US Open Hole 13 Day 4

JT's perspective from inside the ropes at Hole 13 of the Olympic Club at the 2012 US Open.

The Open is finished and the winner, Webb Simpson, outlasted some of the greatest players in golf today.  As we expected, Hole 13 was one of the difference makers. Considering that both golfers in the final pairing, Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell, made bogeys. They were definitely not alone. Hole 13 was a heartbreaker for more players than anyone would have expected. What happened?

First, players over-estimated the speed of the green. A large fraction of the putts -- long, medium, and short -- today ended up short of the hole, and as we all know short putts generally don't find the bottom of the cup. Second, a surprisingly large fraction of short-length putts -- the 6-footers or less -- did not find the hole. Subtle contours were not getting read correctly.

The hole location was in the back right quadrant of the green. It was a difficult location. Any ball coming in just a little bit hot would roll off the back of the green and down a wide close-cropped fringe. The hole was relatively to the edge of the green leaving little space to work with. And the undulations on the putting surface gave most golfers trouble. The best short game players in golf had difficulty here.

The extended shaved fringe caused problems for a large fraction of the golfers, but rewarded creative recovery shots. Harrington's chip-in birdie from the edge of the leftside hazard was brilliant. Chip shots hit firmly into the middle of the slope seemed to be the most successful strategy for getting the ball onto the green from the leftside rough. Soft chips often landed short and trickled back down the slope. More aggressive pitch shots generated too much roll and left long putts for par. 

The 2012 US Open returned the tournament to its status as the toughest major. The USGA set it up perfectly and fairly, challenging the best players in the world to play a complete shot-making game on a course made difficult by natural terrain instead of man-made lakes and tricked-up hazards. It was my good fortune to be inside the ropes on a demanding par 3 that provided a full test of shotmaking skill.

Several talented golfers were revealed this week at the Open. Distant cheers of "lets go Hossler" heralded a new young talent who captured our imagination. The amateurs who made the cut played head-to-head with seasoned pros. And many pros showed rejuvination of their careers with exciting play -- Ernie Els comes to mind with steady play that left him just a couple of strokes short of victory. It's part of the magic of the US Open.

US Open Hole 13 Day 1

JT's perspectives on the activities at Hole 13 on day one of the 2012 US Open.

Finally, the 2012 US Open begins at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Yes, the course is in San Francisco in the southwest corner of the city bordered to the north by Harding Park Golf Course, and to the south by San Francisco Golf Club and Lake Merced Golf Club. They're classic Northern California courses that rely on terrain to provide shotmaking challenges that can humble the best players in golf. Olympic will do that this week.

We've written about Hole 13 and some players grumbled about it after being beaten up in the practice rounds, but today's play showed that shotmaking skill was needed. We saw several birdies and plenty of pars. We saw bogeys that came from short missed putts, we saw the occasional double bogey, and a triple bogey -- all in the morning round. Good reads on the green were fairly rewarded. The speed of the green was reasonable.

We saw brilliant approach shots that rolled to within a few feet of the hole, we saw over-cooked draw shots that sent balls to the leftside hazard, and we saw a couple of balls get trapped in the thick network of branches in the tall trees that narrow the approach to the green. In essence, we saw a US Open par 3 that stands as a test of skill. The USGA is no stranger to layouts like this. They thrive on them. They help create them.

From the opening shots on Hole 13 we could tell the putting surface had been softened. The USGA can use a combination of extra watering, less rolling, and less mowing to alter the playability of a green in a matter of hours. It's clear they paid attention to how many balls rolled next to the leftside hazard and took steps to limit the terrain's punishment to mishits like pulls, hooks and overly strong draws. 

The hole location was in the back left quadrant of the green directly in line with the narrow opening to the green between the leftside bunker and the front bunker. It tempts players to hit straight at the hole, and many of them did exactly that. And many were successful. The other landing target that worked was the right front quadrant with the slightly elevated fringe that directs the roll of the ball to the center back.

There were lots of second putts within six feet of the hole, and most of them required another putt for the ball to find the hole. Most of the reads had the ball tracking on the high side. Reading the slope of the green was surprisingly difficult. We still think Hole 13 will be one of the key difference makers needed to win here. 

