Could a single digit handicapper break 100 at Shinnecock?

[JonnyKrasnodar]

Same thing was spoken about when The Open was at Royal Troon. A group of +2 to 5 from our club went and played that earlier this year. Off the back tees, NOT set up for tournament conditions and only two out the six broke 90. The torrential rain and 30mph winds saw to that. And they're familiar with the weather. Some courses under certain conditions are just brutal.

[Shilgy]

Nope, but I would sure like to try...

 

I was wondering... would I rather play Augusta or Shinnecock?

I'd have to play both to help me decide.

 

Who can set that up for me?

[lowheel]

Nope, but I would sure like to try...

 

I was wondering... would I rather play Augusta or Shinnecock?

I'd have to play both to help me decide.

 

Who can set that up for me?

 

Its hilarious to discuss this point. At the club today 2 of my students were debating giving up appendages to play augusta.My one student said hed give up his 2 pinky toes to play there...

[Shilgy]

Depends who the single digit is.

 

If you took a guy who is straight and steady and told him to play to break 100 then I'd give him a fair chance. On a number of holes you would adjust your game to make conservative plays and a local caddie would be worth money as it's all about avoiding the double bogey misses and taking a few pars along the way

 

If he went out there with a target of trying to shoot his handicap then I vote he would NOT break 100.

That's on the "appropriate" tees? Biggest issue I saw was from the tournament tees there were a few 240-250 into the breeze carries. That would get old really quickly with the tournament fescue.

 

Which brings up the question. For the pros 35-40 yard fairways is quite generous. For amateurs not so much. How long is that fescue on a normal day I wonder?

[Shilgy]

Nope, but I would sure like to try...

 

I was wondering... would I rather play Augusta or Shinnecock?

I'd have to play both to help me decide.

 

Who can set that up for me?

 

Its hilarious to discuss this point. At the club today 2 of my students were debating giving up appendages to play augusta.My one student said hed give up his 2 pinky toes to play there...

Lol, poor guy won't play very well without those toes I'm guessing.

[Naptime]

If 100 low single handicappers played, it seem likely that at least a couple would break 100 just from lucky breaks, holing a chip, etc. Like the 1,000,000 monkeys randomly hitting a typewriter. If we wait long enough, one of them will spit out a novel.

[irvnasty]

Nope, but I would sure like to try...

 

I was wondering... would I rather play Augusta or Shinnecock?

I'd have to play both to help me decide.

 

Who can set that up for me?

 

Its hilarious to discuss this point. At the club today 2 of my students were debating giving up appendages to play augusta.My one student said hed give up his 2 pinky toes to play there...

 

Tell him he's giving up the wrong toes. Any of the three middle ones would have far less effect on him.

[MichaelJScott]

el presidente shot even par

 

with unlimited mulligans lol

 

Correction he shot 4 under lol

[Guia]

NO WAY!

[L29]

NO WAY!

Agreed. The better I get at playing golf the more I realize I'm not that good.

[wmblake2000]

Nope, but I would sure like to try...

 

I was wondering... would I rather play Augusta or Shinnecock?

I'd have to play both to help me decide.

 

Who can set that up for me?

 

Good call. I'll go with you once you get it set up.

[wmblake2000]

But... I wonder how the Shinnecock members do on it - if they get to play it for a while at pretty close to Open conditions. I was thinking if I (I'm in the 6-8 index range) played it a lot, I'd figure out how to break a 100. The best people to really answer this are the members there. All you Shinnecock members hiding in the WRX bushes, time to make your presence known. Inquiring minds want to know...could we break 100 if we were a single at Shinnecock under Saturday Open conditions?

 

 

....

 

 

Don't all you SH members made a mad dash to answer this. Don't want to crash the WRX site.

[Krt22]

Do you think a single digit handicapper could break 100 at Shinnecock during Saturdays US open conditions playing the appropriate tees?

 

I think they could but it would be very hard. My dad who's a 18 handicap thinks he could break 90 from the appropriate tees in those conditions. I told him he was nuts.

 

A 18hcp only breaks 90 1 out of 5 times...

[kevina001]

I played Shinnecock last May in more difficult conditions than any of the tournament days, and shot a 90. Granted, I was playing from about 6700 yards, and not 7400. But the wind was howling on the day I played, even harder than the Thursday round, and it was only in the low 50s. The caddy was laughing as we were about to tee off, saying that my group was "dead" that day. The wind was blowing in the opposite direction of the prevailing wind, making all of the long par 4s play very, very long. Came up short on a couple with a driver and a 3 wood. Also, the caddy said the greens might be a touch faster for the US Open, but that the course is basically always in US Open condition. The only other thing that made it play a bit easier than the US Open setup was the fescue. Since it was only May, the fescue hadn't fully filled out for the summer. It was still quite penal, though.

 

I was there on Sunday, and wished the conditions were like that the day I played the course Very little wind, receptive greens.

