June 19, 201511 yr I had high expectations going into this US Open at Chambers Bay. However, after watching for about two hours, I hate this course. It seems so gimmicky and tricked up to me. Just hate it. The greens are just terrible IMO too. Dried out and bumpy. I have been disappointed so far. I hope I like it better by the weekend...
June 19, 201511 yr Author I guess I am OK tee to green on the course but the greens...I am waiting for the clown's mouth on one of them. Interesting story on the course designer...Robert Trent Jones Jr...brother of Rees Jones and son of Robert Trent Jones. Evidently, the two brothers have not spoken to each other for 20 something years (both in their mid 70's now). One actually sued the other over their competing course design businesses years ago. Getting the US Open at this course was a HUGE deal for Jones Jr. Supposedly at a Northern California golf event recently the two brothers were on stage together (event honored the Jones golfing family) and they were very cordial - the event may have helped them bury the hatchet.
June 19, 201511 yr Tiger's threesome with Fowler and Oosthuizen was a dumpster fire. Almost 30 over par between the three. I don't know how I feel about the course. It has a links look, but the hills and elevation changes aren't very links like. There's just something about it that looks contrived and unnatural. Maybe it will grow on me as I watch more.
June 19, 201511 yr If Tiger was a horse, somebody would shoot him. And Rickie was a stroke worse; and came within 2 inches of acing the short par-4 12th. I may be one of a small minority that likes this type of venue. Not because a lot of pros struggle; I just like a change-up from the usual "target golf". The (British) Open is my favorite tournament to watch.
June 19, 201511 yr The jury is out for me. Granted, I only watched a couple of hours of coverage... I think one issue...being a new course...first time for a network, I wonder if they have a hard time with camera placement to catch the angles and perspectives on the holes to help the viewer understand the course? For example there was one hole, Tiger's group, where one player goes at the hole, one goes off the bank to the top left, the other goes off the bank to the right. Very interesting...but the camera angle was looking down on the green, so it was difficult to understand those options. Lastly, the greens look like a grass museum...everything under the sun..very mottled. Maybe they putt ok, but very visually unappealing compared to what we are used to seeing in professional golf. Maybe the USGA, like FIFA, needs to be investigated in their decision-making about going to this venue.
June 19, 201511 yr I thought that the camera angles were unusual. The first few guys I watched tee off looked like they were falling forward. Probably some kind of fisheye lens.
June 19, 201511 yr I thought that the camera angles were unusual. The first few guys I watched tee off looked like they were falling forward. Probably some kind of fisheye lens. Leave it to FOX. I'm almost surprised there's not a neon blue tail behind the ball after someone hits it so you can see it better... When was the last time they covered a golf event? Is this the first?
June 19, 201511 yr Leave it to FOX. I'm almost surprised there's not a neon blue tail behind the ball after someone hits it so you can see it better... When was the last time they covered a golf event? Is this the first? There was a red-tracker on tee shots...does that count? It's actually helpful because we can't possibly see the ball.
June 19, 201511 yr There was a red-tracker on tee shots...does that count? It's actually helpful because we can't possibly see the ball. I love that tracker. It really helps you see the shape of the shot and understand what the golfer was trying to do on a good shot, or what went wrong on a bad shot. I watched the US Open experience broadcast on Directv (the group of channels starts on 702). I didn't love the announcers, but I thought the coverage was pretty good.
June 19, 201511 yr Great Quote from Tom Weiskopf. "The US Open isn't fun". He's right. It isn't supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be a gauntlet.
June 19, 201511 yr Ugliest golf course I've ever seen. Too gimmicky for me. I wouldn't pay 50 cents to play it. It's hard enough to watch on TV. The one they had it at last year was almost as ugly. Why can't the US Open folks choose a decent and halfway fair venue for the national tournament???
June 19, 201511 yr Ugliest golf course I've ever seen. Too gimmicky for me. I wouldn't pay 50 cents to play it. It's hard enough to watch on TV. The one they had it at last year was almost as ugly. Why can't the US Open folks choose a decent and halfway fair venue for the national tournament??? You'll never play it then, since it costs around $300 to play. The US Open has alway been about tricked up courses and punishing layouts. I don't think the course is ugly, it's just young and different. I'd prefer a links course not be used for the US Open since The British Open is a Links style course. But I like to see them use different courses, and really put the pro's to the test with really tough tracks. But the one thing you'll never get from a US Open course is fair.
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