U.S. Open Amateur challenge

[shortstop20]

Yes, making the "challenge" challenging is soo stupid!!

Somebody that drives the ball 200-225 will never break 100 on that course unless they have God on their side on the greens.

So yes, putting that person in that situation was stupid, even though America voted on it.

[martytilma]

Yes, making the "challenge" challenging is soo stupid!!

I will agree, America did pick her! But, in the 3 times that GD has done this, there always seems to be one in the group that you know everyone is going to vote for. The first one was a golfer with terminal cancer, come on, the other guys didn't stand a chance! The second one was a retired cop (I think). The third a woman (not that its a bad thing!)

[pittpanther]

Somebody that drives the ball 200-225 will never break 100 on that course unless they have God on their side on the greens.

The interesting thing about a board like TST is the diferent opinions from such a large population of posters...

If I opened a thread saying "I only drive 200-225 - I need some help to add distance," I can guarantee that within 5 replies someone will say "Distance is crap. I once played with an old guy that could barely drive 200, and he played scratch golf cause his short game was great!" Not to pick on you only, shortstop, but in this thread everyone is saying "distance IS important." No one's asked about her approach shots or her short game - everyone is assuming that lack of distance was the key issue. So the next time a mid-HC asks about increasing distance, don't just automatically say "work on your short game." There are legitimate reasons someone might desire the capability to have a longer drive.

[clubchamp]

The interesting thing about a board like TST is the diferent opinions from such a large population of posters...

Well if someone's reason is that they can't reach the fairways at pebble beach from the tips than you are right. If you're not reaching fairways at your normal course than you probably need lessons but you will save more shots working on your short game than increasing your distance 25 yards. This was a rare case and even if she had a great short game it would matter when she was playing out of 6 inches of rough on every second shot. I'm not down playing distance but it's just not as important as a good short game because you can always make up shots if you are chipping and putting well.

[pittpanther]

Well

This is such BS (not your reply, this Golf Digest Challenge thing)...

The challenge says "Can a 10HC break 100 on USGA-level course?" The reality is that in addition to being a 10HC, you need other skills that don't necessarily directly translate into your HC. For example, you need to be able to reliably drive 250 yards (because you're going to be playing a 7200 yard course). This poor woman, a legit 10HC, doesn't have the ability to drive that far, so can't be successful on this challenge. Hell, even if she was scratch, she will never be successful at Pebble from the tips, solely because of her driving. And another thing - what does it mean to be a 10HC? If I only play 6200-yard courses, and get my HC down to 10, what is expected to happen when I play Pebble from the tips? Am I supposed to shot 82 - after all, my HC is 10? This poor woman shot 40 strokes over. Does that mean she is not a legit 10HC?

[JetFan1983]

Mark Wahlberg is officially a 14.0 handicap and he shot a 97. That said, Freddie Couples says that Wahlberg is more like a sand bagging single digit than a 14 in their playing lesson on the Golf Channel. On Trump's TV show, they say that Wahlberg is a 14.0, and in that episode, he definitely plays like one.

[clubchamp]

This is such BS (not your reply, this Golf Digest Challenge thing)...

I think that she was at a huge disadvantage the minute she teed off because of the length. Plus the strength you would need to play out of that rough would be another problem. I think she is a 10 but a 10 shouldn't be playing pebble from the tips especially with us open conditions. I doubt golf digest wants to see a 10 go out there and shoot 85-90 because it would probably upset the usga.

[GolfBear]

If she was a 4.7 was that handicap calculated from the ladies tees? If she was, selecting her to play from the tips at a course set up to host the US Open was stupid. That setup would probably add at least 100 yards to her tee shots and and she never really had a chance. I'm willing to bet there are 10 handicaps out there than can break 100 on a US Open course. The game is only part of the equation, handling the pressure of the "event" is the real challenge.