Shinnecock Hills has come under significant scrutiny at a US Open once again.
It’s been a controversial venue for decades now, as the USGA can’t seem to get the setup to the fans’ liking when the US Open comes to town.
In the past, it’s been too fast, firm, and challenging, but this year, fans claim it’s too easy. The USGA had to soften and slow the greens just to make the course playable in the expected winds, but when the wind died down, the players took advantage.
Wyndham Clark led after one round, shooting a 64, which prompted mass criticism of the USGA for taking the teeth out of Shinnecock on Thursday. But Andrew Coltart claimed that the real mistake they made happened earlier in the week.
Andrew Coltart claims the USGA should have made Shinnecock’s greens slower in the buildup
In preparation for the wind, the USGA watered the greens at Shinnecock on Wednesday night, so it played soft and slow on Thursday. This meant that the course the players practiced on during the week didn’t reflect the tournament conditions.
Coltart thinks that if the greens were going to be slow, then they should have kept them slow in the build-up to take the pressure off the groundstaff, who are working overtime to keep the course playable.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said, “To me they have not learned the lessons of the past because if they had done they would not have put the agronomy department under such stress of going out there between holes and rounds and matches to water the greens, to keep them alive.
“To me that means they have pushed the golf course almost to the edge and now they have had to back up.
What have you made of the setup on Thursday at the US Open?
Shinnecock Hills has been brutal…
“I think the golf course has been designed for green speeds of around nine. It’s besides the coast, you are going to get high winds, you are going to get inclement weather.
“If you get the green speeds up to anything above 10.5 and it’s going to make it almost unplayable. It’s something they are really going to have to look at in the future.
I am surprised they did not have it set up at the beginning of the week like it is now.”
In truth, the USGA could not afford to keep the course soft in the week. They needed the option to make the course fast on Thursday if the wind wasn’t forecast. By doing it this way, they gave themselves much-needed flexibility going into the opening round.
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