Yes, the "C" word which is usually accompanied the "F" word for most of these golfers, in particular Jean Van de Velde.
Carnoustie, which may have been the most brutal golf course any of us have ever seen in the modern era for a major (along with Winged Foot) is back next year. The question is, will the R&A ease up after what happened in '99 where the winning score was +6, and that was with only one day of a pretty strong wind (rd. 1). Do you wanna see '99 all over again where players were shooting in the 90s? A part of me would like to see them set it up the same b/c I think the golfers have gotten better since then and you'd see better scores, but that's JMO. And when I say better scores, I think someone might finish Even to win, so that might not be saying a lot. But if there's wind next year and the setup's the same? God help us...or rather God help them.
One thing I can guarantee you....next year won't be any Hoylake. Don't look for any scoring records.
Yes, the "C" word which is usually accompanied the "F" word for most of these golfers, in particular Jean Van de Velde.
Carnoustie, which may have been the most brutal golf course any of us have ever seen in the modern era for a major (along with Winged Foot) is back next year. The question is, will the R&A ease up after what happened in '99 where the winning score was +6, and that was with only one day of a pretty strong wind (rd. 1). Do you wanna see '99 all over again where players were shooting in the 90s? A part of me would like to see them set it up the same b/c I think the golfers have gotten better since then and you'd see better scores, but that's JMO. And when I say better scores, I think someone might finish Even to win, so that might not be saying a lot. But if there's wind next year and the setup's the same? God help us...or rather God help them.
One thing I can guarantee you....next year won't be any Hoylake. Don't look for any scoring records.
i can't wait, i love Carnoustie. i dont know whether the scoring will get any easier (its never been played as an easy course), although it cant get much harder.
i'd like to know if there will be any changes made to the course, or will it be another bogey fest? strong wind and bad weather and it becomes unplayable. although for me, there is no better course than St Andrews for an Open.
This is taken from the official Carnoustie site:
Carnoustie Prepares for its Seventh Open Championship
In July 2007, Carnoustie plays host to its seventh Open Championship and work has already started to make it the Angus town’s most successful championship to date.
Already, trees have been removed from the rear of the sixth green to give the hole more of a links feel and some changes are being mooted for the 17th. An ambitious scheme to revamp Carnoustie’s bunkers has also been instigated, as has an intensive aeration programme designed specifically to produce classic firm, fast playing conditions.
“We are delighted that Carnoustie has been selected to stage the 2007 Open and feel sure that our Links Superintendent, John Philp, and his team will have the course in exceptional condition in time for the Championship,” said Gordon Murray, Chairman of the Championship Committee.
“Carnoustie is traditionally regarded as one of the most challenging courses on the Open rota,” added Gordon. “We want to safeguard that reputation, but at the same time set up the course in such a manner that it rewards good golf.
“Recent visitors will have seen for themselves that the course is already in great condition and we are confident that it will be even better by the time the summer of 2007 comes round.”
Last edited by london_geeza : July 24th, 2006 at 12:25 PM.
Reason: to add to the post.
sounds to me that it will be tough and will up to mother nature to decide how tough.
yep it doesn't sound like they are willing to change anything coursewise for the easier, and that suits me just fine and i agree with it, let the course play how it plays and let the weather have a big decision on how it plays too.
I think Ben Hogan shot under par at Carnoustie in 1953. I'm thinking that he hit Driver to a place near the fence on the sixth hole....a par five, and birdied the hole most of the time.all during the tournament. That place is called 'Hogan's Alley'. He won the tournament.
The problem last time is that the course was set up as difficult as a US Open course and with any wind at all, it becomes nearly impossible. I still believe the R&A will set it up quite difficult in benign conditions, and if the weather gets bad, scoring will be just as high as it was in 1999. I, for one, love the fact that the Open can be won with scores like -14 and -18 one year and guys are looking at even as a great score the next.
What made Carnoustie so tough in '99 was the rough. It was the highest rough i ever remember for a British Open, or any major for that matter. I remember them showing clip after clip of guys hacking the ball out from the rough and the ball never moved. Plus, there were a lot of gorse bushes not too far off the fairway or greens. And 17 and 18 played brutal when they played into the wind.
Also, there were only 2 par-5s on the course, and one of them played like a par-6. I remember Justin Leonard needing 3 woods on the first day just to get to the green, and this was from the fairway. The 16th hole was a par-3 playing at 250 yards into the wind. Player after player was hitting the front bunker. All in all, it was just absolutely the most brutal course I had ever seen. Yet Van de Velde seemed to play it well for 71 holes.
Wow, that week could get annoying with all the "essays" about Van de Velde. Goodness, they're going to keep talking about it over and over. Same goes for Winged Foot the next time it comes around in the rotation for the U.S. Open.
Hi guys. As a member at Carnoustie I can tell you that as far as Im aware there are no plans to set the course up as tough as 99 in terms of rough severity. However, there have been a few changes made to the course, most notable 17, which are going to give the big boys a fright next year!
The Dunhill Links was very interesting a few weeks ago. In no way would I say that the course was set up difficult (no rough, moderate wind etc) yet the pros seemed to have a torrid time with, especially on the Saturday (Monty shot 80!). The rumours doing the rounds just now are that the R+A want the course set up like Hoylake. We had a spell in July where the greenkeepers turned the sprinklers off and the course was allowed to burn. It looked amazing! My one worry is that if they do that then Tiger will run away with it. I think he'll play it exactly like Hoylake and play lots of 2 irons off the tee. The one defence Carnoustie has which is very rarely talked about is the greens. They are so tricky to read! Most of them are big and flat and have very little movement in them. Tiger would of won in 99 if he'd managed to hole some putts but I think he went something stupid like 36 holes without making a birdie!
i used to be a member at carnoustie until i left for university in 2001... thing about carnoustie is that the two main problems are a) rough and b) bunkers.
The rough in 1999 (and years around then) was unusually thick, both at Carnoustie and nearby courses like Panmure Barry. People moaned about fertilizer but that was only applied to a couple of areas to make it more uniform, not to actually make the rough more difficult. This coming year the rough should be more natural links rough - still long but more whispy and recoverable from.
The bunkers are tough because rather than catching bad shots, they are positioned exactly where your drive needs to finish to have a go at the green. Problem with this is that people like tiger are long enough to lay up and still reach. The trick will be widening the fairways compared to 1999 (which they are doing a little bit) to make it worthwhile tiger hitting drive on a few holes in order to get birdies. Still, he'll only do it in the later rounds, and only if he needs a birdie.
At the end of the day, we need the wind to blow. If it does, he'll need to use a few drivers.
Yeah, it fun to see guy scoring lots of birdies and winning with -20, but high scores are OK by me too. It's about seeing who can best deal with whatever the course presents them with.
July 24th, 2006, 11:59 AM
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