Going To Q-School . . . as a spectator . . .

[RX Phoenix]

Before 1st stage Q-School there is a qualifier for that . . . $4,500, then Q-School is another $4,500, but hey if you can afford it it would be fun!

Anyway, not this year for me, but I will be going as a spectator for the 1st round at San Juan Oaks in Hollister, CA, maybe catch the next great golfer on his way up.

Any of you been to Q-School either as a participant of as a spectator?

I'll post back here after Saturday's experience

Then the finals at PGA West Nov. 30-Dec. 4, that's going to be exciting.

Anyone here going to follow the Q-School this year and get an idea of who the hot rookies are going to be next year? We had a bunch this year with Camilo Villegas, Bubba Watson, J.B.Holmes, Troy Matteson, Sean O'Hair, etc.

It is likely that someone out of Q-School will be a future star on the PGA tour and it will be fun to see them as they start out!

[Baynative]

going as a spectator for the 1st round at San Juan Oaks in Hollister, CA, maybe catch the next great golfer on his way up.

I used to play 'SJO' frequently and when I saw the qualifier there, the first thing I thought was that I'd like to see how guys at this level play "Wind Alley" #5 - #9 in the afternoon if the breeze comes up. 7,8 & 9 can cost a lot of strokes with those narrow fairways and water down the left. Number 9, is especially nasty in a breeze because the wind is right at ya on the tee box, then right to left at the green. (that's where I'd be watching)

I wish there was Golf Channel coverage of this one.

[jamesduncan]

Before 1st stage Q-School there is a qualifier for that . . . $4,500, then Q-School is another $4,500, but hey if you can afford it it would be fun!

Just a quick correction:

the pre qualifier was $2500 if you advance then you pay the remainder of the outstanding q school entry fee ($2500) for a total of $5000. you dont pay that amount twice. sorta confusing i know but thankfully its not that full amount for each stage cheers

[RX Phoenix]

I never play any of the courses in Gilroy or Hollister in the afternoon, it was always as early as I could get out. I like the layout of SJO but it honestly wasnt too difficult for me, lost of off fairway obsticles that tend to draw your attention too but most of the fairways were pretty wide. Great course for the price, I remember when they first opened it up and they had the pro-am with John Daly and Freddie.

They used to play the Q-school at La Purisima in Central CA but the wind coming through there made the course so tough in the afternoon that they had to abandon it. I played SJO from the tips and didn't have a problem with distance, but they tend to let the rough grow and it's a bear if you stray. Front 9 is not very tough, back 9 needs some local knowledge and can be tough. As for Pasatiempo, the course has been upgraded now and it's hard to imagine a better course anywhere, what a rush it would be to play a qualifier tournament there, unforgettable. Thanks for the correction on the total price being $5000, at the price of a very nice vacation I'd say money well spent for the experience. Weather will be nasty this week at SJO, raining right now, going to be cold, windy, rainy through Saturday, guys are going to be drained by the end of the week! LOL, thick, high, wet, rough!

[RX Phoenix]

Actually I am glad you brought up La Purisma. La Purisma is extremely tough, most of the fairways have incredible slopes to either the right or the left. I remember ripping 2 Irons aiming for the right first cut hoping they would roll to the center. This course slope is severely underated and is one of the toughest courses I have ever played. Never played it when it was windy and couldnt imagine if it was.

LOL, you're bringing back memories and i'm starting to break out in a cold sweat! If you don't have butterflies on the first tee there you don't know what is in store for you. I played with locals who play it several times a week, scratch types, and it beat them up, first time there it will crush you. 17 is a par 3 172, wind was up and a 3 wood leaves you short. Course can be a confidence breaker but it is PURE golf and leaves a lasting impression. I've got to get down there again soon! Ladies used to use it as US Open qualifier but complained bitterly, too tough so now no one uses it, it's a course in exile. I'd LOVE to see Tiger play it in the wind!

[RX Phoenix]

REPORT REPORT REPORT

Saturday Nov. 4, 06

Just got back from the final round of Q-school phase 1.

Some guy went 19 under for 4 days, is that any good?

A lot of players shot lights out on the final day and got into phase two. scores of 66 and 67 were all over the board.

There was no emotion whatsoever there, no one seemed to care one way or the other, couldn't tell if they made it or not, that's the attitude of a golfer, stay even tempered no matter what.

PGA needs to treat these guys better. I confirmed that it cost them between 4500 and 5000 to get in, 2500 for the pre qualifiers and then another 2500 if they make it, and for those who don't need to qualify 5000 up front. If you register early you may get a price break.

