Heading out Friday to play in the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minnesota. Wondering if any of you madjackers have played the track. They are going to play it at 7,400 yards with four inch rough and the greens running at 11' 6''. Can't wait to see how beautiful this place is. I heard the nickname of this course is The Rock because it is so difficult. Lookin to play well but just got back from vegas last night and still tryin to recover. Wish me luck boys!
U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine
- Thread starter bullet66
- Start date
GL, hope you have a soft stroke for those greens! :SIB
Agent could break par though :142smilie
Franky
Agent could break par though :142smilie
Franky
Bullet, I will try to see if I can dig up any recent/local news about the course for you. I was debating on heading out to watch some of that, pending work situation. Although not to your level, we are having our "club" championship on Sunday, so need to play more golf than watch it, actually. Best of luck, if I can figure out if I'm going I'll send Jack my e-mail addy to get to you and you can tell me how to look for you when I get out there, if you want. I'll post anything I can find for you. You're LEAVING on Friday, or earlier?
Wow!!
Congrats Bullet for doing this! Can I ask, what kind of handicap are you carrying?
What are your goals for the week?
What do you think it will take score wise to qualify for the match play portion?
I will be rooting for you, and if you dont want to post your name here I understand but could you email me privately so I could check your progress? Just get my addy from Jack!
GL!
Congrats Bullet for doing this! Can I ask, what kind of handicap are you carrying?
What are your goals for the week?
What do you think it will take score wise to qualify for the match play portion?
I will be rooting for you, and if you dont want to post your name here I understand but could you email me privately so I could check your progress? Just get my addy from Jack!
GL!
Chad, we played on the same college team, I'll shoot ya an email to your msn account tonight where you can watch him. He's gonna have to email me at @hotmail.com so I can get his though, I lost it.
You probably know all this, but got this from the Web site, not sure if it can be of use. You say you are heading out Friday, are you not competing in the stroke play days at the Chaska course?
AR AND YARDAGE ? Hazeltine National Golf Club will play at 7,473 yards and par 36-36?72. The Chaska Town Course, which will be used for the first two days of stroke play, will play at 6,616 yards and par 35-36? 71.
HAZELTINE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB ? Robert Trent Jones designed Hazeltine National, which opened in 1959. Arthur Hills designed the Chaska Town Course, which opened in 1997.
TICKETS AVAILABLE ? Tickets can be purchased by calling the U.S. Amateur office at (952) 556-5441. Daily tickets are $15 and $60 for a weekly pass. More extensive ticket options are also available. Children 17 and under are admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult.
COURSE SET-UP ? Hazeltine National will be set for green speeds of approximately 11-feet 6 inches on the Stimpmeter. The primary rough will be grown to four inches, with a strip of intermediate rough cut to 1? inches in height. Bent grass covers both the fairways and greens.
SLOPE AND COURSE RATINGS ? Hazeltine National will carry a USGA Course Rating? of 77.8 and a Slope Rating? of 155. The Chaska Town Course will carry a USGA Course Rating? of 73.4 and a Slope Rating? of 143. An "average" Slope Rating in the U.S. is about 113.
AR AND YARDAGE ? Hazeltine National Golf Club will play at 7,473 yards and par 36-36?72. The Chaska Town Course, which will be used for the first two days of stroke play, will play at 6,616 yards and par 35-36? 71.
HAZELTINE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB ? Robert Trent Jones designed Hazeltine National, which opened in 1959. Arthur Hills designed the Chaska Town Course, which opened in 1997.
TICKETS AVAILABLE ? Tickets can be purchased by calling the U.S. Amateur office at (952) 556-5441. Daily tickets are $15 and $60 for a weekly pass. More extensive ticket options are also available. Children 17 and under are admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult.
COURSE SET-UP ? Hazeltine National will be set for green speeds of approximately 11-feet 6 inches on the Stimpmeter. The primary rough will be grown to four inches, with a strip of intermediate rough cut to 1? inches in height. Bent grass covers both the fairways and greens.
SLOPE AND COURSE RATINGS ? Hazeltine National will carry a USGA Course Rating? of 77.8 and a Slope Rating? of 155. The Chaska Town Course will carry a USGA Course Rating? of 73.4 and a Slope Rating? of 143. An "average" Slope Rating in the U.S. is about 113.
Thanks, JP. If I can make it, I will...and I'll give the 'ol feller a "You 'da man" holler and borrow a camera phone to click at his opponents from the branch of a strategically placed tree on course from time to time...lol.
A serious question, though. They do allow beer on the course, right? Since it's an amateur event, I was wondering if I would be allowed to carry my bottomless cup of brew around with me if there.
A serious question, though. They do allow beer on the course, right? Since it's an amateur event, I was wondering if I would be allowed to carry my bottomless cup of brew around with me if there.
A couple of random thoughts. Forecast (as of Monday afternoon, FWIW) shows scattered T-storms on Thursday and Friday, upper 70s low 80s. Sunny and 82 both weekend days. Looks terrific, really.
For most of this area, we have essentially suffered through little to no rain and high heat this summer. Some places have gotten some, some have gotten next to nothing. This past weekend, late Saturday through Sunday we got some badly needed rain, long periods of good rain, which helps the greens, fairways and unfortunately probably will thicken up the rough a bit. I don't know specifically at Chaska, but we were rained out of a golf tournament yesterday due to the rain and lightning possibilities, and I am an hour almost due west (a tad north) of Chaska. Little rain expected the rest of the week, but could have a bit. The humidity is gone as of late last night, which is nice. Today is a picture perfect day in the Twin Cities, probably a lot like what you'll find next weekend.
