Should the U.S. Open go Back to Chambers Bay?

[RJH999]

Nah. It sucks for the people there.

[iacas]

The Majors have turned into any other mainstream professional sport. Fans on site mean NOTHING to the bottom line.

I was going to respond to that, but @DaveP043 already did and did so well:

I can't agree with this.  I agree that TV pays the lion's share of the bills, but onsite fans contribute significantly.  Ticket sales are in the range of 40,000 weekly tickets at $400 and up, adding up to $15 to 20 Million.  There's additional revenue from food vendors leasing space to cater to the fans, from corporate hospitality, from sales of merchandise.  The reports put Fox's deal with the USGA at about $100 million per year, which includes the rights to broadcast 8 USGA championships.  The revenue from on-site fans is far from inconsequential.

A single home playoff NHL game is worth a few million dollars just in in-person revenue.

[mvmac]

I voted yes, probably won't happen anytime soon but it's a unique course that provided a lot of great shotmaking and drama.

The USGA is blaming the weather for what happened to the greens but, as is always the case with the US Open, the USGA has pretty much had control of the golf course and it's condition for months and they had people embedded on site for a couple of years in advance. I understand that they want Chambers Bay to address the problem and make the greens similar to the perfect conditions they had on a few of the greens like 13. They should have done the due diligence on that years ago.

I didn't hear the USGA blame the weather for the greens (I could be wrong), Mike Davis said they looked worse than they putted but took responsibility for them not being their best. From what I've read they've acknowledged the greens would need to improve if they brought the tournament back to Chambers Bay.

[turtleback]

I said no, I don't want to see two British Opens in a row.

I agree with this sentiment.  When they start holding British Opens on parkland courses, then they should re-visit CB with the US Open.

Quote:

Originally Posted by acetoolguy

I said no, I don't want to see two British Opens in a row.

Royal Liverpool didn't play like a British Open last year, so maybe they'll put it the same year as that to accommodate you.

But that was clearly an aberration, as it played very linksy the year Tiger on there without using his driver.

I am very very torn on this. Everyone here in the Pacific Northwest loved having the event here. A true boon to the area. However, I voted no, but not because of the greens. More the viewing issues at the course.

1. Fans have a really hard time following the action. The hills and uneveness of the course led to holes without any spectators. Many people who drove up said that there were really long lines to get into the grandstands and anywhere else than that was not very good to watch the action. This is due to the course layout and is a major issue in my opinion.

2. Lost golf balls by the cameraman. I made this complaint before a ball was struck and many were lost.

The course was done in by a combination of things. As @iacas said it was dry this spring.

I would like them to come back to the Pacific Northwest but not Chambers Bay.

I agree with this as well.  I fear that much as I like what he has done in past years, Mike Davis is getting very close to jumping the shark.  I cannot help having a sneaking suspicion that he likes the limelight a little too much and wants a lot of the discussion to be about the curse and his set-up of it.  And in this case according to the reports the USGA was involved with the design of Chambers Bay at every step of the action in at least an advisory capacity.  So this is not a case of retro-fitting te US OPen requirements on a course, this is a course that was essentially designed to hold a US Open.  And when looked at from that perspective it does not say much for the USGA's and Chambers Bay's regard for the fan attending the tournament.

And then consider that it is probably one of the most difficult events to cover and even SD video of past British Opens do a better job of following where the ball lads and rolls to.  Maybe that would get better with more experience on Foxsports part.  But it is the USGA who created this situation of a rookie crew having to cover the most difficult event.

Maybe they should just go back to holding a national championship rather than seeing how much of an innovative splash they can make.

[Golfingdad]

I cannot help having a sneaking suspicion that he likes the limelight a little too much and wants a lot of the discussion to be about the curse and his set-up of it.

Fruedian slip? ;)

Good post tho.

[saevel25]

I agree with this sentiment.  When they start holding British Opens on parkland courses, then they should re-visit CB with the US Open.

I don't get the obsession with the course having to be a "country club" style course. As I put it, boring golf.

I agree with this as well.  I fear that much as I like what he has done in past years, Mike Davis is getting very close to jumping the shark.  I cannot help having a sneaking suspicion that he likes the limelight a little too much and wants a lot of the discussion to be about the curse and his set-up of it.

I have no issue with Mike Davis. If the golfers are getting too good, and they want to make the course tougher. Then throw some curve balls at the golfers. I don't mind the course being set up to where the golfers might have to think on their feet more when on the course versus having the caddie just read them a number.

