GD HOTD, Mar. 4 - 1st at the Olympic Club

[D. Kilfara]

A curious choice from this club, methinks...it's a hole I enjoy playing, but it isn't by any means the best hole on the course:



Today's fact about the course is a "Did You Know": "Lee Janzen's five-stroke comeback to win the 1998 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club was the biggest final-round comeback in the Open in 25 years. Janzen's feat ranks third behind Arnold Palmer (a seven-stroke comeback in 1960) and Johnny Miller (a six-stroke comeback in 1973)."

Anyway, a question for Gib (if he reads this thread) or others who can answer it: what's it like having a reachable par 5 as the opening hole on your golf course in terms of pace-of-play? I can't quite figure out if this would be a positive (by spreading people out straightaway) or a negative (by making people wait straightaway)...what does experience tell you?

Cheers,
Darren

[ForkaB]

Finally, a HOTD I have played!

I think it is an excellent golf hole, both "strategically" in the use of the little hump in front of the green to influence either a 2nd or 3rd shot, as well as experientially, as the hole reflects both the natue of the course (trees, semi-blind tee shots, lots of very subtle stuff around the greens, fast greens) and the essence of the club (golf-focused, friendly, causal).

[Scott_Burroughs]

Bill and others,

I've heard that the fog is present mainly in the summer.  Is this true?  About when does it start and stop during the year?

I got fogged in at Torrey Pines in LJ in April 2 years ago, didn't know how different the fog times are between Nor and SoCal.

[Jim Sweeney]

This hole makes one think right off the tee- the fairway is fairly flat in a small strip on the left, the favored spot, but that means playing toward some pretty dense rough and trees (of course, waht hole at Olympic isn't like that?)

Reaching this green in two isn't easy, and one must play the lay up shot left and probably shorter than you'd think to have a good chance to hold the green with the third.

I liked the hole as a starter. It made me think right out of the box; good preparation since this is a thinking man's golf course.

[Mike Benham]

I would agree that it is not easily reachable in two for the everyday golfer.

The photo does not show (bathed in shadows) the bunkers 40-60 yards short of the green that make you commit on the second shot to either go for the green or lay back.

Another challenging aspect for the 3rd shot is that even though the entire length of the hole is protected from the prevailing breeze off the ocean (to the right in this picture), the green is only has low shrubs on the west side.  So when you are back in the fairway with a pitching wedge in hand, more times than not, your shot is pushed to the right because of the wind that you can't judge.

[THuckaby2]

"Easily reachable" is certainly a relative term.  Hell, even I have reached it, meaning redanman can likely get there with a middle iron... but that would be in DRY conditions, no wind against.  That likely happens about 1 out of every 15 playings.  Make it the normal semi-wet to soggy, into the wind, and it sure ain't easily reachable for most people I know!  In my times on the Lake, I've never known #1 to cause any pace of play issues as people wait to reach the green... but one of the members ought to weigh in on this.  It is a good question Darren poses.

As for the hole itself, add me to the fans of it, with nothing further to add other than on a clear day, the view of the GG Bridge past the green is pretty damn cool!

TH

[D. Kilfara]

For what it's worth, I said "reachable", not "easily reachable". I've certainly not come near reaching it, the two times I've played it...but from what I gather, Olympic has a LOT of very good players who probably could, hence the question about pace-of-play.

Jim, if you don't mind I'd like to query you on this statement:

I liked the hole as a starter. It made me think right out of the box; good preparation since this is a thinking man's golf course.

Do you consider Olympic to be a thinking man's golf course? I think of it more as a "Hit it straight or DIE!" course, myself. Seriously, Olympic is such a demanding and exacting course, with such tight fairways and trees everywhere, that to my mind strategy takes a definite backseat behind execution. There are exceptions - perhaps the first is one of them - but not too many...do you disagree?

Cheers,
Darren

[THuckaby2]

I'm with Darren on this.  Unless you are very long and/or get very dry conditions, Olympic Lake is in general a day filled with "driver (keep between trees) / 2iron (hope to find the green)".  I do like the course quite a bit and feel it deserves every accolade it gets... and the greens do have a lot of merit to them in contour and interest... but to me it's also a huge stretch to call it a "thinking man's course" for anyone but a VERY VERY VERY strong player.

TH

[A_Clay_Man]

Scott- There is no easy answer to when the fog comes and goes and that alone makes it a wondeful mostly unpredictable variable. I've never played the O but I can just imagine playing it in the densest of fogs. It would be heaven and it would also be most telling of the guy who won't tee off. Just aim for the densest part and find it. Usually made easier because you don't bother over-swinging or looking up ergo better golf.

But as a rule the fog comes in (monterey) when the san joaquin valley is hot. And then the battle is on between the sun and the fog. If the sun wins the fog will skeedattle by noon and proabbaly come back around 4. But the scenarios are many. When we lived in PG the edge of the gloom would often seperate the nines and was as great an experience as it was in contrast. Bringing some weather gear is always advisable. Heaven

[Mike Benham]

I agree with Huck and Darren that that you are in for a day of drivers and long irons ... and I don't know how Gib can run the ball up to the 2nd green ...

As for pace of play problems, that is assuming that you have groups teeing off more than once every 15 minutes ... in the afternoon, when the guests go out, I suspect the trees and rough have more of an effect on slow play than the first hole ...

[THuckaby2]

I agree with Huck and Darren that that you are in for a day of drivers and long irons ... and I don't know how Gib can run the ball up to the 2nd green ...

You've obviously yet to play with Gib, Mike.  The man hits the ball about shoulder height with every single club.  He could run it up Mt. Everest.

TH

[David_Tepper]

Living in SF for 30+ years and playing the OC Lake at least 6 times a year, permit me the following observations:

1) Going for the green in two on the first hole of the Lake Course is not an issue for 98% of the players who tee off.
2) The fog season is mid-June thru mid-September. The fog rolls in late in the afternoon and can linger thru the morning hours. If you tee off before 9am in the summer months, the grounds of the Lake Course can be so wet you would think that it rained the prior nite. This dampness, combined with the thick, tree-lined fairways, is one reason the course plays so soft and so long.
3) If you don't make par on #1, chances are you are in for a long day. The odds are pretty good that you are not going to make it up on holes #2 thru #6. Anytime I can play the first 6 holes and be 6-over on the 7th tee, I am thrilled!  

[Coral_Ridge]

I know that Olympic is a heavily treed golf course.  In the early days the course was more open.  What is the predominant species of tree on the golf course today?

[D. Kilfara]

Believe me, I'm all in favor of tree removal - but really, is there a neater "golf tree" out there than the cypress? The way it twists and bends and its foliage fans out unpredictably? Just thought I'd point that out...

Cheers,
Darren

[Joel_Stewart]

There are a number of different trees on the Lake including a grove of redwood trees between the 11th green and 12th tee.  The club has been trying to get rid of the eucalyptus trees for the last few years as well as trimming back the Monterey Pines and some of the Cypress trees (for safety sake).  It is true that we have removed possibly a few hundred trees in the last few years.

As for the 1st hole, it's a sleeper because you can make a 4 but it's easier to make a 6 or 7.  The green is very tricky, some members believe that it's the fastest green on the course.