https://twitter.com/ianjamespoulter/status/1307818765871206400?s=21
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I’ve played the course when the rough was about that high, or at least felt like it, and it’s brutal.
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Think I carded my worst score of my life today, 55-52. But hey, the weather and socializing were nice.
I’d like to hear others’ thoughts. But the toughest hole I think I’ve ever played was 15 at Bethpage. I’ve played it twice now. I’ve bogeyed and doubled it. It’s a 470 yard par 4 up the hill.
After getting a small reprieve on 14 which is a very short par 3 you walk down the hill and back across the street to 15. The tee shot is pretty wide open when the fairway is cut nice and wide but when it’s tournament length, good luck. Bends to the left. Need to strike it perfectly because if you hit the rough it’s pretty impossible to think about par.
Then it’s at least another 200 yards up the hill. This summer I struck a pure 3 hybrid from 210 up the hill into the wind and just missed it slightly to the right. Of course it bounded through the thick green side rough where I couldn’t get up and down as I flopped it to the wrong level of the only real green that had any slope. For all it’s toughness Bethpage plays pretty flat on the greens, not 15 though.
(Humblebrag)
The 5th at Pine Valley is a 240 yard, uphill par three with no bailout. If you’re short, your ball rolls at least 40 yards back down the hill. The green is full of slope. It is impossible.
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I’ve gotten to know a lot of people in the City/NJ area but never anyone that’s hinted at being able to get on there (to me anyway lol- I prolly have a better chance of playing Augusta than there). I thought you might have said 11 at Augusta as hardest.
That’s sick. I think they’ve held a round there televised for some amateur event in the last couple years I watched. I hate the pretentiousness about golf but damn wouldn’t I jump to play there.
That’s not a humblebrag, it’s a full-blown (and justified) brag.
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Can’t think of a specific hole, but the hardest round I ever played was back tees on Torrey South (where Tiger won in 2008 and site of next year’s Open) a couple weeks prior to the pro tournament after two weeks straight of rain (yes it does rain occasionally in SD).
The wet, uncut US Open-level rough was just impossible to play out of. Shot an 86 that day, far from my best-ever score, but I played out of my mind to do so, and in terms of score in relation to course difficulty it was easily the best round of my life.
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I have no idea how I’d pick the hardest hole but I’d say that Ko’olau on Oahu is the hardest course I’ve played. Imagine a course that was just plopped down in a rain forest with big ravines running through a lot of holes. Beautiful views and the course was a lot of fun. Luckily I played it back when I was decent and managed to shoot in the mid 80s. Doubt I could break 100 on it now.
This isn’t me I just pulled it off the internet
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At 3pm on golf channel is the unveiling of Tiger’s new course with Rory and JT playing. There is absolutely zero reason for anyone ever to go to Missouri (sorry Suzzer) so I don’t anticipate ever going to play it but it should be interesting to see what it looks like. I’m sure it is going to be gorgeous.
I’ve never played anywhere genuinely difficult or super nice. I did play at a nice-ish public course near LA called Westridge with a 134 slope. Probably the most difficult course I’ve played for a bogey golfer. Big carries everywhere, narrow fairways with OB on both sides. Lots of the longer holes play directly uphill into the wind.
The course I usually play is a 6,000 yard 120 slope course and it feels tough but fair. Unfortunately 6,000 yards is about as long as I can play a course. Maybe 6500 on a really good day but my average max range in 2 shots is about 400 yards. So a lot of these courses that play these 450 yard par 4’s are usually just unplayable for me unless I get a brilliant up and down. I just try to bogey those holes.
I did par a 447 yard par 4 the other day so that felt good - almost got there in two shots (front fringe), but it’s a sharp dogleg right that plays well for my slice so I cut the dogleg and shaved about 100 yards.
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Missouri is nice in the fall.
Only reason to go to Missouri is to go to STL for the beer scene.
Sure - never mind KC BBQ.
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Fairways look incredible.
I absolutely love watching Rory in events like this. For my money he’s got the most talent of any golfer currently. Get up, see ball, hit ball, move on. I’ve followed him a few times in person and even when he’s playing bad his attitude is all the same. Though he seems like he’s kind of a dick but golfing-wise he’s phenomenal.
I think he’s universally acknowledged in the golf circles as one of the nicest guys out there.
Hmm, I’ve read the opposite. But I’d hope you’re right.
One nice guy I’ve met is Paul Casey. I was sitting on the ground by a tee box pretty much by myself at a tournament. I stood up and moved the rope for him cause he wasn’t paying attention and almost walked right into it. Dude gave me the most genuine “thank you” I’ve ever gotten and we bullshitted for a couple minutes while he waited to tee off.
There’s a funny clip of him and his caddy from last year’s tour championship where he grabbed the wrong club and sailed the green after puring a shot. Can tell he’s a solid dude.
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Nice. He seems like a good guy who was unfairly vilified years ago when he remarked that the European Ryder Cup team “hated” the Americans. It was obviously meant in the spirit of competition, but in true American butt hurt style it was taken out of context and blown out of proportion, and his life was made miserable for years as a result.
Related, there’s a great video podcast called Subpar with Colt Knost and another guy on YouTube where they interview a bunch of the tour players and you can get a good sense of what kind of people they are. They’re all great, but the one with Sean O Hair has a must-watch ending.
Here is the Paul Casey one:
Rory is one of the few non-robot professional golfers. He will give you an honest answer. He’s thoughtful, compassionate, smart and an obviously good person. Unlike basically everyone else out there, the guy has gratitude, perspective and grace. My favorite player by far.
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