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Post by mr3putt on Jun 17, 2015 16:54:56 GMT
Chambers Bay is on a HUGE piece of property...you could literally fit 5 golf courses on the same land parcel....lol....very unique and really picturesque.
The infrastructure build is HUMONGOUS.....I could never have fathomed how much stuff has been built for one event when you see it live...it is CRAZY
BUT
Unfortunately it will likely be the WORST fan unfriendly set-up.
The USGA has set-up the ropes so sever that there are some tee blocks and green areas that make it near impossible to watch.
In some areas you could be watching the action from 30- 100 yards away.
Elevation change is HUGE.
It would take quite a bit of effort to follow a group for all 18 holes.....#8 is virtually impossible to watch the action.
For fans...there are large distances between green to tee to catch the action.
I can only imagine how difficult it will be to watch the action from Thursday - Sunday with larger galleries....but I only went for one day.
All the info on the internet that suggested fans stay put and watch often from the grandstands is true....but IMO...it's boring just to sit around in the stands.
But on TV the course will look great....the course is baked out and feels like concrete.
But I did enjoy the experience of the day and the aura of a major.
I have no idea who will win...Tiger looks like he has no spring in his set when I saw him from afar....I was waiting on the 10th tee in a great spot hoping to catch TW & Spieth....but they quit after 9 holes....booooo....lol.
IMO...they might not win...but I think Phil and Fowler may contend for the title.
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Post by philknj on Jun 18, 2015 16:45:57 GMT
The USGA has a live webcam of Mickelson's group today...but do it with the sound OFF...those two guys keep talking over each other and won't shut up...I think Mark Brooks is one of them...Natalie G. is following the group on the course.
mr3putt:
Yeah, the more "important" a tournament is, the more difficult it is to watch it in person (like last week's KPMG). What ever happened to those USGA periscopes? They don't have them anymore, do they?
I am totally spoiled by the Shop-Rite/Acer in AC...no admission price w/ Shop-Rite card...cheap motels...it's short and flat to walk...almost no obstructed views...I can hang over the ropes/barriers, eavesdrop on conversations, look in players bags...get fed and hydrated by Team Mi Hyang...take a shuttle back and forth from the driving range to the main practice green...watch plenty of golfers in pro-ams on four courses...AND FREEBIES GALORE!
mr3putt:
I see a lot of British Open brown on the fairways. Do they have irrigation there? I just heard one of the broadcasters say "sprinkler heads", but maybe they're only around the greens? Do they ever turn them on?! Some of the greens look splotchy. But, they must get plenty of rain in that part of the country.
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 18, 2015 17:24:03 GMT
Phil I saw Gulbis talking to Fowler's caddie....she's put on some weight and looks better for it. I'm sure she's likely is doing an autograph session at the Lexus Performance tent. Pressel and Inkster are working for FOX too. I didn't see Holly....I like Holly, but with all her recent plastics....she's looking like a high end call girl...well at least she'd be fun.  Ya....all LPGA events are fun....the best entertainment value.....easy viewing and easy access to ALL the pros. Here's another example of Yank racism. So I'm chatting with a spectator...we see a pro do a dbag move to an old guy wanting an auto for his flag...then I say "you'd never see that on the LPGA"...then the guys says...."ya, but 1/2 the LPGA can't speak English"......I reply...."ya, the Asian pros might not talk much...but you'd never see them be rude like that to a fan"......I then looked around for Carolyn Bivens thinking this was Biven's husband.....lol. Yes the course is baked out (we've had crazy sunny, hot and dry weather here in the PNW)...but it's not as brown in real life. Yes....sprinklers on the course....you'll see green fescue in the rough where a sprinkler head is. The greens have two grasses.....so two colors....fescue and poa anna. Chambers has always had issues with the greens and it will do so in future years when the USGA leaves and aren't handing over their wallet. Yes, we get our fair share of rain...but not this year. Chambers is dry year round cause it's built on top of a quarry. Chambers on my bucket list...I was to play it in Feb 2011...but the morning I was to play it was 34* and raining so I went to the SuperMall with the wife instead....lol. But I will play it in the winter when it's cheaper......around $300 for out of towners. Bandon is also on the bucket list too....and winter trip too. |
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Post by cannlinny on Jun 19, 2015 0:31:45 GMT
How far away from the course did you have to park? I read that there would be shuttles from as far as 40 miles away. (Although that may be for people coming down from Seattle.)
