2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay Discussion Thread

[Golfingdad]

An article with some interesting and insightful stats about the greens at Chambers Bay:  http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/06/one-more-thing-about-the-green.html

I read that yesterday too, and have been trying to figure out if you can really conclude anything from it.  I feel like I read somewhere on TST, and perhaps even several pages back in this thread, a stat saying that GIR average for the field was higher here than most US Opens.  The fact that the course had wider fairways and bigger greens also comes to mind.

Am I remembering that correctly?  And if so, couldn't that, PLUS the fact that the greens had a lot of contours, have as much of an effect, if not more, on each of those stats than the bumpiness of those greens?

If greens are bigger, more are hit, and consequently, the proximity to the hole increases, so it stands to reason that the putting numbers predicated on GIR would also be higher.

The last two stats, however, were not based off of GIR, so he might have something there.  Still, you can't definitively say its more or less to do with the condition of the greens or more or less to do with the size and contours either.  For example, did he 3-putt because he missed a 4 footer, or did he 3-putt because he left his first putt 13 feet short?

I feel like the only real telling stats on the green conditions might simply me to compare make percentages of all short length putts versus other US Opens.

[saevel25]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac62

An article with some interesting and insightful stats about the greens at Chambers Bay

Quote:

First, let’s look at the granddaddy of putting statistics, putts per green in regulation . Generally, when tour players hit a green in regulation they take less than two putts most of the time.

Move over granddaddy, Strokes Gained Putting has taken over as the best putting stat :)

Quote:

That’s the third highest that number has been in history. Only Oakmont in 2007 (1.933)

Can someone say, putting massacre at Oakmont 2016 ;)

Quote:

But at Chambers Bay a player three-putted a relatively absurd 8.58 percent of the time. The average for U.S. Opens from 1997-2014 was 4.84. The only year that comes close to Chambers Bay’s number is Oakmont in 2007 at 7.22.

So they basically are saying that Oakmont had a historically high 3-Putt % in 2007 and I didn't hear anyone complaining about those greens.

Umm, maybe they have something else in common. Both courses have very large, fast, undulating greens.

Was their some poor greens, yea. I might be able to say that it was more due to the fact the greens were very undulating than how bumpy they were. If the common link between the two highest 3-putt % ratings in US Open is they both have large, fast, undulating  greens.

I could say that 1.36% of the 3-Putting was due to the bumpy greens. Not really that bad.

[nevets88]

Charlie Rose: Jaime Diaz and John Feinstein on the US Open. I watched because I'm suffering from post USO withdrawal, but wow, I really didn't enjoy it very much as I felt they really didn't say anything I didn't already know. And Feinstein with the short game is the most important aspect of the game. Rose needs to find fresh faces to interview.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/809649

[natureboy]

I read that yesterday too, and have been trying to figure out if you can really conclude anything from it.  I feel like I read somewhere on TST, and perhaps even several pages back in this thread, a stat saying that GIR average for the field was higher here than most US Opens.  The fact that the course had wider fairways and bigger greens also comes to mind.

Am I remembering that correctly?  And if so, couldn't that, PLUS the fact that the greens had a lot of contours, have as much of an effect, if not more, on each of those stats than the bumpiness of those greens?

If greens are bigger, more are hit, and consequently, the proximity to the hole increases, so it stands to reason that the putting numbers predicated on GIR would also be higher.

The last two stats, however, were not based off of GIR, so he might have something there.  Still, you can't definitively say its more or less to do with the condition of the greens or more or less to do with the size and contours either.  For example, did he 3-putt because he missed a 4 footer, or did he 3-putt because he left his first putt 13 feet short?

I feel like the only real telling stats on the green conditions might simply me to compare make percentages of all short length putts versus other US Opens.

Yeah, I think the contours overall resulted in a longer average first putt distance. The countour plus the bumpiness probably put a premium on lag putting touch to avoid 3-putts. Spieth may have gained on DJ there, while DJ was gaining on Jordan with long game, but the green contours probably forced him to hit more long putts than he's used to in competition. The longer initial putt distance and lower make percentage was probably an intentional part of the the USGA 'test' to see who could roll with the conditions affecting their expectations of making a score. That said I think Mickelson had a point about differing speeds between greens being a little too much of an adjustment.

Move over granddaddy, Strokes Gained Putting has taken over as the best putting stat :)

Can someone say, putting massacre at Oakmont 2016 ;)

So they basically are saying that Oakmont had a historically high 3-Putt % in 2007 and I didn't hear anyone complaining about those greens.

Umm, maybe they have something else in common. Both courses have very large, fast, undulating greens.

Was their some poor greens, yea. I might be able to say that it was more due to the fact the greens were very undulating than how bumpy they were. If the common link between the two highest 3-putt % ratings in US Open is they both have large, fast, undulating  greens.

I could say that 1.36% of the 3-Putting was due to the bumpy greens. Not really that bad.

I would agree that the larger factor was the longer initial putt distance from approaches caroming a bit due to the undulations.

[nevets88]

Sign where DJ hit 5I on 18th. Wonder if there's one for Spieth's 3W. I guess people remember the what if rather than the win more?