Hoylake - The course

[Junior]

Hoylake as a test of golf this week was awesome.

It often comes in for a lot of criticism and is talked about as being one of the weakest courses on the rota (Wallasey is a much better course etc etc) but when you combine the infrastructure, the strategy choices off the tee, the ask of the players to shape shots, the angles the players need to hit to attack pins, the way the weather affects how the holes have to be played (17th!!) and the grandstands framing the holes were awesome.

For me, as a test of the best golfers in the world, its up there with the very best.......You don't need massive fake sand dunes to have a wonderful links course.

 

[Jason.H]

A tough test as shown by the scores from the best golfers on the planet. The only failure was after practice rounds some comments were made to hit it wide to take the bunkers out of play. Some holes they were clearly aiming well left and going into the crowd.

 

[KenL]

I loved 17.

But, I think some of the green run offs were a bit too severe.

 

[Neilds]

A tough test as shown by the scores from the best golfers on the planet. The only failure was after practice rounds some comments were made to hit it wide to take the bunkers out of play. Some holes they were clearly aiming well left and going into the crowd.

Was the course tough or was it the weather that made it hard? Does links golf need wind to make it a 'proper' course?

 

[rulefan]

They are going to tame the 17th it seems.

 

[Jigger]

The thing I don’t like about it as an open venue is that every tv shot had a temporary structure in view. It just made golf look unnatura.

 

[D-S]

I thought the rough, despite looking like it should be, was not penal enough - the high proportion of decent lies in seemingly deep rough was disappointing. Also the number of pull hooks off the 1st tee that were 30, 40 or 50 yards off the fairway that didn’t seem to be punished wasn’t good. The run offs on the green looked difficult and if it is windy with firm greens it must be tough for amateurs.

 

[KenL]

Not sure I agree with the comment about the rough.
The fact that the clear winner was about the best in the field for driving accuracy says to me that the rough was penal.

I thought the rough, despite looking like it should be, was not penal enough - the high proportion of decent lies in seemingly deep rough was disappointing. Also the number of pull hooks off the 1st tee that were 30, 40 or 50 yards off the fairway that didn’t seem to be punished wasn’t good. The run offs on the green looked difficult and if it is windy with firm greens it must be tough for amateurs.

 

[pendodave]

I thought the rough, despite looking like it should be, was not penal enough - the high proportion of decent lies in seemingly deep rough was disappointing. Also the number of pull hooks off the 1st tee that were 30, 40 or 50 yards off the fairway that didn’t seem to be punished wasn’t good. The run offs on the green looked difficult and if it is windy with firm greens it must be tough for amateurs.

I think that's just the nature of links golf. Sometimes its wispy, sometimes a bit chunkier.
Personally, I like it this way - native vegetation in an unfertilised, unwatered environment. The randomness is a feature, not a bug.
Conversely, I detest US style 5 inch rough monoculture of grass on 'roids.

 

[KenL]

On the TV coverage yesterday, I thought it was poor. Far too often they cut to cameras who lenses were so fogged or covered in rain you couldn't see a thing.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Hoylake always appears to get negative reviews because it’s prob flatter than most links but to play it is superb , it rewards accuracy , first class game management as well as a great short game

And that’s exactly what the Open produced - a player who did all the above was the player that was head and shoulders above everyone else

Played their twice but need to go again to play the 17th which looked a brilliant hole


It’s no surprise that the main people complaining about the Open and Hoylake are those from over the ocean who spend most of the time watching PGAT golf

 

[azazel]

I didn't think it was great to watch from a TV perspective. Very few memorable holes, a lot of them looked very. very similar. No doubt a great test of the top level golfer's ability and it produced a worthy champion who played links golf the way it's meant to be, but it just wasn't a course that inspired me to want to play it.

 

[Springveldt]

I thought the rough, despite looking like it should be, was not penal enough - the high proportion of decent lies in seemingly deep rough was disappointing. Also the number of pull hooks off the 1st tee that were 30, 40 or 50 yards off the fairway that didn’t seem to be punished wasn’t good. The run offs on the green looked difficult and if it is windy with firm greens it must be tough for amateurs.

Those weren't pull hooks, they were by design to take the bunkers out of play.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I thought the rough, despite looking like it should be, was not penal enough - the high proportion of decent lies in seemingly deep rough was disappointing. Also the number of pull hooks off the 1st tee that were 30, 40 or 50 yards off the fairway that didn’t seem to be punished wasn’t good. The run offs on the green looked difficult and if it is windy with firm greens it must be tough for amateurs.

Is that not the nature of Major golf at a links? The spectators trample down much of the rough so unless they are in gorse bushes the chances of thick rough are not that high. To get in really penal rough they would need to narrow in the fairways so the rough is not where the spectators stand.

 

[D-S]

Those weren't pull hooks, they were by design to take the bunkers out of play.

They were described as such by the commentators.

 

[Springveldt]

They were described as such by the commentators.

I know they were probably because they didn't want to say that some of the best golfers in the world were aiming at the spectators and just smashing it straight at them. Take the bunkers out of play and get a good lie were all the rough has been trodden down.

 

[D-S]

I know they were probably because they didn't want to say that some of the best golfers in the world were aiming at the spectators and just smashing it straight at them. Take the bunkers out of play and get a good lie were all the rough has been trodden down.

That certainly doesn't sound like a good test to me.

 

[Jason.H]

They were described as such by the commentators.

The commentators said after Brooks drove it left that he looked to be aiming well left.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Those weren't pull hooks, they were by design to take the bunkers out of play.

Why would Pros be looking to put their drives into areas where the lie is going to be a lottery. They weren’t aimed for the walk ways or rough just to avoid bunkers

 

[Imurg]

Apparently the 17th is going to be completely redesigned....
Causes a backlog in club comps as well as being too hard....