[Rob Marshall]

Wow, this good stuff. What a birdie putt to half the 32nd. That was huge.

[Joe Bausch]

Michigan finally beats Ohio (State).   

[Kalen Braley]

Michigan finally beats Ohio (State).   

Not sure if this happened to anyone else, but my local affiliate switched signals after they hit their tee balls on 17, (35th hole) to a damn Joe Corwin infomercial... 

Looks like they tied the hole to end the match, but that really sucked to say the least.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Michigan finally beats Ohio (State).   

Not sure if this happened to anyone else, but my local affiliate switched signals after they hit their tee balls on 17, (35th hole) to a damn Joe Corwin infomercial... 

Looks like they tied the hole to end the match, but that really sucked to say the least.

They switched to NBCsn.

[Dan Herrmann]

You're correct.  NBC Sports again demonstrated their incompetence and switched off the golf before it was over.   

[Cliff Hamm]

Geoff Shackleford gets it right:


https://quadrilateral.substack.com/p/open-letter-to-brian-roberts-for?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNjM2OTM5NCwicG9zdF9pZCI6NDAwNjEzOTgsIl8iOiI3K0pYWSIsImlhdCI6MTYyOTExNzMyMCwiZXhwIjoxNjI5MTIwOTIwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMTU4MTcyIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.AXgQEm0QOCSOiVAv3YRm5_G_W0jFExiNpDQuTSvsxi8

[Anthony Gholz]

Tommy:


I tried to pm you but it bounces back.  Maybe try me and I can respond.


Anthony

[George Pazin]

George: 


I know you're an Oakmont guy as I am an Oakland Hills guy.  So prejudice is on the table. 


However, watching Oakmont this week and seeing the past two opens on site it is sad to see the artificially built up tees; say 7, 17, and 18 for starters. and several more.  The golf course is NOT laid on the land as Fownes designed it.  In fact number 17 is now a reverse land movement tee shot. Might as well build a steel frame platform with a carpet on it. Oakland Hills does have one artificially built up hill tee at #7, but it is a much mote natural looking complex, and a beautiful spectator mound for viewing 4 and 5.  The contrast between the two courses is so striking as one has a freeway and rr thru it dividing the course and creating industrial background sound and the other of course all of one piece.  Oakland brings back the Golden Age with widening of the fairways and a return to Ross's original bunkering locations, not brought in and narrowed, along with narrowed fairways. 


We in the Detroit area are starved for Opens and Amateurs on "our" major course.  The infrastructure problems that Oakmont and Merion have with restricted areas around the clubhouse, practice areas miles away (Merion), tees only used in majors (you too Old Course).  Come to Detroit where its all there in one place with room for all you need on one of the great natural properties for golf.  "The lord intended ...."


Once again kudos to Hanse/Wagner and team.


Thanks for allowing this rant.
Anthony

Hi Anthony -


Your rant is most welcome. I believe in the power of open and frank discussion to elicit the best conclusions for anything, but especially something as both meaningless and meaningful as golf.


Just a couple things -


I'm an Oakmont fan, not an Oakmont guy. Many have assumed the latter over the years, as I have admittedly touted the course more than anyone on here. I am happy to praise the tree removal, as I am most decidedly not a fan of trees on golf courses, but the rest of the work is something I choose not to comment on, as I don't believe it is my place. The bones of the course - the layout, the greens, etc - are what I will always focus on, apologies if that rings hollow to anyone.


I will say, I thought about posting on here yesterday (before the televised play, but ended up having to work instead) that I feel it is incredibly important for people to realize how much TV flattens Oakmont, like other notables such as Augusta and probably Oakland Hills and many other golden age courses as well.


When I started watching yesterday, they were on the 4th. They showed the tee shot, and I was flat out (no pun intended) stunned at how NOT elevated the tee shot appeared. In person, it struck me personally as hugely elevated, not in a built up tee sense, but rather hitting from the same hill that creates the magnificent 3rd green complex. I wasn't playing the way backs, but man, we were definitely hitting from a hill, whereas the TV just made it seem like a gentle grade down.


