I just played golf at Chambers Bay, and boy are my long irons tired! (Rim shot).
The USGA was gracious enough to host most of the FOX Sports’ broadcast team in the Pacific Northwest last weekend to prepare for the upcoming U.S. Open. We learned about the course and the long and arduous process involved in preparing for one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world. On my way to the great state of Washington, I was energetic and ready to go, but after returning home, I laid in bed for hours and hours. Playing that golf course is exhausting. I thought I had seen long golf courses, but this one takes the cake.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an awesome place to play golf. Robert Trent Jones Jr. did an unbelievable job designing a course that I can honestly say is different than anywhere I’ve ever played. The elevation changes are massive. Pebble Beach aside, the scenery is unmatched. The mounding and bunkering are unlike anywhere else. But most of all, it’s long … really long. Short hitters need not apply.
Not all that long ago, a 480-yard par-4 was a beast. You might come across a hole that long once every two or three courses. But at the 2015 Open, there are nine par-4s longer than 488 yards -- and four of those are longer than 525 yards. And let’s not forget, this course is just south of Seattle and sits on Puget Sound. The air is cool and heavy and the ball flies like it has a tiny parachute attached to it. Combine that with a lot of uphill shots, huge undulating mounds around the greens and rough so thick a machete can’t get through it and we’re potentially looking at the toughest U.S. Open course in history.
Another unique feature of this Chambers Bay is there is no way of telling where the fairway ends and the green begins. Finding the front edge of the green is about as easy as sitting in the corner of a round room. You can’t do it. The fescue fairways around the greens are exactly the same height, color and consistency as the greens themselves. As a matter of fact, I overheard FOX analyst Greg Norman asking a USGA official why they put sprinkler heads on the greens.
“There are no sprinklers on the putting surface,” was the reply. Even Greg, a great course designer, couldn’t tell the difference between the greens and fairways. So my friends, we are going to see 40-yard putts, occasional chili dips from the extra tight lies and possibly a few penalties when a player marks his ball thinking it’s on the green when it isn’t.
Because the USGA has broken away from the traditional U.S. Open style golf course such as Winged Foot or Oakmont, prepare to hear a lot of complaining and maybe witness a few nervous breakdowns. Chambers Bay is a great layout worthy of this year’s tournament, but I believe under U.S. Open conditions this course will make most players’ hair turn gray.
Even the greatest golfers in the world are going to be totally confused at times, so I’m going to make a prediction: The winner will need to be long off the tee and favor a right-to-left ball flight. He’ll need to hit his irons high to avoid all the crazy mounds on the greens. A great caddy will be more important than ever because there are so many options for each shot that a player can’t possibly prepare for all of them by himself. Winning is going to require some great long-distance lag putting and creative chip shots around these funky greens.
But before you run to Vegas to bet your house on Bubba Watson, here’s the most important factor: Chambers Bay is going to yield a lot of bad breaks and goofy bounces, so it’s going to take an older player’s patience to win. Don’t be surprised if you see a left-handed, six-time runner-up win his first United States Open and complete the career grand slam.
Now you can call Vegas.
Former PGA Tour pro Robert Damron is a regular contributor to FOXSports.com's golf coverage. Follow him on Twitter @RobertDDamron.
