who's opinion?  Remember, there are MANY people who buy tickets that think the cost is too high.  In other words, their income is not close to what yours and or others on this site might be and it's certinaly a tough choice for some of these famalies to attend.

A "slight" loss at SH?  I already ran you some quick numbers.  What do you consider slight?  In the case of SH the additonal costs (above and beyong a normal Open venue) could exceed $15 million, thats not slight to anyone on this site.

Woodstock was of course not on TV, had no ad revenue, but again, if it did, would that many people have gone if it were on TV?  Would it hold such a "special place" in our hearts?  I think not.

Shivas, I agree, it would be cool to have an Open at SH, just completley unrealistic

In would be stunned if the USGA couldn't run the Open at break even, but even assuming they couldn't, they are reaping huge windfalls from NYC metro Opens that could be applied toward that.  Also, the truth is that the USGA doesn't charge enough for Open tickets.  If they did, they wouldn't sell out every fricking year so easily and quickly.  They should raise prices to the point where the Open might not sell out.  Push that envelope in NYC and charge an extra $20 a head, and you've got the dough to take a slight loss at the Open at SH.

BTW, was Woodstock televised and what exactly were its advertising revenues?  

Mr. Shivas and I were obviously thinking the same thing at the same time.  

How many avid golfers are there in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Colorado?  Do you know why college sports are SO huge in places like this?  Because it's the only game in town.  You hand these people an Open and I'm telling you, they're on it like white on rice.  

This is very true, as was evidenced when the Senior U.S. Open was held at Des Moines Golf and CC and the place was packed to the rafters (although not a fair comparison as a few more people live in Des Moines than in Mullen  ).

Personally, the course being a superb match play course, I think I'd prefer to see a Ryder Cup there.

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

Shivas - I may add that people in Nebraska selected GOLF as their #1 sport in the recent Sports Illustrated that profile our state.

Am I the only one who questions the suitability of Sand Hills as an Open venue from a playability standpoint?  Will the "best golfer" really be identified?  Or will it be the guy who gets the most breaks and avoids lost balls and rabbit holes?  

Lou,

Who gets to define what "best golfer" is?  And are you advocating that the course be fair and devoid of bad bounces, poor lies or inconsistencies?  

What better place that Sand Hills for the USGA to show that learning the rules is REALLY important and all the obscure references to rabbit holes in The Rules of Golf are not just some useless cut & paste from a time long ago.