Going into the 115th U.S. Open, much of the chatter was about the mysterious Chambers Bay and how the newest major championship course would play. Each day, we'll talk to a caddie after their round to see what they learned on the course. The caddies will remain anonymous to protect their strategy and get the truth about what's really happening inside the ropes.
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. -- Friday's caddie is European and his player is outside the cut line, having to sit around waiting, watching, and hoping the line falls in his favor. This experienced caddie had some strong opinions about Chambers Bay and the new trend in U.S. Open courses.
What's the best hole on the golf course, and the worst hole?
It's funny that they come right after each other. I think six is the best hole and it's the most normal hole out here. It's just a straightforward hole with bunkers left and right, a green that's narrow, it's a challenging tee shot, but nothing silly and you don't have to force-carry it. You can run it down the fairways. It's an open-fronted green. Just a proper, classic hole and the green pitches back to front -- the way golf used to be played. Play it on the ground and you can run it up to the hole.
The next hole (No. 7) is as bad as six is good, I would say. Mostly because you've got three different carry points. If you're short, you end up with 230 [yards] in, if you're long, you end up with 130 in. And to me, that's just too big of a discrepancy.
What's the truth about the greens?
Overall, if the greens had been in wonderful condition then we would probably say we had quite a nice golf course here. The green complexes are probably a little too severe, to be honest. The biggest problem is the ones that are up in the hill like Nos. 4 and 7. They are blind and they go [run front to back], and the elevation change is 20 [yards] uphill, etc. It just means you've got no [ball] flight if you're hitting a 4-iron in there. So you have very little control of keeping it on the greens. If it lands just on, it'll still go over, so you've to take enough club to land it five or 10 yards on, and it will probably go over again ... Blind shots like that are just too severe and don't receive a shot well enough.
Are the greens as bad as they look on TV?
I'm actually surprised putts are going in, to be honest. They do look dreadful, and yet they seem to roll OK. There are so many different grasses that grow at different rates that the ball is getting off line, but they are better than they look. Yesterday afternoon they were a little sketchy I must say. They do look dreadful, and it's a real shame for TV.
Do you feel like this is a typical U.S. Open setup?
Absolutely not. I guess with last year with the Open being at Pinehurst, now we're playing on a course that has similar-type nuances, I guess. It's definitely a turn away from the old traditional U.S. Open, which was single-file and an 18-yard wide fairway with knee-high rough -- we're off of that trend right now.
Are you OK with this new trend, or would you prefer a more traditional U.S. Open?
I'm going to answer this more on a public perspective. I don't view this as being very public-friendly. Nobody gets close in [to the players]. [The fans] don't get a very good view. They didn't also at Pinehurst. And I'm wondering if whether [the USGA] is missing a trick there. This game's about the public being close to the athlete, and there's something very special about that. You go to Augusta on the final Sunday and it's claustrophobic. It's a wonderful thing because it really makes a person have to play under pressure. Here, you can be 150 yards from the nearest person, and I think the galleries deserve more than that. Why should they be trouncing up and down hills and not getting a view? It's not fair on them.
Is [the distance between players and fans] strange for you inside the ropes?
Absolutely. We've hit a number of shots to a tap-in and there's barely been any sound of applause. Most of the time it's because the people are looking over a fence and don't really get to see who it was or how far away [the putt] was. I don't think the public is getting a fair view of how difficult some of the shots are. It's not their fault, it's just the view that they get.