What would you shoot?

[pbrown7582]

It would be great if GM could set up a comp to get a few of us readers there next year a day or two after the Open finishes...?

you can on one of the amateur tours around a week after, if youve a couple hundred quid spare......

 

[Blue in Munich]

Maybe I don't understand how difficult it is, but I'd be gutted if I didn't break 100 and would like to think I could break 90 if I played ok.

So, to those who have seen first hand how major courses are set up..... am I dillusional?

I've played 2 that get close to a major set-up. I played Bethpage Black in September 2009. Played off the back tees of the day. It is unbelievably different to your average course.

First difference is the tees. They put a plate in the tee for the actual US Open yardages, we played off a number of the 2002 US Open plates, always in front of the 2009 plates; we were amazed how far behind the 2009 plates were. The distances that you are playing put a number of holes out of reach to me. Played the 10th dead off the 2002 plate, one of the best drives of the day. Caddie tells me to club for 165-170, I looked and said are you sure, that looks a long 170, he just said you're not going for the green! And he was spot on; there's a hollow in front chock full of 6" long grass, miss it and you're dead. The 4 par 3's I hit a 5 every time; one 5 iron, three 5 woods, if the 3rd was fully back I can't hit the green in one. The 5th or the 6th I had to deliberately drive off line in order to shorten the carry, then lay up!

The next thing is the level of accuracy you need. You are threading the eye of the needle with the tee shots coming out of funnels of trees. The 18th we thought we'd seen the back plate, but we hadn't. Saved the best drive of the day for that, absolutely split the fairway, dead level with the bunkers, exactly where the pros were. My initial moment of smugness evaporated in record time as I turned round to see the caddie almost wetting himself with laughter. On questioning him as to the exact location of the back tee, I was pointed in the direction of the smallest gap you could imagine. Neither my partner nor I could believe that there was a tee there.

Then you've got the hazards. The rough was as tough as anything I've ever encountered, the bunkers were deeper, the greens were, or at least appeared, smaller than I was used to and were tricky as hell. I managed to get round it in just under 100, playing off 8, and didn't think I'd done badly at all; I did keep the same ball all the way round. It was one hell of a lot tougher than the other championship set up I've played, which was Carnoustie in 1999, the Friday after Paul Lawrie won the Open, grandstands still up, rough still up. That was set up similarly tough, but despite the reputation that it got that year, I felt Bethpage was much much tougher, probably because of the increasing length.

So yes, in the nicest possible sense, I think you are slightly delusional

 

[Dellboy]

Not being the best driver of the ball, (it goes a long way but not always the right direction) :lol: I would be over the moon if I kept it under 125.

 

[JustOne]

I would hope to shoot close to my h/cap (that's why I have one). don't know what SSS is but it probably allows a couple/three extra shots.