I did think they messed up on the fact that a good part of the course was not viewable by the fans who went there.

I think showcasing these unique venues is good for the game.

[dbuck]

I voted yes. I thought the course was great. It is not a "traditional" US Open course, but it is fine to have it in the rota every few years. I probably wouldn't break 100 even from the appropriate tees, but I would love to play it. I would like it a little less brown. Obviously the greens were unacceptable. I am ok with fast or difficult, but the roll should be true and smooth for a US Open.

It is difficult for fans to watch in person, but that is not a disqualifying factor to me. Lessons learned from this year could possibly generate improvements in that respect.

The par thing is over-thought and over discussed in my opinion. These guys hit a bunch of par 5's in two. I get that sometimes the green is designed to accept a wedge and changing to a par 4 means you are hitting a long iron or hybrid into a green not designed for it. If you  define par as what an expert would score allowing for 2 putts, then 500 yards is pretty much a par 4 for most of these guys most of the time. Changing the nominal par on a hole doesn't make it harder or easier. Everyone plays it and mark what is scored on the score card. The winning score was -5, so I would say that the par was defined pretty accurately. On the other hand, I wouldn't have been upset if the winning score was -10 or +5.

[GaijinGolfer]

I dont know, Chambers Bay has sooooo many issues and its kind of like we're having 2 British Opens this year.

[bubble]

I dont know, Chambers Bay has sooooo many issues and its kind of like we're having 2 British Opens this year.

yes but there are 3 majors in the US (masters, us open, uspga).

this should be revised in favor of a major in asia for example where the futur and mass in golf lies.

[ccotenj]

no.  never.

shinnecock is enough for the "every now and then let's do something different"...    give me back my 6 inch rough all the way around the greens, green grass and no mickey mouse "play it 70 yards offline in order to get it to the target" crap...

[dkolo]

yes but there are 3 majors in the US (masters, us open, uspga). this should be revised in favor of a major in asia for example where the futur and mass in golf lies.

Any great U.S. Open venues in Guam?

[DaveP043]

shinnecock is enough for the "every now and then let's do something different"...

Pinehurst was also a rather different set-up compared to the normal, narrowed fairways and penal rough.  I rather enjoyed the Pinehurst  Open, not least because I was a Marshal.

[shakogolfer78]

I voted No mainly based on the fan experience.  Not a fan-friendly place to play.  If they fixed the greens I could see the USGA giving them a second chance.  It was great to watch and had a dramatic finish with the game's biggest names in contention, but I just wish Joe Buck wasn't commentating for Fox that was brutal to say the least.

[iacas]

Count me among the many who are tired of having the same old courses represented in the U.S. Open.

And I love Oakmont, etc.

But this country is HUGE. Why should we play only parkland courses for the national open? We can't play desert courses because of the time of year, but everything else is open.

I found this year's U.S. Open incredibly refreshing.

[jsgolfer]

I voted no for CB, but I'm all for going to different courses them the same ole same ole. But there are probably lots of courses that don't want to give up their course for the Open.

[ccotenj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccotenj

shinnecock is enough for the "every now and then let's do something different"...

Pinehurst was also a rather different set-up compared to the normal, narrowed fairways and penal rough.  I rather enjoyed the Pinehurst  Open, not least because I was a Marshal.

i think if i had been a marshal, i probably would have enjoyed it too...

i didn't think it was a "us open" though...

i freely admit to being old, cranky and stuck in my ways...  :)

[billchao]

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/usgas-davis-has-two-regrets-regarding-chambers-bay/

Quote:

LANCASTER, Pa. – After time to review and reflect, USGA executive director Mike Davis says he has two regrets about how the U.S. Open was conducted at Chambers Bay three weeks ago.

Given the chance to go back in time, he would change the way spectator viewing was handled, and he would change the way he communicated the problems with the greens to the players.

In the end, though, Davis believes a positive lasting memory of Chambers Bay will win out.

“We had an exciting finish, a great player win it, a great leaderboard, and that is what really does matter,” Davis said at the U.S. Women’s Open. “We were pleased about the ending.”

Mike Davis admits that the course was tough for spectators and the greens weren't that good. Maybe he's learned something for the future.

[Wally Fairway]

I'm reposting this photo from another board, it was stated that this was Chambers Bay last week.

Posting it to show how hard the USGA pushed the course, meaning not watering it, to make it play harder and faster than normal.

So I'd change my vote to; No, if you have to kill the course to play an event on it then it shouldn't be played there