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 19, 2015 1:22:17 GMT
How far away from the course did you have to park? I read that there would be shuttles from as far as 40 miles away. (Although that may be for people coming down from Seattle.) There are 2 shuttle lots. The USGA wanted people coming from the north (me) to park at a lot approx 14 miles to the east of Chambers BUT I did not follow the suggestion of the gee gee's at the USGA and went to the lot that was meant for people coming from the south...this lot was approx 4 miles at most from Chambers. The metal detector security at the lots to gain access to the buses makes TSA look Mickey Mouse....lol. I had 1/2 a subway sandwich, banana and 1/2 Gatorade to consume on the shuttle bus.....I had to eat/drink it before I went through security or throw it away. There were so many discarded aerosol sunscreen cans...they would not let anyone take metal aerosol cans onto the bus.....so I think I sprayed 10 layers of sunscreen on me because the cans would be throw in the garbage or likely taken home by the security team. Are you thinking of attending....you'd likely be able to get a really cheap ticket from Craigslist or the scalpers in the parking lots or near the gates....people will start bailing due to fan unfriendly set-up. You should attend just to see the course and the infrastructure build by the USGA. |
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Post by cannlinny on Jun 19, 2015 12:28:39 GMT
How far away from the course did you have to park? I read that there would be shuttles from as far as 40 miles away. (Although that may be for people coming down from Seattle.) Are you thinking of attending....you'd likely be able to get a really cheap ticket from Craigslist or the scalpers in the parking lots or near the gates....people will start bailing due to fan unfriendly set-up. You should attend just to see the course and the infrastructure build by the USGA. No, we won't be in the PNW this summer, but we did see the course a few years ago. Spectacular setting on Puget Sound with Olympics in the background. We'll be going to the PGA again this summer, and the PGA of America sets up amazing infrastructure also. |
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Post by cannlinny on Jun 19, 2015 12:41:30 GMT
The metal detector security at the lots to gain access to the buses makes TSA look Mickey Mouse....lol. I had 1/2 a subway sandwich, banana and 1/2 Gatorade to consume on the shuttle bus.....I had to eat/drink it before I went through security or throw it away. There were so many discarded aerosol sunscreen cans...they would not let anyone take metal aerosol cans onto the bus.....so I think I sprayed 10 layers of sunscreen on me because the cans would be throw in the garbage or likely taken home by the security team. Unfortunately I can understand why they are so tight with security. A golf tournament has to be the hardest event to secure. The food thing is just mean and greedy. Years ago we went to the LPGA thing at Trump Intnational in Florida and they weren't allowing any food. Even made my husband take his baseball cap off - to check for hidden food, I guess. If you ever do win the Masters lottery, (we did, last year!) at least the food is REALLY cheap - $2.50 sandwiches, $3.00 beers. But they don't let cell phones in. |
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 20, 2015 19:45:01 GMT
Cann So you are going to Whistling Straits....nice...have you been to WS before? OK...now I HATE you...WTF...you won The Masters lottery....lol.....I try each year and get the...Sorry......message.  |
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 21, 2015 19:04:26 GMT
Are there idiots in ALL the states in Merica?
I thought Washington State might have been immune....but I was wrong.....the Baba Booyey's, etc and all the other yelling at Chambers Bay this weekend.
Lucky there was only one incident on Tuesday.
I should have known better....12th Man at Century Link field.
Did you see the guy wear the clown wig on the 16 or 17 tee on Saturday....lol.
Fortunately these clowns stay away from women's golf.
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Post by cannlinny on Jun 21, 2015 20:14:50 GMT
Cann So you are going to Whistling Straits....nice...have you been to WS before? OK...now I HATE you...WTF...you won The Masters lottery....lol.....I try each year and get the...Sorry......message. Yes, we're going on the Thursday to the PGA at Wh. Straits. The last two times there I volunteered, so went multiple days. (Also volunteered at Blackwolf Run for both of the women's Opens there  . There are some similarities with the Straits and Chambers Bay, but the Straits is far less extreme-looks like a golf course rather than a moonscape, greens totally different, and not the crazy ricochet bounces. We got the "Sorry" message for several years before getting the Masters tickets. Keep trying - it was so cool to walk around and see all the places you recognize from years of seeing it on TV. We were there on a practice day so not very crowded and easy to see wherever you wanted. But... The day before we went there were thunderstorms in the area, and everyone was taken off the grounds at 10:00 and the course was closed for the day! Could not even go to the merchandise tent. A real bummer if you came from across the country! They did get tickets for the next year, but still a bummer. |
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Post by philknj on Jun 24, 2015 19:42:39 GMT
