Can you break 100 at Torrey Pines in US Open setup?

[mikelz]

It would be interesting to know the course rating and slope with the course set up for a U.S. Open.

Just looked it up: South course

Par/Yardage/Slope/Rating 72/7607/143/78.1 (black) 72/7227/139/76.1 (blue) With the rough, that slope is going to be more like 160. When the local Open qualifier was on the OSU Scarlet course every year, I used to play it the day after just to see. My cousin and I were playing in single digits in those days. I think we each shot around 97 once. Most of the time it was 105ish. Scarlet is hard, but it's not as hard as Torrey Pines. No way, no how for me.

[ArjunGFX]

I shot 84 at Pinehurst no 2 in the spring of 1999... when I was 14 years old and it was 3 months before the US Open.

Tiger needs to relax a little bit. A 12 handicap could break 100 at Torrey on a US Open Setup.

[niblick]

i'd be lucky to break 110 on any 7000+ yard course. a US Open setup? no chance. i can barely break 90 on a course with a slope of 112.

[ArjunGFX]

i'd be lucky to break 110 on any 7000+ yard course. a US Open setup? no chance. i can barely break 90 on a course with a slope of 112.

You might be surprised. You might have to get your handicap down a littttle bit but it's more about how you're managing the course.

I can't fathom going for birdies on every hole of a 7000 yard course. But as amateurs we can enjoy being at peace going for the bogey on a course like that - to me that was the beauty of playing as a young kid, the distance limitation was actually a great benefit. if you play every par 4 as a par 5... you can make plenty of bogeys and even some doubles (because the par 5s are still birdie-able or parable) and shoot below 100 on a 7000+, deep rough beast. The key is keep it in the fairway.... enjoy 60 yard or 100 yard approaches into par 4s.... I feel like even though my scores were higher, I was a more polished, "better" golfer when I had to hit three shots to get onto a par 4... my ballstriking was surely better. If you go to a big, US Open style course with the grip it and rip it mentality... you'll have a tougher time breaking 100.

[SirMilton]

I'm straight and reasonably accurate, just not looong; part of that comes from playing lots of target golf in the desert on courses much like the current Accenture match play tournament.

I could probably play to my handicap plus 1 for each par 4 over 450, and plus 1 for each par 5 over 550. So I think I could play in the 90-95 range.

I have played several TPCs when in tournament condition and scored well every time. In fact, I seem to play better on a pro course because the fairways are consistently good and the greens are exceptional. And what the pros call rough is what guys who mostly play munis call average fairways. I have played Sawgrass twice in the mid-80s, Star Pass in the mid 80s and don't recall ever playing a TPC in over 90.

There are a ton of guys out there who play day in and day out within a couple of stroke average of the top 100 pros and at times can play anywhere sub-par. Yeah, that one or two strokes is a lot, but its not 20-25 strokes off the pros.

Tiger's statement was arrogant BS in my opinion; he's an obnoxious prima-donna in my book. I would rather watch someone more laid back like VJ.

[PvtPublic]

I've played Torrey Pines twice and shot 85 and 87. Those were from the back tees. I'd think if the setup got any harder than it was, I'd shoot myself. I'm used to shooting like 73s on my courses. It was a shock to the system to show me exactly how much better the pros are than I am.

[mgolfer]

No spin, no win. The approach shots would roll off of the greens...

[Ben]

Yes, I would break 100.

[Three Putt]

No Problem, from the ladies tees.

Honestly, let me putt for 3 days on super slick greens, no problem. I can yank my tee shots just as well as the tour pros I see every weekend on that there TV set.

[seattlemudder]

NET or Gross?

Gross, of course.

[RX Phoenix]

I played the Wente Vineyards course the day after the Nationwide guys had just posted the highest stroke average in the history of the Tour (under all its various sponsers names), under the exact same conditions and pin placements from the tips and I didn't break 100 . . . why?

The ROUGH We had a scratch golfer with us and he fell apart. The day before Jason Day the Aussie phenom shot 80 and that was pretty good!

Now . . . if as a previous poster suggested you simply play for bogie, that's a different story . . . but is that really playing the course?

