[igrowgrass]

Had an oppurtunity to play Chambers Bay and enjoyed the experience.  Great piece of property.  
I wanted to get other peoples opinions on the first hole.
We played on in a shotgun and started on #11 so I did not get to play the hole as my first hole.  
I did not like the first hole.
There is suppose to be lots of emphasis placed on the ground game at Chambers Bay.  I don't think this hole is a great place to showcase this like a first hole should.  The second shot is much more appropriate played from the air than it is played from the ground.  The approach leading up to the green is so narrow and canted to the left that it deflects more shots than it accepts.
An approach the size of number 6 would have been better fitted for the first hole.

Your opinions please.

[BVince]

Sean,

I personally like the opening hole.  The tee shot is quite forgiving but the second shot is a difficult one.  You are right in the fact that this hole allows less run up than some of the others but that does not make it any less interesting.  I think the only problem is that a miss to the left is quite penalizing for a mid-iron as it will catch the slope and funnel hard towards the 18th.  

I think if you would have played it earlier in the round you would have felt different about it.  It is not a very memorable hole but a good opening to the brutal test of golf that lies ahead.

[Pete_Pittock]

Sean,
My perspective of the hole is skewed from yours. My one tour had me playing from about 490 into the wind, uphill, so there is no way I can get to that hole in two. It is okay for a wedge from 100 yds. If I tried to approach it with a ground game I would be playing to the right side of the green and would never attempt to hit at a pin set center or left.

Note-It would also be impossible for me to reach that at 430, either.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I also played the hole into the wind both times. I played a shot to the right for it to bounce onto the green and feed to the left. I like the hole and consider it a very strong opening hole. Many great courses start strong including Bandon Dunes, Cypress Point, Royal Portrush and Augusta National

[igrowgrass]

I also played the hole into the wind both times. I played a shot to the right for it to bounce onto the green and feed to the left. I like the hole and consider it a very strong opening hole. Many great courses start strong including Bandon Dunes, Cypress Point, Royal Portrush and Augusta National

A lot of great courses also start with a straight forward hole that doesn't demand your best but gives you a feel for the what to expect.
Quaker Ridge
Bethpage Black
Baltusrol
Oakmont-even though its consider the hardest opening hole in Championship golf, its straight forward.
Pine Valley

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Simply because we are told the ground game is important at Chambers neither means that all 18 would play that way nor do I think that many of the holes play into the ground game.  

What I do believe is that the actual targets(greens) play larger because of the possible angles provided by the surrounding shaping.  

That said, am, thinking through the holes and wonder if #16, 5 are the only holes that lend themselves to running the ball up, as I would consider that the ground game.  Otherwise there is some excellent strategy surrounding the greens.

By the way, #1 is hardly a par 4, More like 41/2.  If par is the concern, Chambers has some spots that will leave you sorely disappointed.

[igrowgrass]

We got a presentation on the golf course today from the Superintendent and he stressed the importance of the ground game at CB, so I guess I expected more if it.
I would agree with you that not many holes use the ground game as much as you would think, as I have thought about it more.  Flying it to certain points and letting the side banks move the ball the appropriate direction is the way to play it

I should have played it from one set of tee markers back.  Do not think the 1st hole was designed to be played into with a 9iron.

[BVince]

What is not “straight forward” about the 1st at Chambers?  I wasn't confused looking at it or playing it, despite hooking my ball and watching it run 60 yards down the hill.  

Is your point that it does not prepare the player for what lies ahead?  I would have to disagree there as well.  Not every hole at CB requires or even accepts a ground approach.  Some of the holes are steeply uphill and some require an aerial approach.  

[Jesse Jones]

Sean,

I love the first hole. You just can't think of it as a Par 4.
There are other spots on the course to use the ground game, the problem is it's usually not the appropiate shot.
Yeah, you can run it up #7-#8-#10-#13 but, who's going to make that play.
You can run it up#14, but that's on your 3rd shot to the Par 4.
There are alot of places  at CB that allow the ground game, but you can only really do it in a few spots..

[Jordan Wall]

Sean,

Its all about the par.
It was supposed to be a short-5, which would have worked better than the long par-4 it now is.
The lay-up would have been interesting, because the closer to the dune, the better the angle would be.
But nobody tries to lay up, because it's a par-4.

I like the fact it lets you know what is coming from the course though.  Miss in the right places, and be precise.  You are right though, I think the green surrounds tend to repel a lot more balls than they accept.  The green is good though, up tight to the dune with the big dropoff.  Its a fun green to putt.

Its not a bad hole.

Its just not as good as 14 or 15 of the other ones.

[igrowgrass]

Jordan
I thought 14 was an easier hole than 1.
Do you play it from 7100 yds or 6500?

[BVince]

I am intrigued to understand why you think the 14th is easier than the 1st.  But that is besides the point.

Are you stating that a good 1st hole is an easy one?  

[Jordan Wall]

Sean,

I agree.
14 is a lot easier, IMo, at least until you go waaaay back.

Ive played the course at 6500, 7100, and 7600 yards.
You could tip it out, and I mean waaay back.
It would challenge your game, forcing you to hit EVERY shot in the bag.
Evcen at 7100 yards the course plays short.  In fact, I can hit all the par-5's from those tees in two with no wind.
At 7600 yards, 12 is driveable, you can give 4 a go, 11 is a better hole, 13 you can give a go, and 17 is a far better hole.

Some of the carries are really long though...14 is like 280 something, or more...

[Sean Leary]

Sean obviously overpowered the golf course, as he can really hit it. Talk to me about 1 from the back tee playing into the wind a bit.

What I like about 1 is that all the room to miss is left (With the shared fairway with 18), but there is a huge upslope over there that is basically impossible to carry. Right side near the dune is flatter and can propel the ball forward for a shorter second shot.

If you miss the green left, bye  bye.  Brutal shot from down there.

Jordan, you are full of shit, you can't get home on all the par 5's. Go back to snuggling with your girlfriend.

[igrowgrass]

I am intrigued to understand why you think the 14th is easier than the 1st.  But that is besides the point.

Are you stating that a good 1st hole is an easy one?  

The 14th green is easy to attack than the 1st.  Had the same club into both holes.  
I don't think a good 1st hole is an easy one, the opening hole at Oakmont is not easy, but its straight forward.
The three people I played with all had 200 yds or so into #1 when we played.  I was watching from a vantage point to see there shots approach the green.  They all played it up the right side and none of their shots bounced forward onto the green.  They all deflected short and to the left.
They played shots on the correct path and were not rewarded.  I understand thats golf, but so see it happen to all three made me think about the design of the approach.

[Jordan Wall]

Jordan, you are full of shit, you can't get home on all the par 5's. Go back to snuggling with your girlfriend.

Sean,

You imply that I have a girlfriend.
Yet this is no fact.

The other Sean,

You have to be a beast, 500-lbs gorilla to hit 9-iron into #1...are you kidding me..I had like 6-iron when I played the 6500 kid tees   and thought I hit a good drive.

Sounds like you need to man up and move back.
 

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