2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay Discussion Thread

[BallStriker]

Hmmmm so is this course a lot like Whistling Straits? Or is it somewhat like Kiawah? Or just a more traditional Euro links course?

I've played Chambers Bay more than a dozen times....of course, I never played Whistling Straights or Kiawah, so can't give any info....based on what I have seen on TV, I would say it is similar to Whistling Straights......

And with that course knowledge, I have absolutely no idea who it favors and who it doesn't.......there will not be traditional US Open "rough," but the course may play super difficult if they push the tees back.......and if they are going to run the greens at a 12 like the course pro indicated in the preview, there are going to be some ridiculously tough greens with all the slope they have......the course was built with fescue greens and they "usually" play in the neighborhood of 7.5-9 I believe..........

I am soooooooooooo looking forward to this

[saevel25]

I am sure the fairways will play very hard and fast as well. I am thinking this might be similar to Pebbly Beach when Mcdowell won it.

[BallStriker]

I am sure the fairways will play very hard and fast as well. I am thinking this might be similar to Pebbly Beach when Mcdowell won it.

Mmmm, not sure about this at all.....June is not typically all that hot/dry up in the Seattle area (it is a huge difference from late August weather when they played the US Amateur up here)......it is very possible that we catch a wet June and the course plays somewhat soft......that said, if we catch a stretch of non-wet weather, they can speed it up pretty good......

There is a saying in Western Washington that has been around for years......Summer doesn't start till after July 4th

[ChrisP]

McDowell loves West Coast U.S. Opens. Won at Pebble in '10 and finished 2nd at Olympic in '12. I'm sure he'll be geared up for this one if he can get healthy.

[Aguirre]

I love west coast US Opens because prime time TV.  I don't have to get up at some ungodly hour to play so I can get back in time to watch the full coverage.

[iacas]

I think the course is almost nothing like Whistling Straits, Pebble, Kiawah, etc. That's why I'm looking forward to it so much.

[jamo]

Agree 100%.  And based on the teaser coverage they gave us in winter (I forget which tournament) there were actually a couple of technical things that would lead me to say that that might be 1% in the positive direction.  (Specifically thinking of the shot they had of a guy in the fairway and the camera backed up from behind them and also raised up into the air to give a really cool perspective of the entire shot.

I will say, I'm a little bit worried that Fox, without the experience that NBC has broadcasting golf events from San Francisco, will lose their broadcast signal to the great gravitational force of Lake Merced. That has me concerned.

[Chilli Dipper]

I will say, I'm a little bit worried that Fox, without the experience that NBC has broadcasting golf events from San Francisco, will lose their broadcast signal to the great gravitational force of Lake Merced. That has me concerned.

And I'm concerned that my Fox and my cable provider will still be in a shouting contest over carriage fees two months from now, and instead of airing the U.S. Open, I'll be treated to 26 hours of tape from the Professional Darts Championship.

[tmac20]

I'm thinking Dustin Johnson will like this layout. I might put a few bucks on him.

[Natural Patrick]

I love west coast US Opens because prime time TV.  I don't have to get up at some ungodly hour to play so I can get back in time to watch the full coverage.

It's always nice to go play a round and get back in time for full coverage, I agree.

[kurtbayne]

A couple things after re-walking again 1,2,3,16,17,18 last week

I noticed a couple super-small bunkers next to the green or maybe IN the green.

They're like if you sunk a hot tub in the green and filled it 1/3 of the way with sand.  DANG !

I presume they can do unplayable lie from the bunker, right?

Another thing I've yet to see mentioned is the overall layout of the course, gallery-wise.

The course is basically a hollowed-out sandpit.

More specifically, it's like if you cut a bowl in half vertically

and the cut edge is the edge of the ocean

Kinda like half of a stadium.

This means that if you are perched on the upper third of the course,

with binoculars

you might be able to see every shot on every hole.

If they wanted to, it looks like they could seat 200,000 people above the course.

WOW ONE THOUSAND PORTA POTTIES !

How loud could it get?

I'm thinking it could get loud in Seahawks land.

And the weather:

Typically I say there is a 30-40% possible it could be windless, drizzly, 60-degree weather.

There's really no way of knowing what course the pros are going to face

Plus we've had a weird warm dry winter up here,

just the opposite of what the midwest and east coast has had.

So does this mean hot dry mid-June swirling winds, impossible greens,

Or a rebound to marine-layer drizzle making the course super-long?

Or both or neither?

[nevets88]

USGA to allow silent cellphones at U.S. Open

Seeing that the parking lots are 1/2 hour away, well... yeah....

http://www.yakimaherald.com/emails/3088827-8/usga-to-allow-silent-cellphones-at-us-open

Quote:

SEATTLE — Yes to silenced cellphones. No to cameras, signs, weapons, fireworks, noisemakers, bulky backpacks and autograph-hunting.

The USGA’s spectator guide for the June 18-21 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay was released Tuesday, and fans will be allowed to carry mobile phones for the first time at a U.S. Open.

Mobile devices are to be less than seven inches long and must be kept silent, with calls made only at designated locations on the course. Texting and e-mailing will be allowed from anywhere on the course as long as play is not disrupted.

No photography will be permitted during the Thursday-Sunday tournament, but cameras and still photographs will be allowed during the Monday-Wednesday practice rounds.

The phone policy, more in keeping with the rules at PGA Tour events and other USGA tournaments, replaces a mobile-phone ban at previous U.S. Opens.

[nevets88]

Recent overhead/vista photos of prep:

[SteveBamford]

Thanks for the information.  The course looks very unique in it's layout.  An old quarry I believe, and the youngest course to host a US Open since Hazletine in 1970.

[Crim]

Who's the one guy at the US Open this year that knows Chambers Bay the best?

Well, it just so happens to be Jordan Spieth's caddy...

" Greller, who became infinitely more popular through helping Spieth set records at Augusta National, tweeted from the Chambers Bay caddyshack on Monday, where he coincidentally was a caddie before jumping on Spieth’s bag full-time."

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/jordan-spieths-caddie-visits-us-open-site-chambers-bay

[BallStriker]

I have a tee time at Chambers on May 10th.........CAN'T FRIGGIN WAIT.......I have played it a lot, but not since last season and certainly not 6 weeks before they host the US Open.

So pumped...

[nevets88]

Get used to this branding...

[MrDC]

I'm looking forward to everything about this event, including a steady diet of Holly Sonders.