The media was out in force for the Open. At Hole 13 alone, we saw a full-sized broadcast TV camera in the tower overlooking the green and fairway, and a second full-sized camera aimed at the green. Behind the tee a satellite TV camera was aimed up the fairway to the slightly elevated green. At each side of the tee were shotgun microphones to pick up the sound of the ball contacting the club face. Four more shotgun mics were placed around the green to pick up the sound of the putts. 

Roving media staff carried high-end video cameras and more shotgun mics on a trek through Hole 13 for every group that had a "rock star" golfer, and many from countries following their favorite sons. Players like Tiger, Ryo, and Rory among others have their every move on the golf course recorded for broadcast. 

And let's not forget photographers. The number of high-end digital cameras acting as counterweights to monster telephoto lenses that were carried through Hole 13 was staggering. It was common to see photographers carrying these behemoths on a monopod support or a folded tripod, and one of two more digital cameras with exotic lenses hanging from their belts. The cameras were for stills, continuous still shooting, and for short HD videos at high resolution with soft-focus backgrounds.

USGA rules committee members wandered through as well. Monitoring play, checking on the effects of the course layout, carefully identifying obstructions and outlining drop zones, and making rules decisions as needed. Turf specialists appeared to monitor the playability conditions at every location that might affect play. And more officials checked on both player safety and fan safety.

And finally volunteers on each hole serving as marshals to help ensure that golf can be played efficiently with a minimum of interruptions. The Olympic Club is to be congratulated for its support of the SF bay area golfing community by providing opportunities for the members of local golf clubs to volunteer as marshals and serve in other capacities in support of the tournament. It's the spirit of community among golfers that makes this sport so special. Dedicated golfers everywhere know what I mean.

US Open Practice Day 3

JT's perspectives from inside the ropes at the 2012 US Open.

After three days of practice, the best players in the world are ready to start the US Open competition. Every hole has been tested, and the most challenging holes have been identified. Not surprisingly, Hole 13 tops the list of most players as likely to be the most difficult to make par or better. 

Word gets around, and the USGA listens. On day 3 of practice the USGA had their course specialists evaluating play on Hole 13. The question to be answered was whether the hole was unfair to players making good shots to the green -- does a ball hit to the left side of the green usually roll off the putting surface and down into the hazard? The USGA is always concerned to have a layout that tests shotmaking skill without punishing a good shot. 

The answer gradually became clear. Hole 13 is fair to straight shots and fades, but a draw is at greater risk of rolling off the green and down the lateral hazard. A draw does not seem like a good strategy here. Hole 13 is challenging but it's not unfair. We don't expect the USGA to do much more than reduce mowing frequency around the green. Here's what it looked like the day before the tournament.

We had an opportunity to witness some great golf on Hole 13 during the practice rounds. The closest to the hole was by Ryo Ishikawa. He missed a hole-in-one by inches leaving less than a couple of feet for the birdie putt. There hasn't been much US media hype this week about the phenomenal young golfer from Japan, allowing Ryo to slip by under the radar. But golfers in Japan get reminded constantly about how great a player he is. Olympic will test his ability to be a factor in the tournament. 

The day before a major tournament is filled with activities that most fans may not know about. For this event, the USGA officials wandered the course repeatedly. They walk through each hole checking hazards, tee locations, hole locations, and they look for conditions that might adversely affect play. For example, at the the back of the green for Hole 12 (it's right next to the Hole 13 tee area) a tall media platform has been erected. Towers like this one are located behind every hole, and they have broadcast TV cameras, volunteers, and sometimes one or two staff. It's part of what makes modern golf broadcasts increasingly entertaining.

This camera tower was erected somewhat close to the backside of the green. There was little choice due to local terrain constrictions. But it could affect play when an aggressive approach shot comes in a little too hot. The ball could roll off the back of the green, through the rough, and right into or under the tower. Players can't address the ball or swing a club at the ball without hitting the tower. That makes the tower an obstruction. And it brings a whole set of rules into consideration. 

The turf in front of the tower is marked with a white line to identify the border of the obstruction. A ball that crosses this line enters the obstruction and gets relief as prescribed by the rules. A drop zone is circled in white paint on the turf nearby where the player whose ball enters the obstructions can be dropped in accordance with the rules. What to do and how to do it are described in detail by the Rules book and the Decisions book with the most efficient text in the English language -- at least we think it's English. It takes a committee to determine that the rules are properly applied and that no player is placed at a disadvantage caused by a man-made obstruction.