After the round the players might get a bite to eat, have a beer, a smoke and then drive away. No fanfare whatsoever. No medals, no pics, no nothing! No spectators there except family and a few friends, these guys really labor in obscurity.

One player is moving on to Texas, had 8 birdies in the final round, hope i see him at PGA West, what a player, shoots 67 67 final two days to make the cut. These guys are longggggg with wedges to many greens on 420 yd holes.

Everyone is using ProV1 and they spin the heck out of the ball sucking them off the green in many cases.

Everyone I saw is using forged blades, drivers are R7 TP 425's Titleist 905, and a few Cleveland Launchers. Did i say they were long off the tee . . . they think they can drive every green.

6 under made the cut

phase 2 weeds the applicants down severely as there are many players who already have a spot in the finals like PGA pros who didn't make enough money.

the guys i talked to had gotten past phase 1 before but not to the finals. Atmosphere was totally relaxed but i am told that the finals is totally intense.

many young guys weren't too bothered by not making it, the guys who made it were usually older and more experienced.

PGA should give these guys more respect for plunking down the cash, coming from all over the country and shooting lights out, not even a buffet, or pics or an advertisement to bring out spectators . . .

[Haze]

Just a quick correction:

are there any other fees associated with q-school? Or is the $5000 the only fee?

[RX Phoenix]

Playing from the tips, conditions were ideal all week, no wind, soft greens. The only problem with the course was the collars were too narrow and balls were sucking off and running through the collars and lodging next to the rough making it awkward to putt.

A 69ish scoring for 4 days would mean that you would have a good opportunity to advance, probably near the cut line.

People wonder how can they go so low?

When you are hitting wedges into par 4s and 3 irons second shots into par 5s the birdies are going to be there. The guys hit it 280-320 in the fairway, so a 420 yd hole is only a wedge and a 520 par 5 is a 3 or 4 iron in. They fire the approach shots behind the pin and suck it back using ProV1 spin, so no pin is inaccessible in theory, of course they use collection areas behind rear pin placements so if you hit it a few yards too long you are shortsided up a hill. But they still manage to get up and down from there using putters.

The course can be overpowered.

[ColinMB]

Thanks for the report Pheonix. Where I live, I have literally no exposure to this stuff, so it's very interesting to hear about, even second hand. Thanks.

[RX Phoenix]

You are most welcome, it was a great experience to get the full flavor of this event. Here is a link to the PGA q-school page results http://www.pgatour.com/story/9662293

and here are the courses and schedules

FIRST STAGE FIELDS & RESULTS
Oct. 24 - Oct. 27, 2006
Dayton Valley Country Club, Dayton, Nev.: Results
Florence Country Club, Florence, S.C.: Results
Grasslands Golf & Country Club, Lakeland, Fla.: Results
Lantana Golf Club, Lantana, Texas: Results
Cypresswood Golf Club -- Cypress course, Spring, Texas: Results
Nov. 1 - Nov. 4, 2006
Treyburn Counrty Club, Durham, N.C.: Results
San Juan Oaks Golf Club, Hollister, Calif.: Results
The SCGA Golf Course, Murrieta, Calif.: Results
St. Johns Golf and Country Club, St. Augustine, Fla.: Results
Nov. 2 - Nov. 5, 2006
Martin Downs Country Club -- Osprey, Palm City, Fla.: Results
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, Valdosta, Ga.: Results



SECOND STAGE FIELDS
Nov. 15-18, 2006
Lake Jovita, Dade City, Fla.: Info
Deerwood Golf Club, Kingwood, Texas: Info
Southern Dunes Golf Club, Maricopa, Ariz.: Info
Nov. 16-19, 2006
Oak Valley Golf Club, Beaumont, Calif.: Info
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas: Info
Hombre Golf Club -- Bad/Ugly, Panama City Beach, Fla.: Info

FINAL STAGE FIELDS
Nov. 29 - Dec. 4, 2006
PGA West - TPC Stadium, La Quinta, Calif. : Info

Quotes from the Q-school players as I heard them:
"It doesn't seem fair to shoot underpar and not make it." from a Canadian Protour player who missed the cut

"My putter was on fire, made everything." a player who made 8 birdies on the final day and is moving on to the second stage

"PGA West huh . . . I ain't going there . . . (spit)." In response to my PGA West windbreaker he noticed . . . he missed the cut.


Local knowledge about PGA West Stadium Course: Put all emphasis and focus on PUTTING! You can have a great day tee to green and still fail miserably on those greens which seem to generate 3 putts. The greens are very tricky with subtle breaks. It's not like Spyglass, where nothing seems to go in the hole willingly, rather it's the lag putting there that can really be off, tough to read those greens right. So one should put most of the prepartion into lag putting to avoid bogeys.