 

My point is that this course is very, very hard. The hardest course I've ever played. But we sometimes overestimate how hard they are for the average player.

[TheCityGame]

My point is that this course is very, very hard. The hardest course I've ever played. But we sometimes overestimate how hard they are for the average player.

The reason for that is that we -- and by "we", I don't mean me -- overestimate the scoring difference between pro golfers and low handicap amateur golfers.

 

If the pros average 72 on a course, you can bet 99% of golfWrx is convinced that a scratch golfer would have a hard time breaking 90. It's gotta be a stroke a hole difference -- anything less would be like seeing Jesus walking on water and then falling through.

 

The worst pro out of hundreds of rounds shot a 92 one day at Shinnecock, so obviously, a 5 handicap would shoot about 15 strokes worse than that guy.

 

I said it earlier in the thread. . .me and two other friends played Bethpage Black the week after the Barclay's last year from the back tee box (not where they had the "blues" set up. The BACK) on every single hole. . .roughly 7500 yards. We all broke 90. (I think the 3rd guy did)

 

But, I bet if I asked a thread, "could a 5 handicap break 90 playing Bethpage Black from the back box?" about 99 people in a 100 would go, "no way. Colt Knost shot 80 there and he'd have to give you 18 shots!".

 

A low handicap golfer is going to make a handful of pars out there, mostly bogies after being on or near the green in regulation, and then few doubles and triples, maybe a quad. That doesn't get this golfer anywhere near 100.

[farmer]

But... I wonder how the Shinnecock members do on it - if they get to play it for a while at pretty close to Open conditions. I was thinking if I (I'm in the 6-8 index range) played it a lot, I'd figure out how to break a 100. The best people to really answer this are the members there. All you Shinnecock members hiding in the WRX bushes, time to make your presence known. Inquiring minds want to know...could we break 100 if we were a single at Shinnecock under Saturday Open conditions?

 

 

....

 

 

Don't all you SH members made a mad dash to answer this. Don't want to crash the WRX site.

I'd be willing to bet that as soon as the ceremonies were over, the sprinklers came on. By today, they are starting the process of cutting the rough. The members have been playing under some semblance of Open conditions, but not the full Monty. The championship tees have been out of play, and the course may have been closed entirely for member play to make it as pristine as possible. I'm sure there are low hdcp members, but I doubt the championship tees are in play, and they do not routinely bake out the greens.

[Pleasedwith3putts]

Depends who the single digit is.

 

If you took a guy who is straight and steady and told him to play to break 100 then I'd give him a fair chance. On a number of holes you would adjust your game to make conservative plays and a local caddie would be worth money as it's all about avoiding the double bogey misses and taking a few pars along the way

 

If he went out there with a target of trying to shoot his handicap then I vote he would NOT break 100.

That's on the "appropriate" tees? Biggest issue I saw was from the tournament tees there were a few 240-250 into the breeze carries. That would get old really quickly with the tournament fescue.

 

 

 

Agreed but 29 over par is a LOT of margin for someone who is say a genuine 5 handicap golfer which would represent the middle of the "single digit" range. I'm currently off 5 and would take that bet all day long...….

[Sean2]

el presidente shot even par

 

with unlimited mulligans lol

 

Which one? They all seem to take mulligans. Palmer played with Eisenhower once, and Ike had a mulligan or three. Palmer said something to the effect...who is going to tell the president he can't take a mulligan?

 

Maybe that's the key...become president and lower my scores.

[MichaelJScott]

el presidente shot even par

 

with unlimited mulligans lol

 

Which one? They all seem to take mulligans. Palmer played with Eisenhower once, and Ike had a mulligan or three. Palmer said something to the effect...who is going to tell the president he can't take a mulligan?

 

Maybe that's the key...become president and lower my scores.

 

Lol not the kind of president I was talking about but you might be on to something there lol

 

https://bars.tl/PjO8h64jvN

[lowheel]

Nope, but I would sure like to try...

 

I was wondering... would I rather play Augusta or Shinnecock?

I'd have to play both to help me decide.

 

Who can set that up for me?

 

Its hilarious to discuss this point. At the club today 2 of my students were debating giving up appendages to play augusta.My one student said hed give up his 2 pinky toes to play there...

 

Tell him he's giving up the wrong toes. Any of the three middle ones would have far less effect on him.

 

Believe it or not i did!

[Naptime]

A member marker plays at the Masters if needed, so that would be an estimate for a non-pro who knows that course well. Have not seen markers in a US Open but haven't really paid attention to that.

[tgreenwood11]

I played there a few years ago as a 3 handicap. The conditions were windy and the course was a bit baked out. The greens were at 12 to 13 I think. Didn’t play from tips but at about 6750 yards. I shot 86. I only missed 3 fairways but only 6 greens. Now, my approaches actually hit 12 of those greens only to bounce off. On two greens I putted the ball into bunkers.