Several visits to the tower in question were made during the day by different teams of rules officials. Everyone needed to agree on the issues at hand. The bleachers and the tower behind the green at Hole 13 are obstructions too. There are white lines painted on the ground and two drop zones. Maybe it's an unintended way to say that Hole 13 is twice as difficult.

US Open Practice Day 2

Inside the ropes from the US Open at Hole 13. Second day perspectives.

Many players got down to business today and gave this green the attention it deserves in the practice rounds. An effective ball placement strategy was revealed. For the ball that rolls off the steep leftside and backside of the green, multiple ways to get the ball up onto the putting surface were tested. Potential trouble spots were confirmed.

The two areas that created problems were the right front bunker and the downward slope on left side of the green. A slight fade or a slight draw brought tall trees that border the fairway into play. A ball sent to the left side of the green rolled down towards the red-staked hazard. 

The safest landing areas were: the center of the green with room for the ball to roll after impact, the small section between the front bunker and the rightside bunker to permit a comfortable chip shot to the hole, and the front right quadrant of the green where the elevated right fringe curled the ball towards the middle. 

A ball that finds the rightside bunker sets up for a tricky sand save. The ball needs to float out with enough spin to keep it on the green. It's a problem when the hole location is in the front section of the putting surface. A high percentage of the shots out of the right bunker that were aimed at the hole rolled across the green and down the slope to flirt with the red-staked hazard.

Since the turf on the left and back sides slopes down from the green, players tested different types of shots to get the ball up onto the putting surface. To roll the ball up,  the putter was used most frequenctly but several players experimented effectively with the driver, fairways woods, and hybrids. High lob shots were effective holding the ball on the green, but low tree branches overhanging the low front left side of the fringe could be limiting. 

We saw many variations on the traditional chip shot. Hitting the ball gently to the putting surface to roll the ball to the hole was generally effective when there was enough green to work with. Alternatively, hitting the ball with varying degrees of firmness into the slope and allowing the ball to skip up to the putting surface was an effective strategy when overhanging branches were a factor. 

The high straight tee shot can make this hole look easy. Anything else could easily test the creative skills of the best golfers. Players who live by the draw or the fade will find it a challenge. We think this hole will provide plenty of drama during the tournament.

US Open Practice Day 1

US Open 2012 Practice Day One. Observations from inside the ropes at Hole 13.

The par 3 Hole 13 on the north edge of the Lake course plays at about 200 yards from the back tees. The fairway is somewhat narrow and tall trees near the green take away some ball shaping options. A red-staked hazard with wild grasses, trees and a deep ditch runs along the left side of the fairway and green. We think of the frequent westerly wind as another hazard.

The approach is dominated by a moderately deep bunker at the front edge of the green and two nearby bunkers on each side. The narrow front third of the green opens up into a gently contoured putting surface with a back to front slope. Closely cropped fringe slopes down significantly in the back and on the left. A ball that rolls off the left side of the green can easily reach the hazard. All of these features provide an incentive to hit a high striaight tee shot to place the ball safely on the putting surface.

This morning I had the rare privilege of watching the greatest golfer of our generation practice short game strategy on the ~200 yard par 3 Hole 13 at the Olympic Club. It was a practical tutorial on how to prepare for a competition.

The first two shots were from both tee positions currently projected for competitive play at the end of the week. Both shots landed exactly where they need to be on the green for makable birdies. Tiger was the only player I noticed all day who played from both positions on this hole. At the green complex, a variety of putts and chips were aimed at detecting the subtle undulations that are critical to making par. 

The key strategy was to understand the contours of the left side of the green where hole locations are expected. The green curves gently to the left and any ball that reaches the fringe can easily pick up speed down the slope and find the hazard below. As putts from the back of the green slowed their pace, the ball curved towards the dangerous north fringe.

Several balls were tossed hard at the green in different directions to watch how they rolled down the leftside slope. Practice putts and chips were tried as options to get the ball back on the putting surface. Bunker shots were on the agenda, and anything too aggressive from the rightside bunker rolled through the green and down the slope towards the hazard.

All-in-all, Tiger spent quite a bit of time testing how the Hole 13 green might be played. It was a lesson on how to prepare for a tournament. Greatness doesn't just happen. It's earned.