Played Merion East yesterday

[dnaygs]

So I played merion east yesterday.  I must say I was pretty underwhelmed.  I mean don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun and it's a nice course, but it didn't feel super special.  There are certainly prettier courses in the area in my opinion, and more interesting layouts.  To me it felt like just another round of golf.

Have other people had a similar experience playing very famous courses?

[DaveP043]

I've now played five courses that have hosted majors.  Pinehurst #2 isn't visually too exciting, but the design makes it a very interesting and demanding play.  I've played it both before and after the renovation, and I really enjoy the new look.  Congressional is a lovely course through mature trees, just good and hard.  Whistling Straits is stunning, and probably not as hard as it looks.  Of course, it looks impossible.  I played Carnoustie in steady rain, which I understand is pretty typical, and found it to be very hard, but not very scenic.  Its largely pretty level, with no real views anywhere.  The Old Course isn't stunning either, but I absolutely loved playing it.  Its pretty level overall too, but with so many humps and hollows, and the town as a backdrop for the holes coming in, its just amazing.  So I guess for my experience its 2 that are amazing of the five I've played.

[iacas]

I can't say that I have had that experience of being disappointed by "famous" courses. For example, many will say that Torrey Pines is one of the lamer courses to recently host a major… and yet, it gets a fair amount of local play, produced a pretty great championship, and the views are apparently scenic and nice.

I played Oakland Hills and while I could see and enjoy and appreciate what makes it a major championship venue, I didn't worry too much about that - it's still just a golf course, and I'm still just a golfer.

I almost appreciate the courses the women play more for their majors because their major setups are more like regular play than the men's majors. For example, Oakmont is set up VERY differently for men versus the women. We've played a course in our section in Rochester that hosted an LPGA major for a number of years (Locust Hill), and the men were just at Oak Hill. I've played Kiawah Island, too, and a few others I'm probably forgetting (oh yeah, Tanglewood had a PGA Championship that Trevino won and then a Champions Tour event for awhile).

But no, I've never had the experience of being let down by a course. I think, though, it depends on your state of mind and expectations. I played the Old Course, for example, while they were getting ready for the Dunhill tournament, so there were a few stands set up too… but many people expect to play the Old Course and instantly be overwhelmed by nostalgia and whatnot… but that's just not going to happen. I think that people who go into a round at a "famous" course looking for that overlook their own new memories of the day, and as a result, don't form very many. One of my strongest memories from the Old Course, for example, was on the 11th hole. I played a creative shot and pulled it off and the stern, dour, unimpressable caddies all stopped to tell me what a great shot it was. That stands out as my OWN memory.

Like I said, I think a lot of people almost expect feelings or something to wash over them. Stripped of the grandstands, the crowds, etc. the golf courses don't have the same feel as when they're hosting a major. But they're still the same course, basically, so just play and focus on your round. Try some famous shots here and there (like Payne's on 18 at Pinehurst for example), but just mostly play your round and remember all that you can from YOUR round.

[tefunk]

The only thing I really find disappointing in playing some of these courses, is the price. For instance... Torrey Pines, Wolf Creek, Caledonia Golf & Fish. I really enjoyed playing all of them, but there are enough courses I have also really enjoyed that don't cost $200 per round. Durand Eastman (Rochester) is $30 with a cart, Shadow Pines (Rochester) is $50 with a cart, Mtn Dell (Salt Lake) is $45 with a cart. They're not Oak Hill, CCR, Torrey, Wolf Creek, etc., but I still find just as much enjoyment, at 25% of the cost. I appreciate the differences in different courses, famous or not. At the end of the day, it's all golf and I enjoy it.

[dfreuter415]

I almost appreciate the courses the women play more for their majors because their major setups are more like regular play than the men's majors. For example, Oakmont is set up VERY differently for men versus the women.

I have to agree. I caddied in the 1992 Ladies Open at Oakmont, and the greens were significantly slower than they were for the men's open in 1994, when I forecaddied hole #18. In addition the rough was much lower than it was for the men's, as well. The greens were pretty fast for the ladies in 2010, but still nothing like the men in 2007. In addition, if the USGA would never consider growing the ladies' rough as long as the men's rough, for obvious reasons.

Having caddied for quite a few golfers who were playing Oakmont for the first time, I can tell you that they are duly impressed with how difficult an open course can be. I was caddying with a group of golf course raters from Golf Digest and the head rater told the caddies, "I can only give one course a 10 rating, and this might be the one."

Here are a few quotes about Oakmont...

Lee Trevino: “There's only one course in the country where you could step out right now — right now — and play the U.S. Open, and that's Oakmont."

Johnny Miller said that Oakmont's are the greatest set of greens for testing a player's ability to putt.

USGA Sr. Director of Rules and Competitions Mike Davis: "There's a reason [the U.S. Open is] coming back to Oakmont. This really is the gold standard for championship golf. It doesn't get any better than Oakmont."

I will say that the weather this spring and summer has been very wet, and the course has been a little on the tame side. However, with the Open coming next June, I'm sure that John Zimmers, the greens superintendent, is being careful to have the course in optimum condition.