 

These old courses like Shinnecock, Montclair and others were designed with very hilly yet slow greens. Back then the ball held the greens and there was no danger of the ball sliding off them.

 

Under those conditions last week I think as a 3 handicap I would have struggled to break 95. The course is brutally tough. Oddly, I played Carnoustie in 2005 in 40 degree weather and a stiff rainy wind blowing and played it from the tips. I played superbly and shot 86. I was happy though; I parred 18 after looking at a small plaque by the burn; “Jean Vandevelde 1999”. Monster of a golf course.

 

 

[ALIF]

Rickie Fowler is about a +7 to +8 and he shot 84 on Saturday. So how could a single digit get within 16 strokes of that? No way!!!!!!!!

[Sean2]

But... I wonder how the Shinnecock members do on it - if they get to play it for a while at pretty close to Open conditions. I was thinking if I (I'm in the 6-8 index range) played it a lot, I'd figure out how to break a 100. The best people to really answer this are the members there. All you Shinnecock members hiding in the WRX bushes, time to make your presence known. Inquiring minds want to know...could we break 100 if we were a single at Shinnecock under Saturday Open conditions?

 

 

....

 

 

Don't all you SH members made a mad dash to answer this. Don't want to crash the WRX site.

I'd be willing to bet that as soon as the ceremonies were over, the sprinklers came on. By today, they are starting the process of cutting the rough. The members have been playing under some semblance of Open conditions, but not the full Monty. The championship tees have been out of play, and the course may have been closed entirely for member play to make it as pristine as possible. I'm sure there are low hdcp members, but I doubt the championship tees are in play, and they do not routinely bake out the greens.

 

During the telecast they said the course would re-open for members today (Wednesday).

[NoFancyUsername.]

On Saturday difficulty from pro pins I question if I could break 100 and I'm a 1.5 right now LoL

 

Yeah, I'm a 1.4 right now and I'm also questioning if I could break 100 in the Saturday afternoon conditions.

 

You would break 100 easily. The course will never be set-up like the USGA wanted it. Those pin positions have never been seen by members, and the rough would not be as you saw it on tv. I played it in the 90's a few times, you'd have no problems.

[JBake]

100 is +30 at that track. That's 12 doubles and 6 bogeys. I played Pebble after the open in 2000 from the US Open tees and numerous other courses setup for PGA events and have never experienced anything that would make me think I couldn't manage to shoot +30. I've played from a +3 - 3 handicap. It's still golf.

 

If the question was, could a single digit break 100 at Shinnecock U.S. Open/televised/tournament pressure? That's the better question no matter what the course was. You get some really good single digits just playing a normal round on the same course I think it's totally possible to break 100.

[cdnglf]

Rickie Fowler is about a +7 to +8 and he shot 84 on Saturday. So how could a single digit get within 16 strokes of that? No way!!!!!!!!

 

Tony Finau is about a +6 to +7 and he shot 65 on Saturday. So how could a single digit get within 34 strokes of that? No way!!!!!!!!

[widow-maker]

Rickie Fowler is about a +7 to +8 and he shot 84 on Saturday. So how could a single digit get within 16 strokes of that? No way!!!!!!!!

Yeah, but he shot 65 on Sunday, so what if you choose to use that as the baseline instead of 84? Then you could shoot 34 over and still shoot under 100. Why would you arbitrarily take Rickie's worst round of the year and act as if that's an average score to beat?

[MidwestGolfBum]

On Saturday difficulty from pro pins I question if I could break 100 and I'm a 1.5 right now LoL

 

Yeah, I'm a 1.4 right now and I'm also questioning if I could break 100 in the Saturday afternoon conditions.

 

You would break 100 easily. The course will never be set-up like the USGA wanted it. Those pin positions have never been seen by members, and the rough would not be as you saw it on tv. I played it in the 90's a few times, you'd have no problems.

 

Yes, but the question that was asked was if a single digit cap could break 100 on the course that was played on Saturday. My answer to that was, and still is, no.

 

If the course was set up by somebody that actually knows what they are doing, see anybody but the USGA, I would agree with what you said.

[Shilgy]

Depends who the single digit is.

 

If you took a guy who is straight and steady and told him to play to break 100 then I'd give him a fair chance. On a number of holes you would adjust your game to make conservative plays and a local caddie would be worth money as it's all about avoiding the double bogey misses and taking a few pars along the way

 

If he went out there with a target of trying to shoot his handicap then I vote he would NOT break 100.

That's on the "appropriate" tees? Biggest issue I saw was from the tournament tees there were a few 240-250 into the breeze carries. That would get old really quickly with the tournament fescue.

 

 

 

Agreed but 29 over par is a LOT of margin for someone who is say a genuine 5 handicap golfer which would represent the middle of the "single digit" range. I'm currently off 5 and would take that bet all day long...….

I'm 3 and don't think I would.