2017 U.S. Open Qualifier

[Pretzel]

This next Monday (not tomorrow, but a week from tomorrow) I will be playing in one of the U.S. Open local qualifiers for the first time, which should be a good bit of fun. It's a little concerning since this coming week is finals week, meaning my golf will be minimal, but I should be able to sneak in a practice round or two and get a feel for the course. I've played in one tournament before at the venue (Commonground), so I know it's about as close to a links golf course as exists in Colorado, but I'll be mapping out my desired tee shots and my bailout areas as I survey the course. 

The course should play a bit long, but none of the par 5's other than hole 3 really have any teeth to them. The rest of them ought to be reachable in two, or at least allow me to get within 20-30 yards at worst for my third shot to make the holes play easier than they would otherwise. The course's primary defense appears that it will be the par 3's on the back nine, where the shortest of the trio measures 219 yards and the longest 243 yards. The good news is that I should still be able to hit an iron into all of the par 3's, so I won't have to worry about choking down on a 3 wood unless there's some really crazy wind that day. 

Overall I think it'll be fun to really test myself under the toughest of conditions. I plan to update this thread after my practice round/s with my findings on the course, as well as after I've finished with a brief (or not so brief, depending on how I feel) summary of how things went and the competition in general.

[Yukari]

Good luck!

I like that course. It's a great lay out. 

[boogielicious]

3 hours ago, Pretzel said:

This next Monday (not tomorrow, but a week from tomorrow) I will be playing in one of the U.S. Open local qualifiers for the first time, which should be a good bit of fun. It's a little concerning since this coming week is finals week, meaning my golf will be minimal, but I should be able to sneak in a practice round or two and get a feel for the course. I've played in one tournament before at the venue (Commonground), so I know it's about as close to a links golf course as exists in Colorado, but I'll be mapping out my desired tee shots and my bailout areas as I survey the course. 

The course should play a bit long, but none of the par 5's other than hole 3 really have any teeth to them. The rest of them ought to be reachable in two, or at least allow me to get within 20-30 yards at worst for my third shot to make the holes play easier than they would otherwise. The course's primary defense appears that it will be the par 3's on the back nine, where the shortest of the trio measures 219 yards and the longest 243 yards. The good news is that I should still be able to hit an iron into all of the par 3's, so I won't have to worry about choking down on a 3 wood unless there's some really crazy wind that day. 

Overall I think it'll be fun to really test myself under the toughest of conditions. I plan to update this thread after my practice round/s with my findings on the course, as well as after I've finished with a brief (or not so brief, depending on how I feel) summary of how things went and the competition in general.

That course would be a par 75 for me. A 508 par 4? Yikes!

[dennyjones]

Good luck.   I hope you do well.    Keep us updated!

[phillyk]

Make sure to take note of the greens.  They will put pins on edge of ridges or in spots that are guarded and hard to get to.  They try to make you really think about how to play your approach shots.  Good luck!

[davechen]

Best of luck to you!

There's doing a US Open qualifyer tomorrow near us, and I'm going to take my son to check it out.

[David in FL]

Can you give us a link to the course?  Par 71 at over 7400 yards is a beast!  Are you taking a caddie?

Have fun and good luck!  As others have said, keep us informed!

[JxQx]

That's awesome! Good luck! Always wondered how intense the open qualifier is, so it'll be great to hear it first hand from a player. 

[Gator Hazard]

Good luck @Pretzel, above all else, have fun (know you'll do great). 

[TN94z]

Par 71 at those yardages..wow! Very cool! I can't wait to hear the updates 

[ZappyAd]

4 hours ago, David in FL said:

Can you give us a link to the course?  Par 71 at over 7400 yards is a beast! 

https://www.commongroundgc.com/golf-course - looks like a good course.

good luck @Pretzel - hope you play well and really looking forward to hearing how you do.

[Pretzel]

5 hours ago, David in FL said:

Are you taking a caddie?

It would be nice to, but I haven't found anyone who isn't busy that day so I'll probably end up carrying my own bag. That's not a big concern or anything though, I don't really get tired from walking 18 holes so fatigue shouldn't play into things. If I, by some miracle, end up in sectional qualifying after this I'd definitely want a caddy for the 36 in a day, but for 18 holes it isn't bad. I've found in the past when I had a caddy the best part about it was just having a conversation partner that you already know pretty well for the round, moreso than not carrying your own clubs.

6 hours ago, phillyk said:

Make sure to take note of the greens.  They will put pins on edge of ridges or in spots that are guarded and hard to get to.  They try to make you really think about how to play your approach shots.  Good luck!

Yeah, that's the reason I really want to get out for practice rounds is because I don't remember very well if the greens have ridges, big slopes, or are mostly flat. I played down in Pueblo at Walking Stick for a big tournament once where they got the greens up to 13 on the Stimpmeter and those greens almost all have 2-4 tiers with ridges in between. If you hit your approach to a tier above the hole, you were literally better off chipping down to the hole with a wedge to try and get the spin necessary to keep the ball on the same tier as the hole.

I think the greens have some nice rolling undulations, but nothing to sharp or steep. I'll know for sure once I get there and mark them all out. Honestly though, since I'll be having some mid-long iron approaches I'll probably end up aiming at the fatter portions of most greens anyways as the lowest scoring play since I'm fairly confident in my putting, and I know a 2-putt is more likely than an up and down in a majority of scenarios. 

[David in FL]

You're young, you can carry your own damn bag.

I was thinking more someone to help settle you down.  Someone with course knowledge, can read greens, and really knows your game could be helpful though.

[CMartis]

Good luck man! Hope you do well!

[Denny Bang Bang]

10 hours ago, boogielicious said:

That course would be a par 75 for me. A 508 par 4? Yikes!

 

8 hours ago, David in FL said:

 Par 71 at over 7400 yards is a beast! 

It's at elevation, so not as beastly as it seems.  However, still long (maybe 6,900-ish, relative to sea level).

@Pretzel Best of luck on the qualifier!

[Wanzo]

That's terrific that you are entering. Hope you play well. Looking forward to hearing how it goes. Good luck with finals too. 

[Shooting29]

@Pretzel, what is the course charging you for a practice round? The course hosting my qualifier is charging $125 which I felt was pretty extreme. I've played many qualifier practice rounds at both public and private and I've never been charged more than $40.

[phillyk]

9 minutes ago, Shooting29 said:

@Pretzel, what is the course charging you for a practice round? The course hosting my qualifier is charging $125 which I felt was pretty extreme. I've played many qualifier practice rounds at both public and private and I've never been charged more than $40.

I haven't been charged in the past for practice rounds of qualifiers. At most maybe $40 like you said. $125 for practice is ridiculous.