Olympic Lake preparation and presentation

[Ben Sims]

On Sportscenter this morning they are using live shots of course prep for today's 3rd round at The Olympic Club.  Most of the footage is of hand-watering being done.  What confused me, was the hand-watering being done to the primary rough within 10-20 yds of the greens.  Is there a reason for this watering?  It can't be because the 3.5 inches of bluegrass is too stressed.  Am I missing something? 

However, I am going to take a contrarian view of the GCA.com viewpoint and say that I am enjoying this US Open and in particular, the golf course and its presentation.  I think Congressional wasn't so good last year and the lineup of the next three US Opens will be fairly brutal, something I sort of like for only this one major.  Olympic seems to be fair. 

Continuing along the contrarian view, even though he may be the biggest asshole in golf history, Tiger's golf this week has been pretty. 

[Joel_Stewart]

I think it is from getting the grass too stressed that it can't recover? 

I'm not a Tiger fan but his course management and execution have been superb.  With old pros like Furyk and Toms tied, I think it should be an amazing finish.  Add in MacDowell and maybe a dark horse and it's going to be great.

[Ben Sims]

Joel,

My understanding is that lush rough is just the opposite of the grass on a green.  At the length it is now, combined with the temps in the Bay area, it should be happy as a clam and growing well.  I don't know why you would be hand watering rough.

I agree with everything you said in your second paragraph.  It is a shame that I am just now understanding what makes O Lake a great course, instead of understanding when I actually saw the course with Gib.  And maybe that is The Lake's ultimate weakness, is that it's architecture only comes out to play for great ballstrikers and not all golfers.

[Mark Bourgeois]

The course presentation in some ways and Tiger's game in many ways remind me of Hoylake '06. Once again Tiger is showing the field he's smarter than them, his prep focuses on dialing up those aspects of his game he knows he will need (bunker play), his putting when on is historic, and he can dominate Nine Shots like no one else.

Has anyone gotten a peek at the script? Who is slated to reprise Fleck's role and win? I'm hoping it's Thompson (Tulane) but will have the Benadryl ready for an attack of hives in case it's Peterson (LSU).

[Matt_Cohn]

I haven't been out there yet this week, but a lot of the rough looks pretty brown and withered to me...

[Mac Plumart]

My 2 cents is that the course looks incredibly fun to play.  Fast fairways and bounding golf balls. 

[Mark Bourgeois]

By the way, on the broadcast they said the rough grass is rye. How warm is it out there?

My own dumb guess is it has nothing to do with turf health and something to do with the way they want those specific areas to play. No, I dont know what that means, either.

[Mark Bourgeois]

My 2 cents is that the course looks incredibly fun to play.  Fast fairways and bounding golf balls. 

I think I would just save myself the trouble and aim right at the trees on the downhill side. I dont think mere mortals can handle F&F on that course.

Looking like an awesome test for the world's greatest golfers who are playing the world's greatest golf.

[Matt_Cohn]

By the way, on the broadcast they said the rough grass is rye. How warm is it out there?

60's, maybe low 70's

[Kalen Braley]

By the way, on the broadcast they said the rough grass is rye. How warm is it out there?

60's, maybe low 70's

They said it was in the 80s yesterday......

It does seem a bit odd to see all the brown and baked out rough all over the place out there.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Ben I dare say no one on here knows the course better than Gib. Anything he told you take to the bank if in the fact department. You can take his opinions at the value you chose like anyone else except in Gib's case he has more information to base his opins on than most anyone else.