The idea is to TRY and make par and birdie like the pros will be doing and see how well you do. If you just hit 5W off the tee, then 8I, PW, you may get a 5 or a 6 and break 100 . . . maybe, but my guess is you still won't break 100 as the greens will be very tough along with the ROUGH and distance.

I am going to San Diego soon and thought about playing Torrey, but what's the point, hit it in the Rough and if you can find the ball, you're still cooked, have to hit a wedge out. It would be a matter of survival, plus it's very difficult to get on the South Course now.

If you're a +2 then you could do it, scratch golfer has a chance, the rest of us would have a real tough time.

[seattlemudder]

Now . . . if as a previous poster suggested you simply play for bogie, that's a different story . . . but is that really playing the course?

You don't necessarily play for bogie but are willing to take it when the alternative means a big score.You would have to play the course, if you go for birdie or par and take too many chances, there's no way a 10 handicapper is breaking 100.

[mikelz]

You don't necessarily play for bogie but are willing to take it when the alternative means a big score.You would have to play the course, if you go for birdie or par and take too many chances, there's no way a 10 handicapper is breaking 100.

If a 10 handicapper played a driver off the tee 14 times, he'd be lucky to get his second shot in the fairway 12 times. We aren't talking resort golf here. I think the players have to walk single file down the fairway.

[RX Phoenix]

If a 10 handicapper played a driver off the tee 14 times, he'd be lucky to get his second shot in the fairway 12 times. We aren't talking resort golf here. I think the players have to walk single file down the fairway.

That's optimistic, what I've experienced is that the ROUGH and the narrow fairways with their run out gets into your head, you stop releasing the club head, block or pull your driver, and end up in the rough, it's a mind game when the course is set up for US Open conditions.

As I posted previously, I saw a scratch golfer fall apart, the course got into his mind and his game deteriorated. I you hit a good drive 280 but it rolls out and into the rough, then you think you can hack a 5 iron onto the green but instead dump it into the rough again, then hack a wedge into a bunker, then your bunker shot rolls off the green and into the rough, your chip squirts out and you 3 putt . . . how do you feel standing on the next tee box??? Try that for 18 holes and then add the score up, bet it's over 100.

[jbsooner]

I could break 100 at Torrey south any day of the week, any tee, any set up. U gotta remember these are Poa Anna greens, hard to speed up like Oakmont. Torrey is one of the best Public courses we have, but no need to pucker on the first tee. Have played it so many times I can't count and always come back. Better hit is long and straight fellas. Let me know if you wanna have a money game bout this fellas so I can get paid in full.

[mikelz]

That's optimistic, what I've experienced is that the ROUGH and the narrow fairways with their run out gets into your head, you stop releasing the club head, block or pull your driver, and end up in the rough, it's a mind game when the course is set up for US Open conditions.

Now you have hit the really hard part on the nose. It's hard for me to watch the Open sometimes.

Watching the best players sail 4 foot putts 7 feet past the hole makes me edgy. I actually flinch a lot watching that. I also love that gentle pitch down to the hole out of 5 inches of gnarled rough. Even those guys sometimes leave the ball where it was laying.

[boothyuk123]

I believe I could break 100 around Torrey Pines any time, I am not saying it would be easy but I would just try and remain solid - keep the ball in play and on occasions where bogey was the only option, accept it and move on to the next hole! My putting is the best part of my game and I am generally a pretty accurate player so I think I could achieve the below 100 status - at least I HOPE i could!

[JonnyGolf]

A course out here set up their 18th hole a couple years ago to the US Open's specs as a promo. It was brutal. Par 5 almost 600yds. I lost my approach shot ball in the rough 6ft off the green, rolled my second putt off the green. Took a 9. Best score of my foursome.

Our club did that, too. Par 4, over 400 yds. I piped my drive into the 25yd width fairway, but my approach wasn't nearly soft enough (although a great shot for me) and bounce up the hill into the rough. Chipped out passed the hole, missed the comebacker, made bogey. I was pretty happy.

My thought is I would make a lot of bogeys and some doubles at Torrey Pines. I would break 100.