Up until a few weeks ago, Chambers Bay was known mainly to golfers and a small percentage of Puget Sound residents. Google it now and you’ll get more than 27 million reports – not all of them favorable.
On the plus side, the unique public golf course in University Place that hosted the 115th U.S. Open is hailed as a great success by the USGA, Pierce County and Fox television. Most everyone, it seems, loved the scenery and the weather. Players lauded the fans, who successfully navigated the hills, sand and dried grass to cheer with 12th Man intensity. Fans snapped up merchandise and souvenirs at record rates, giving some indication of how they felt about the whole thing.
On the minus side, acres of newsprint and hours of broadcast talk have related way more discussion of fescue and poa grass than anyone without a keen interest in agronomy would usually care to know. In short, players did not like the greens. And one Player in particular, octogenarian hall-of-famer Gary, did not like anything about the golf course, calling it a “tragedy.”
With all due respect to Gary Player and the others who decided to tee up their dislike for Chambers Bay, I liked it. It was fun. And it is about time that professional golf figured out that our little corner of the continent is a great place to play the game.
As with any event of this magnitude, there were some challenges. But, aside from the putting surfaces, I don’t think there were any major issues. Transportation worked well, the crowds were large and enthusiastic, and the competition was intense and exciting. Even during lulls in the action, which happens often, the views of Puget Sound and the Olympics were spectacular. Who could ask for more?
I will admit that it took an entire day for me to figure out the best places to watch the tournament. The golf course is not ideal for spectators but it is possible to get close enough to see the action. So, as the players practiced on Tuesday, I worked on my “game” by walking the entire course to scout where I wanted to be on Friday, when I returned for the last three days of competition. I intentionally stayed away from the bleacher seats, which were usually filled and had long lines of folks waiting to get in. I settled on the area around the second hole, where I could watch players hit their tee shots and easily follow them. Then, I could turn west and, using my $16 binoculars, watch other players come up the 16th fairway. I could follow them to the par-3 17th and, depending on where the tee box was placed, could get close and see their shots to the green. Then I could turn around and do it all over again with new groups of players. I saw every player that I wanted to see, up close.
Yes, it would have been fun to follow a group along the entire course and I suspect that will be addressed in future tournaments there. I did manage to get around to other viewing spots, but I kept returning to my favorite locale, which was seldom very crowded. It helped greatly that the USGA permitted us to have our smart phones and provided us with a very useful app that tracked each group of players and updated scores. Phones were not allowed on the course at previous U.S. Opens.
Given the choice, I would rather play golf than watch it. But this tournament is special and, despite its shortcomings, I had a great time. Now, it’s back to our usual pursuits and routines. I wonder what Gary Player would say about the Mariners? This time, I might agree with him.
Kevin Patterson, director of communications for Tahoma School District, was one of the fortunate few who attended each day of the U.S. Open and he agreed to contribute a column recounting his experience. At a former time he was an excellent reporter and editor.
