Today begins US Open week, which is one of my favorites tournaments to watch all year. I love the Masters too, but something about watching the pros grind and battle for pars is entertaining. Plus I enjoy watching the US Open travel to a different course each year. Some courses have been boring and forgettable (Olympia Fields '03, Southern Hills '01), but others have been awesome (Olympic Golf Club '98 & '12, Winged Foot '06, Merion '13, Pinehurst '99). Those awesome courses immediately went on my 'Courses to Play' list. While I was in San Francisco last week, I got to cross off one of those courses - Olympic Club (Lake Course).
The first time I heard about Olympic Club was during the 1998 US Open. I remember how cool the course looked with the giant cypress trees lining the fairways and small, sloped greens reeking havoc on the players. It also helped that Payne Stewart, one of my favorites players at the time, was leading the tournament after 3 rounds.
I played my US Open Sectional Qualifier last Monday at Lake Merced GC and Olympic Club (Ocean Course). I started at Lake Merced and got off to a great start with nearly perfect swings/shots on the first 6 holes, but I walked off with all pars. I couldn't make any putts and that got me to start forcing some things and that lead to some bad swings and mistakes. By the time I finished my morning round, I was +5 despite hitting it really well. In the afternoon I needed to do something miraculous to qualify for the US Open. I played well on the front side (3 under, 33), but I lost it all on the back and limped to a +1, 72 finish.
The next day, Tuesday, my caddie and I were able to play the Lake Course (US Open course) because he knows a couple of members and one of them could host us. We tipped it out at a mere 7140 yards, but this is at sea level where a 9-iron has a slim chance of going more than 150 yards (especially once the fog rolls in). The stretch of 2-6 are brutal holes which play very long and considering you never have a flat lie anywhere on the golf course, you better be ready to hit some long irons. I'm proud to say that I made two 2s on the front side (#3, #8). I hit a hybrid from 247 on #3 to about 5 feet. Then I hit a 4-iron from 206 on #8 and rolled in a 25 foot putt.
By the end of 17 holes I was 1-under par, with 6 birdies, but I needed one more to shot in the 60s. The 18th hole is a short 347 yard par-4, but the fairway is in a low area and it slopes from left-to-right. Any ball in the right rough is going to have to navigate a second shot over a cypress tree. The picture below is from about 200 yards out (click on the picture to enlarge it). I hit hybrid to the bottom of the hill and you're left with a blind approach to a green that is only 10 steps wide. It doesn't show up very well on the photo, but there are 3 bunkers surrounding the 18th green and they are shaped like the letters I.O.U., as if to apologize for the tough test of golf you just played. My approach shot was 117 yards out, nearly a perfect pitching wedge, since it played uphill and into the wind. I hit the shot to 5 feet, right below the hole and rolled in the putt for a 69. Making 7 birdies was a lot of fun, but sprinkling in 3 bogies and a double are a testament to how challenging the course plays.
There is only 1 fairway bunker on the entire golf course and not a single water hazard. Out of bounds is only in play on 2 holes and you have to hit bad shots to hit it that far left. Basically the golf course uses the terrain, trees, and greens to challenge you. My favorite new term that I learned is "reverse-camber", which refers to a fairway sloping the opposite way that the hole doglegs. There are about 6 or 7 holes that have reversed cambered fairways. The 9th hole is one. It's only 449 yards, but it doglegs hard left-to-right and the fairways kicks everything left. The green also slopes left and balls like to run off the left side, down the shaved fairway. Your best option for the approach is to hit a cut into the green, but that's not the easiest thing to do off of a hook lie. Basically the whole golf course makes you feel uncomfortable and unbalanced.
I have a couple other pictures to share. First is the tee shot on #16, which is a monster par-5 - 622. They actually put in an extra tee for the 2012 US Open at about 670, but removed it because it is pretty much in #15 fairway. This beast of a par-5 doglegs hard to the left, but you have to negotiate a chute on your drive. Something that Jim Furyk didn't do very well on Sunday in 2012. They moved the tees up to the white tees (560 yards) and he snapped hooked a hybrid into the left trees.
The next picture is of the approach from #14, a 417 yard par-4. The reason I like this photo is because is shows off the awesome cypress trees (look at the naked one on the right side, which is a perfect aim point from the tee). Also, I birdied this hole so it's deserves a picture. I birdied 18 and 16, which are the other photos. I notice a trend. Perhaps if I had taken more pictures, I would've had more than 7 birdies.
Final picture is of Olympic Clubs famed 'Burger Dogs', which are cheeseburgers on hot dog buns. I haven't eaten a hot dog in nearly 20 years and I doubt I'll ever eat one for the rest of my life. I say this because a burger dog is the closest I'll get to a hot dog.
I lied. I have a few more pictures. No explanation needed, just posting them for you to see.
Enjoy watching the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 (another course I've played). I'm back in tournament action next week with the Web.com event in Wichita, KS.
Neil
