June 14, 2015

"It is the field against the course, and the people who created the course and maintain and set up the course are their opponents."

"So when you look at it, myself and Mike Davis are like goalkeepers. I’m the composer, Mike Davis is the conductor and the players will play the music."

Said  Robert Trent Jones Jr., the architect of Chambers Bay, where the U.S. Open will be played. Mike Davis is the USGA executive director, who is in charge of setting up the course for the tournament, setting up the pin placements and tee boxes and so forth. Some players are complaining about the place.
“The reports back [from fellow players] are [it's] a complete farce,” said Ian Poulter, who had not yet been to the course. “I guess someone has to win.”

Henrik Stenson, who walked the course, called it “a tricked-up links course.’’...

“This is a new work and they’re not comfortable with it, because they haven’t seen it before,’’ Jones said. “I saw Tiger [Woods] on the course for two days. Phil Mickelson has been out here. Where are the guys who are complaining? They should be out here. I believe that the players should just hunker down and play … put on their big-boy britches and play."

16 comments:

MayBee said...

I could not figure out what the headline was saying. Ahhh. golf. Cool way to see how confusing clear terms can be.

Mark said...

Oh noes, the course is difficult!

There's a million put put golf courses for the complainers to play on.

Michael K said...

Trent Jones courses have a typical feel. I don;t play anymore but I have played a few of them and some are a bit unfair. On the other hands, these guys are pros.

At least you can't deflate the golf ball.

Beldar said...

Golf is a waste of a good walk when you do it, and more boring than competitive orchid growing when viewed on TV.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Albert Einstein said golf was too complicated for him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/sports/golf/john-derr-97-chronicler-of-golf.html

In an interview with Golf Digest, Mr. Derr told of seeing Albert Einstein taking his daily walk along the golf course at Princeton. He asked Einstein if he had ever played the game, he recalled, and Einstein replied: “I tried once. Too complicated.”

Maybe he meant difficult.

John Derr was at the second Masters Tournament in 1935, reporting for the Gaston Gazette. He reported from the Masters a total of 62 times. He died at home, watching or getting ready to watch or just after watching the Belmont Stakes horse race on television..

paminwi said...

Watching pro golfers do their thing up close is truly an amazing thing. Hearing the club hit the ball at tee off you see the strength and speed these guys have versus the duffer on regular courses. From watching the initial drive to chipping and putting, it is obvious golf is both a physical and mental game. Maybe, I enjoy this game because my son loves the game and played it from about age 8 and became pretty good at it. He caddied for a local Madison course and had to show up every Saturday and Sunday at 6:00am to see if anyone wanted to use a caddy. He'd know by 9:00am if he had a job or not. But, for him, that fact that he could golf all day on Monday, when course maintenance was happening, was great. I would drop him off at 7:00am and pick him up about 8:00pm.

For his high school graduation gift we gave him a round of golf at Whistling Straights in Kohler WI. A former and future site of the PGA Championship. He shot a 78. It was a good day, a great memory and waaaay better than a set of luggage or watch.

Tank said...

Not unusual for US Open to be "unfair." They try to make it hard, but tlhe players are so good it seems unfair. I figure if the winner shoots about par, it's just right.

john said...

I have a picture in my mind of Zubin Mehta with a hockey stick.

kzookitty said...

Not sure if they object more to the hole where they putt the ball into the mouth of the alligator and it shoots out its wagging tail, or the infamous windmill hole.

kzookitty

Henry said...

Henrik Stenson, who walked the course, called it “a tricked-up links course.’’...

So it's like the British Open, then.

rcocean said...

The Pros complain about every other US Open - the rough is too deep, the pin placements are too hard, the fairways are too narrow, bad shots are penalized too much. Wah, wah.

Too bad - its the US Open.

BTW, I wouldn't bet on Tiger even making the cut. His driver is on the Fritz and the US Open penalizes wayward tee shots.

traditionalguy said...

The complaints are because blind luck is not a learned golf move. You are born with it.

Michael K said...

"more boring than competitive orchid growing when viewed on TV."

Actually, the way to watch golf on TV is to have a book and do both at the same time. It is very relaxing and I often turn on golf to read.

Gahrie said...

Depending on the announcer and the tournament, there have been golf matches that I would have listened to on the radio.

Joe said...

What a bunch of whiners.

Kirk Parker said...

Say a prayer for me and mine, as the golf-watching hordes are about to descend on us.

Fortunately my house is out of the no-street-parking zone, but I dread the overall congestion. Maybe I should make a spur-of-the-moment visit Madison this week?