Likewise, holes like #9 and #17, those are significant hills to hit up. They don't appear that way at all on TV, and apparently if you routinely hit it 320 like these young guys, they don't play that much uphill either. But that's more a statement on how the governing bodies have failed to control the equipment than a statement of the routing and greens at Oakmont.


Like I said before, I welcome your comments, and hope to see the USGA return to OH soon. I thought the last few events there were terrific.


-----


Kalen, man, if you need the ocean to get jazzed, that's on you. It is important to understand we had significant other weather issues in the area for the past week - heavy rains, lightning, etc - that really slowed the course down. I've never seen so many approach shots, and even approach putts, stop so close to the hole as in this event. It didn't really change my feelings at all, but it did make me a bit wistful for a drier, firmer and more diabolical Oakmont....

[MCirba]

When I played Oakmont in 2019 it was screaming fast.   I had hoped for more cooperative weather this week but August in PA is thunderstorm time.

Echo George's comments on the elevation changes.   The fun part that was missed this week is how great a golf course Oakmont is once the ball lands on the ground.   I can think of very few courses where you have to factor in the bounce, slope, roll-out, and how all of those affect your ultimate target, particularly in the US.

[John Kavanaugh]

The USGA is married to consistent conditioning along with choosing courses years before they will host a championship. This leads me to believe that they are not unbiased when evaluating trees and architecture. Oakmont was testimony to this theory this week.

[Tommy Williamsen]

It has been a while since I played there but every time I have played it, it was rock hard and fast. When my son was about 12 I took him to play there. I went into the pro shop to find my host and say hello to Mr. Ford. I sent Erik to the putting green on the back of nine green. About fifteen minutes later Erik comes in and announces, "Dad, the greens are so firm my spike didn't even go down!" This was before soft spikes.

[George Pazin]

When I played Oakmont in 2019 it was screaming fast.   I had hoped for more cooperative weather this week but August in PA is thunderstorm time.

Echo George's comments on the elevation changes.   The fun part that was missed this week is how great a golf course Oakmont is once the ball lands on the ground.   I can think of very few courses where you have to factor in the bounce, slope, roll-out, and how all of those affect your ultimate target, particularly in the US.

Indeed, Mike. When I played the wonderful 11th, I was in the left greenside bunker, pin high. I was thinking, with a little luck on this shot, I can get my first par. My host suggested playing the ball pretty far above the hole, to the back of the green. I instead hit a very soft shot, slightly above the hole. I thought it was perfect, and tried to rake the bunker (I'm not good at accepting the help of caddies, thankfully they make my efforts better), and when I climbed out, I looked around and said, did someone mark my ball? My host pointed to the front of the green, where by ball sat, about 3 feet off the front....at least I had a nice two putt for bogey.


-----


Tommy, I miss the sound of hard spikes crunching on concrete. I'm fine with the change, but it was one of those emotional triggers of the best kind.

[Mike Hendren]

As a retired ditch digger, I don't dig the ditches.


Bogey

[Pete_Pittock]

For all the complainers about the television coverage, remember that the US Amateur finals are scheduled for Saturday. They were pushed back to Sunday at Oakmont because of weather delays. This put the broadcast into competition with a lot of other sports.
By the way I kept switching between this and heartthrob Camila Giorgi.

[John Kavanaugh]

Don't forget that Nascar was cut off before the end of the race to show us this tournament that was cut off before the end. A rare double Heidi.

[Tommy Williamsen]

When I played Oakmont in 2019 it was screaming fast.   I had hoped for more cooperative weather this week but August in PA is thunderstorm time.

Echo George's comments on the elevation changes.   The fun part that was missed this week is how great a golf course Oakmont is once the ball lands on the ground.   I can think of very few courses where you have to factor in the bounce, slope, roll-out, and how all of those affect your ultimate target, particularly in the US.

