Dave Pelz: “Studying the game”

Son Eddie and I walked Bethpage Black on Tuesday a week ago, to get an idea of how the USGA will set her up for the 2009 U.S. Open. We then left to go up-state NY for a photo shoot for GOLF Magazine at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino near Syracuse. We continued at Turning Stone (four really beautiful courses) getting in three days of fun work with the world’s best golf photographer Leonard Kamsler on the follow-on to our new book Damage Control (in bookstores October 29). Then back to Long Island for US Open week on Monday.

Rain background on entrance driveway

We’ve been in NY for over a week now, and its rained almost every day. Some days had downpours, others only light rains, but there’s been almost no time to dry out the course since the 3 inches of rain 10 days ago plus the 2 inches overnight last Monday night and Tuesday morning. The photo above is what the front drive looked like as we chatted last Tuesday morning with friend Craig Currier, the superintendent and man in charge of conditions at Bethpage Black for the Open. Eddie and I actually worked for him before and during the 2002 US Open at BP Black: he is a great guy and VERY talented. He kept all 18 greens rolling at the same green-speed all week during that Open, which is quite a feat (I hope the weather will allow him to do it again this year).

Tonight I want to tell you about the course set-up for this year’s US Open, and how fair it is. By this I mean I think I’m seeing a seismic shift in the USGA’s preparation for the “toughest test in golf”. For those of you who have been around as long as I have, I’m sure you’ve seen past US Open courses set up with a top priority on making it play really hard. In my opinion, sometimes that included going right up too, and occassionally past, the point of fairness (if you were at the 2004 Shinnecock Hills US Open, you saw greens out-of-control fast, impossible pin placements, and sporadic watering of greens between some groups — unfair conditions). This no longer seems to be the case from what I am seeing!

As I walk off the tees, I see reasonable width fairways with rough heights graduated as follows: first rough cut 1 and 1/2 inch (for about 3-4 feet); next cut 2 and 1/2 inches (for about 12 feet); third cut 4 and 1/2 inches (for maybe 20 to 30 feet); and finally some awful stuff (10 to 24 inches) in which you have extreme difficulty finding the ball. Look carefully to see these cuts to the left of the 7th green in the photo below.

Graduated rough, USGA, US Open

To my way of thinking, this is fair! The farther you hit a tee shot off line, the worse trouble you are going to find. But it gets even better than this. When I get up around the greens, I see the same type of preparation. If you just barely miss the green, your ball will be in the fringe or the short rough. Miss a little farther and you’ll find the 4 and 1/2 inch grass, which is thick and difficult (but possible) to play from, or sand. What really impresses me is what lies next outside of this, awaiting even worse misses into the greens: The high stuff which will truly put a hurt on any player’s shot back to the green surface (see photo below)!

Graduated trouble for shots missing greens, US Open

But again, this is fair: the farther you miss the green, the worse trouble you are going to find. As it should be! My overview impression: this US Open looks to be set up as the most fair test I’ve ever seen from the USGA. Cudos to Mike Davis and staff calling the shots in this regard. And as a last thought for the day, look at what I saw coming home, up the 18th fairway.