Let me start by saying that what we saw on tv is most likely not representative of normal conditions at Chambers Bay. The USGA dictates what they want for course conditions including mowing heights, green speeds, course firmness, etc. The USGA strives to provide the toughest stage for the world's best golfers to compete. At Chambers Bay they must have decided that a very firm and fast golf course was the way to go. Chambers Bay is built on a hill of sand which means it dries quickly. The USGA most likely dictated that irrigation be applied at a minimum to speed up the golf course, even if it resulted in wilted turf. What we saw was beyond wilt. Much of that grass was drought stressed to the point of dormancy. While it appeared dead, most of the turf should come back once it receives adequate moisture.
Chambers Bay looking green. (Maybe a little photoshop but the turf looks lush)
Now the greens... those poor greens. While tv never does the undulations justice, those were some undulating greens. I would guess that they were designed to roll between 8' to 9' on a Stimp Meter in order to be fair. However, they were at 11'+ this past week. The normal mowing height for those greens is 0.25". (That's unfathomable to me. Due to their density, if I mowed Isla's greens at .25" they would roll about 5' on the Stimp Meter!) For the U.S. Open they were cutting the greens at 0.180". When you think about reducing the height to 70% of normal added with starving them for water and nutrients you are going to have thin turf. When you have areas of thin turf you get bumpiness. These greens were not only fescue but they had some Poa annua which had managed to find its way to Chambers Bay. Throw in the Poa annua and you get even more bumpiness.
Ian Poulter posted this photo of a green. Notice wilted blades of
grass in all the thin areas. Proper maintenance practices for these
greens would help improve their playability.
I'm not going to discuss layout because golf course design is like art, subjective and open to interpretation. However, under normal conditions I would bet that Chambers Bay is a difficult but fair place to play. I would also believe that the fairways aren't "dead" and the greens much better when maintained in their intended form. It caused me pain everytime I heard how awful the golf course conditions were because I know there are some talented and dedicated people who care for that facility the same way my staff and I care for Isla. I bet that we would have seen different golf course conditions this past week if the management was left to the Chambers Bay Director of Grounds and Superintendent.