Indeed, Mike. When I played the wonderful 11th, I was in the left greenside bunker, pin high. I was thinking, with a little luck on this shot, I can get my first par. My host suggested playing the ball pretty far above the hole, to the back of the green. I instead hit a very soft shot, slightly above the hole. I thought it was perfect, and tried to rake the bunker (I'm not good at accepting the help of caddies, thankfully they make my efforts better), and when I climbed out, I looked around and said, did someone mark my ball? My host pointed to the front of the green, where by ball sat, about 3 feet off the front....at least I had a nice two putt for bogey.


-----


Tommy, I miss the sound of hard spikes crunching on concrete. I'm fine with the change, but it was one of those emotional triggers of the best kind.

Few things turn my thoughts to golf like the sound of spikes on concrete and the smell of freshly mown grass.

[John Kavanaugh]

Good riddance to another man made noise. You can always still click your irons and not harm the valuable infrastructure.

[George Pazin]

  nice to see some things didn’t change while I was gone.

As a retired ditch digger, I don't dig the ditches.


Bogey

As someone who hits plenty of wayward shots, I can honestly say I didn’t really notice them. I guess I don’t bomb it far enough off line. Upside to getting older….


———


It’s also really hard to grasp the downhill nature of the amazing 12th from the TV. I saw it halved and even won with bogeys more than a few times.


Brad Lawrence -


If the Am ever goes to a course near you that you’d like to see, I highly recommend it. The crowds are minimal and the play is excellent, with plenty of time to check out the course.

[MCirba]

I think the genius of Oakmont is that you are never required to play a shot beyond your capabilities. The problem is that you are always tempted to try and do more.

[Kalen Braley]

As a retired ditch digger, I don't dig the ditches.

Bogey

Bogey,

I was thinking about bringing this up, so thanks for doing so.

My view differs a bit in that I'm OK with obviously artificially imposed features like ditches and abrupt bunkering on OLDER courses, but do it on something new and I'm almost always turned off.  All these years on GCA and reading hundreds of viewpoints on this topic, and I still can't seem to square it up in my brain.

[Rob Marshall]

I noticed that the fairway bunkers were very firm. You could barely see a footprint and the church pew bunkers all filtered to the middle where you could at least hit a wedge out. I was surprised to see that.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

I love Oakmont, a very difficult course.  Until NBC shuffled me away I was enjoying the final last Sunday.  It is an American institution.  For me the 9th, tied into the putting green, and the 18th are memorable holes.  Dustin Johnson's finish there should receive more acclaim.  At the risk of sounding like Tom Paul, my son Geoff and were able to play there in the 1980's.  Our host was Tommy Kearns a member.  He took the trouble to fly from NY for the day to host Geoff and I.  I am eternally grateful for the gesture as it only enhanced my son's interest in golf and architecture in particular.  I mention Tommy Kearns, a name unknown to golf aficionados, but not to old basketballers.   In 1957 North Carolina went undefeated, 32-0, beating Wilt Chamberlain's Kansas team in 3 overtimes in the NCAA championship game.  North Carolina was lead by Lenny Rosenbluth and a little guard named Tommy Kearns.  Tommy a very successful stockbroker,  became a member at Oakmont and probably several other places.  His son in law, Fred Schernecker, is the director of the golf teams at Harvard.  Tommy's grandaughter, Catie, will be a freshman on the women's golf team this year at Harvard.  They hosted me on Catie's 14th birthday a few years ago at The Country Club.  Yes, the one in Brookline.  Top that Tom Paul.

[MCirba]

Lynn,


Tom would have somehow worked Julia Roberts, Princess Grace, Audrey Hepburn, Paul McCartney, Fireball Roberts, and Bill Coore into a seamless response.


Probably centered around him wearing a Prairie Dunes cap.

[Dave McCollum]

Wow, some GCA old salts chimed on this one.  Probably because of George, who always struck me as an essential voice.  He's my ideal retail golfer, which means rather the opposite.  He's what folks in the golf biz wished their retail golfers were like.  Shame on me for not making more of an effort to meet these nutcases I've been reading for a decade and a half.

[David Grady]

Tommy's grandaughter, Catie, will be a freshman on the women's golf team this year at Harvard. 

 Catie Schernecker won the Women's Mass Am last week in impressive fashion

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