A few thoughts following one of the most bizarre U.S. Opens in history... Watching a west coast or Hawaii golf tournament in prime time live on the east coast is really cool. “Sustainability” – the new industry buzzword that’s supposed to make you feel good for paying $300 to play a course that looks half-dead. Or, did it look nice before the USGA got a hold of it? It’s pretty sad when the broadcasters admitted that this course could not be walked by the spectators! My dad couldn’t see the ball land on the “greens” on a big screen TV and he has new glasses. Okay, he’s not young, but still... FOX had an army of broadcasters, but did any of them really distinguish themselves? It was like one giant audition. Who will they keep going forward? That guy who kept addressing Greg Norman as “Shark” needs to stop that. Curt Menefee, oh my gosh, get him out. He said Jordan Spieth was not great at any one particular aspect of the game. I think it was Brad Faxon that jumped in there immediately to correct him. Spieth is fascinating...he’s a golfing savant like Lydia Ko. All the talking heads say, “his grip is weird, his swing is a little loose, he loses his cool, he can’t hit it long, blah, blah, blah...” Then he shows up at the biggest events and kicks you’re a$$ from pillar to post. He sort of reminds me of a pre-2015 Lydia...”she only hits a fade, she can’t hit long, blah, blah, blah…” Unfortunately, she has fallen under the spell of David Bedwetter and how is that working out? Joe Buck was fair to okay. He had one funny line...when Greg Norman admitted giving himself a plug about his own amateur tournament, Buck said, “Be careful not to dislocate your shoulder while giving yourself a pat on the back.” Even Norman couldn’t help laughing over that one. Norman is a good swing and equipment analyzer. On Thursday, he’s the first guy I heard say Phil Mickelson was using a wedge with the bounce shaved down...custom-made for this event (a lot of good that did, but it WAS news). He had a lot of insight on Jason Day’s prep at the start of the 2015 season. He didn’t sugarcoat Tigger’s rotten swings on Thursday night, including the topped 3-wood. However, his tank was kind of empty by the end of the tournament. He doesn’t have the greatest broadcasting voice...FOX should have turned up his volume and turned down Buck’s. I wonder how FOX will handle the USWO. They’ll have five hours a day for Thu. & Fri. and four hours a day for Sat. & Sun. Just a hunch: 90% of the USO male broadcasters know nothing about women’s golf. Who will they use? Will they bring in anyone new? Imagine a leaderboard on Thursday filled with Asian names, especially from foreign tours...FOX will be clueless squared! It’s too bad the KLPGA is in action that week, or else FOX could bring in Shin Ae Ahn! She’s got the looks, her English is good, and she has a lot more street cred than Holly Sonders! Sara “No H” Brown would be an excellent addition, too. How’s this for a thought? During Wednesday’s practice, I should walk into the Fox trailer and offer my services for Thursday, in case the “wrong” names are leading the tournament. For example, if Mi Hyang Lee opens with five straight birdies, those guys would be completely lost! Instead, I could feed half a dozen detailed factoids to Norman about MHL and make him sound like a genius! But, I know what Fox is paying the USGA...I won’t work cheap! |
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 25, 2015 7:35:16 GMT
Chambers is normally green...we've had an unsually hot and dry spring, so a lot of courses here are dry, some yellowish and in general...great conditions.
It was a 10/10 perfection spring and dream come true for Mike Davis to bake the heck out of CB....otherwise there would have been a 5 mile square tarp on Chamber from March till June.
I believe CB will continue to lose money....but there are lots of fools willing to pay $300.
Me...never....I'll pay $100 in the winter to cross Chambers off my bucket list....and a $100 is a lot of money for lousy greens.
CB will never be a sleep in your car to get a tee time course like Bethpage Black or Torrey.
Those diva pro's were whining about the greens.....LMAO...what do you think the greens will look like when the USGA leaves with their $10M budget and 300 person course maintenance crew this week?.....lol.
Good observation about Spieth and a Ko comparison....2015 Ko = Lead Poisoning......The Dragon Lady knows nothing about golf and listens to whatever crap BJ is feeding her.
Lang was working on a draw in 2012...guess what?...she's been long back to her natural fade...Lang's issue is her head and putting....but I like Brit...Lang is a in my 40+ deep fav pool though.
Her mom is pretty good looking too....2nd to Ryann's mom though...IMO.....she #1 on tour....lol.
When I 1st saw Lang's mom in 2007 in Edmonton...I thought she was the Pink Diva's mom....and ask asked her so...duh.
FOX & USWO...only one word is required.....HOLLY!
What's not to like about bolt-on's, hair extensions, fake nails and botox...but I still adore Holly's personality, moxy and sex appeal.
Yes....you'd be a no brainer as a behind the scene Asian specialist to pipe info into the FOX's USWO broadcast team's ear...I'll be working in the adjoining production trailer as the Three Spanish Killer B's specialist.
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. There are some similarities with the Straits and Chambers Bay, but the Straits is far less extreme-looks like a golf course rather than a moonscape, greens totally different, and not the crazy ricochet bounces.