Members played Shinnecock yesterday, Golf Channel's comments last night

[Jimmy Muratt]

Did anyone watch the Post Game show on the Golf Channel last night when Brian Hewitt announed that members got to play Shinnecock yesterday.  He was saying how normally, clubs are closed for a couple weeks beforehand so the USGA can prep the course.  But, part of the agreement with Shinnecock, was that members would be able to play the course the Sunday before the tournament.  

Brian said that he had spoken to David Fay who was not happy.  Supposedly the course was packed and it hindered some of the USGA's prep time for the course.

I applaud the club for allowing it's members to play yesterday, what fun (or torture) that would be to play the course as set-up for the Open and get to play it right before the tournament and before the damage to the course by the spectators.

[A_Clay_Man]

Jimmy, I'm not exactly positive on when they cut-off the play at Pebble Beach, but I doubt it's weeks.

Is there special consideration for public venues?

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Clint, Paneta and a few others played Pebble the week of the event.

[Brian_Gracely]

Does anyone know if any of the pros have been out there for a few weeks playing alot practice rounds (as Nicklaus used to do)?  Or is that just a thing of the past?  

btw - Pinehurst is already advertising that #2 will be open/available until a week or two before the 2005 US Open.  

[Doug Braunsdorf]

To contribute about this, I recall Bethpage Black closed sometime around Memorial Day Weekend 2002, I think it may have been open on the Monday (holiday), and then after 1:00 pm or so it was closed to the general public in preparation for the U.S. Open.  
I think players still had access to the course, although I'm not 100% certain.  

[Jim Franklin]

Pros had to play with members of Shinnecock before the '95 Open. I would think the same rules applied this time. It's the Members' course and they have every right to play all the way up to tournament time IMHO.

[rgkeller]

>>Brian said that he had spoken to David Fay who was not happy.<<

It should not be long before ED Fay refers to those members playing as racist.

[Jimmy Muratt]

Brian,

Many of the pros have been to Shinnecock recently practicing.  Jim Furyk was there over the weekend and supposedly said there is a 50% chance that he plays.  Mickelson also was there last week with Dave Pelz and Rick Smith.  Pelz and he were working on all kinds of creative shots around the greens.  Pelz and Mickelson must be in heaven working on those types of shots at Shinnecock.

I think quite a few of the guys played a practice round there last week one of the days instead of practicing at Westchester.

[igrowgrass]

Back in 2000 when the Open Championship was at St. Andrews, I heard that they made people take mats to hit off of while playing there, yes it is a public course, and there is no membership, but would you pay to play there and hit off of a mat?

[Jfaspen]

Back in 2000 when the Open Championship was at St. Andrews, I heard that they made people take mats to hit off of while playing there, yes it is a public course, and there is no membership, but would you pay to play there and hit off of a mat?

My buddy and his father played one of the last rounds prior to the course being closed... Nothing was ever said of mats...

[Doug Siebert]

I think St. Andrews uses the mats during the winter.  But you have to be a pretty hardy soul to want to play there in the winter, since their summers are often not particularly warm

[Don_Mahaffey]

I played the course on June 10, 2000, which I believe was two and a half to three weeks prior to the open. No mats, just some pretty wild pins as they were staying away from the areas they would use for the open.

[Philip Gawith]

i played the Old Course in March and you had to take mats. but then the green fee is halved to £50. i can promise you that it is well worth having to take a mat to walk round that course for £50. the reality, unless you are extremely good and straight, is that you may only need the mat 10 or 12 times a round, since often you will hit second shots from the light rough. it is much less of an issue than you might think. i think the full rate kicks in in april and runs until ??end september or so. mats are to preserve the fairways in winter...

[TEPaul]

"Should the members be allowed to play during Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds the week of the Open?  That is the real question.  It's their course."

redanman;

That's patently ridiculous! Those guys do need to practice on a course like that and with 156 players there's only so much you can do with that many players, 18 holes and the amount of light in the day. Why don't you suggest the members should also be allowed to play during the tournament too?---and if the USGA can't fit the field around for four rounds by Sunday maybe the members would be nice enough to let the Championship hang around to finish the Open during "maintenance day" on Monday?!

Do you also think the USGA should allow you to have "access" to play the course during the Open practice days too?  

[TEPaul]

"If you considered that at all seriously, you need professional help, Tom."

redanman:

I knew you didn't understand much but I thought at least you knew what a winking smiley meant!

[ChipOat]

It's been a long time and golf has since exploded, but as recently as 1981, the USGA allowed the host club to operate "business as usual" through the Sunday prior to the tournament.  In fact, while participants in the championship were welcome to play as many practice rounds as they wished prior to the Monday of that week, they had to actually play with a member when doing so - including Jack Nicklaus.

None other than Arnold Palmer called the club (his office called, actually) about a pre-Monday round and asked the caddymaster to make up a game!  The King and 3 members he'd never met - that explains why Bay Hill is the friendliest place I know.

[TEPaul]

"teat for tat, mon chere ami  (comme le Francais)"

redanman;

What the hell is that all about? I'm not sure I like the sound or the tone of that French stuff and all those damn winking smiley faces!! You're not getting sweet on me or trying to pick me up, are you---you big lug?!

[Brock Peyer]

I was watching The Golf Channel tonight and they had Dave Pelz interviewing Tom Meeks on one of the greens during the day (not sure if it was today, I was also chasing a two year old) but there was a lady about my Mom's age finishing on the green.  It looked like she was playing but not sure.  That is great from a member's point of view but if I were Ernie Els, I don't think that  I would want to be waiting in the fairway on my Mom to line up her 3 footer.

[scott_wood]

after dinner Sunday,we "had a nightcap" at the Southhampton Inn with Phillip Price' caddie, who having just flown in that morning, went directly to the club for a round with Price.

The caddie was astounded that the members ("some" was OK, he said, but not "all") were playing, and alluded that they felt not only had they dodged a few errant shots, they felt their practice session had been negatively affected....

btw, for Monday's practice round the USGA practice of laying large cloth "tarps" over all the par 3s (excepting the last 2 yards) and over areas where there would be frequent divots taken , was very much in evidence. I WONDER IF THE TARPS WERE DOWN FOR THE MEMBERS?

[Jimmy Muratt]

It's the members' club.  The USGA has full run of the place from Monday through Sunday.  Any serious practice that the players want to do before Monday can be done elsewhere if they don't want to mingle with the members.

I think it's great that Shinnecock allowed it's members out to play on Sunday.  Looking at the course, it's obvious no "serious" harm was done to the golf course by a little member play.