Shane Omann our 1st assistant superintendent from the North Course is on staff at the Olympic Club this week. Shane is one of the many volunteers working the USGA Open Championship Tournament. One of his main duties is mowing fairways.
COURSE SETUP: ROUND ONE OF THE 2012 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
The following are details on the course setup for Round 1 of the 2012 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, from Mike Davis, USGA Executive Director.
Weather Forecast for Thursday (provide by Greg Quinn and Jake Swick with Thor Guard Weather) – Low clouds will burn off slightly faster today with partly sunny skies anticipated by lunchtime. Expect more mostly sunny skies this afternoon as well with temperatures finally getting back toward 60 degrees. The wind will be similar to yesterday. Less wind, more sunshine and warmer temperatures are in the forecast for Friday and Saturday. For those days, it is predicted to come out the west – southwest and will pick up in the afternoon to 10-20 mph.
Green Speeds – This morning’s green speeds averaged 13 feet on the USGA Stimpmeter immediately after the cut and roll. They will likely settle out in the mid 12s by midday.
Water Management – Several greens were hand-watered this morning based on firmness and moisture readings. The drive zone on the 4th fairway and the closely mown areas at holes 13 and 17 were also watered this morning.
Total Course Yardage for Thursday (tee marker settings to flagstick) = 3,506 yards out; 3,585 yards in = 7,091 total yards
HOLE-BY-HOLE INFORMATION
Hole 1 – 509 yards; hole location is back right. The predicted southwesterly wind will assist tee shots but push approach shots to the right.
Hole 2 – 426 yards; hole location is front left. Putts coming down the hill will be quicker than normal due to the predicted wind.
Hole 3 – 228 yards; tee markers placed on penultimate teeing ground with the hole location in back-right lobe; wind will be pushing balls to the right on this hole.
Hole 4 – 434 yards; hole location is in the front left; wind out of southwest will make tee shots more challenging.
Hole 5 – 501 yards; hole location is back right; southwesterly wind will make approach shots tough since green slopes back right to front left.
Hole 6 – 485 yards; predicted wind direction will push tee shots towards drive zone bunker; hole location placed in front left making putts coming down the slope faster than normal.
Hole 7 – 256 yards; tee markers placed on back of the penultimate teeing ground; hole should play into the wind; hole location placed in front left of green making a miss to the left of the green a difficult recovery.
Hole 8 – 213 yards; hole location placed in far back left of the green; with predicted right-to-left wind the hole will play a bit longer but will assist in getting to the back-left quadrant.
Hole 9 – 454 yards; hole location back right; the predicted right-to-left wind will make approach shots more challenging.
Hole 10 – 432 yards; hole location back right; the southwesterly wind will assist players in shaping their tee shots around the bend; putts from the middle of the green (which falls away front to back) to the back hole location will be faster than normal with the predicted wind.
Hole 11 – 433 yards; the hole location is placed in the back-right portion above the tier separating the front and back portions of the green.
Hole 12 – 445 yards; hole location is placed in the front-left portion of the green; the hole should play with a slightly helping left to right wind.
Hole 13 – 194 yards; tee markers placed on the penultimate teeing ground given the predicted right to left wind conditions; hole location is placed the back-left side of the green near the fall-off.
Hole 14 – 408 yards; hole location placed in the front-left portion; the putts from the center of the green will be very fast to this front location.
Hole 15 – 150 yards; hole location placed in the center right; this hole, while short, could become more challenging with the predicted right to left wind.
Hole 16 – 660 yards; tee markers on the back teeing ground; hole location in the front-right portion of the green.
Hole 17 – 514 yards; tee markers placed on the penultimate teeing ground; this tee sits players’ left and is a more challenging angle; hole location placed in the back tier of the green.
Hole 18 – 349 yards; hole location placed in the far, back left of the putting green.