A nice sidenote for those who know Minnesota a bit - the hot, dry summer has kept the state bird (mosquito) from breeding for the most part, and they are virtually non-existent this year. The recent rains may kick up a few, though.
Finally, here is a local article from the Chaska newspaper, that gives a good overall feel for what you may encounter. Can you tell I overload on info when I am involved with something golf/competition-related. I now have partial ownership of this tourney, so I am jazzed... :142smilie
--------------------
Preparing to a tee: Chaska courses preparing for a great golf week
Tim McGovern, Sports Editor
Wednesday, August 09, 2006 (NOTE THIS WAS FROM LAST WEDNESDAY)
The fairways and greens at Chaska Town Course and Hazeltine National Golf Club are smooth. The fairways are lush, sand traps are soft and the rough is real long.
No doubt about it, the courses are ready for the U.S. Amateur Tournament.
While the courses seem to always be in prime shape, a lot of extra work went into planning for and preparing the courses for the 312-golfer contingent arriving for practice round on Aug. 18.
Chaska Town Course Executive Superintendent Mark Moers directed a few minor changes to the course and stepped up the maintenance schedule a bit, but it was basically business as usual.
"For the most part, we've been doing everything regularly," he said. "They didn't have us do anything extra that we didn't normally do."
For Hazeltine, which will host the final rounds of match-play, it's a matter of keeping their high standard and expectation of the course which has played host to several professional championships.
"Right now, we're just maintaining," Hazeltine superintendent James Nicol said. "It's pretty much what the members play."
While most of the players qualifying for the tournament are unknown outside their hometowns, the ones battling it out by the final rounds will likely become famous. Each of the tournament's winners in the past 10 years has turned pro.
"These kids are going to be great champions later on," Nicol said. "You look at Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson - they were great in their amateur career and it springboards them to be professionals."
Great golf watching
The tournament will be a treat for spectators, as fans may walk down the fairway with the golfers. At the Town Course, only the 10th tee, and the greens on Nos. 9 and 18 are fenced off.
"We're really looking forward to it," Nicol said. "It's really a neat event. To be able to stand right there when they hit the ball so strong and so far; they really are the best in the country."
The tournament promises to have a little bit of everything, with the mix of the two courses, stroke play and match play. All will add up to something new for almost any spectator.
"It's different than any other tournament," Moers said. "It is new to me as well. It will be interesting Saturday at the practice rounds to see what goes on."
Moers and Nicol are confident that both courses will have enough spectator parking. The Town Course is able to use parking in the adjacent playground and park area, as well as more spaces in empty lots in the nearby housing development, if needed.
Maintaining
Moers said the Town Course surfaces are fine-tuned. The rough is grown out an extra inch and a half to 4 inches.
"There's an area on No. 3 that we have to get to seven inches down below by the green," Moers said.
Courtesy walks were cut from some tee boxes to the fairways so golfers may avoid walking through the rough. Groundskeepers are lowering the green heights slightly and cutting down on the watering to make for harder putting surfaces.
The recent spell of scorching weather hasn't made things easy, but a cooldown and scattered sprinkles have come just in time.
"It's been going pretty well, other than the drought," Moers said. "That kind of had us going, trying to keep the greens and fairways alive."
The big change to the Town Course was turning hole No. 7 from a par-3 into a par-4. Other than that, attention to detail - even the smallest detail - is in order.
"We're going around looking at landing areas, if there are any little holes to get into," Moers said. "Making sure catch basins are leveled and smooth and there are grates by them; Just so they don't have a rules infraction where they have to have somebody come and give a ruling."
The changing strategy between the courses will be something to keep an eye on as the longer Hazeltine course comes into play in the later rounds.
"They're going to have to put their ball in good places," Moers said. "Otherwise, they'll have a little more trouble."
The course staffs have been preparing for years for the tournament, but the reality is sinking in that it's just around the corner.
"We've known about it for a while, but now it's creeping up on us. We always look and say 'we've got more time,'" he said. "But now all of a sudden, we don't have time."
Now, it's time to watch the planning and preparations pay off.
"We had good plans going in," Moers said. "In the winter, we checked on it and went over what we needed to do. We just have to accomplish what we set out to do."
That would be to run a smooth, fan-friendly tournament while hosting more golfers than usual.
"We'll have 280 on a good day," Moers said. "But four days with 312 golfers; That's going to rip up the place a little bit."
For most of this area, we have essentially suffered through little to no rain and high heat this summer. Some places have gotten some, some have gotten next to nothing. This past weekend, late Saturday through Sunday we got some badly needed rain, long periods of good rain, which helps the greens, fairways and unfortunately probably will thicken up the rough a bit. I don't know specifically at Chaska, but we were rained out of a golf tournament yesterday due to the rain and lightning possibilities, and I am an hour almost due west (a tad north) of Chaska. Little rain expected the rest of the week, but could have a bit. The humidity is gone as of late last night, which is nice. Today is a picture perfect day in the Twin Cities, probably a lot like what you'll find next weekend.
A nice sidenote for those who know Minnesota a bit - the hot, dry summer has kept the state bird (mosquito) from breeding for the most part, and they are virtually non-existent this year. The recent rains may kick up a few, though.
Finally, here is a local article from the Chaska newspaper, that gives a good overall feel for what you may encounter. Can you tell I overload on info when I am involved with something golf/competition-related. I now have partial ownership of this tourney, so I am jazzed... :142smilie
--------------------
Preparing to a tee: Chaska courses preparing for a great golf week
Tim McGovern, Sports Editor
Wednesday, August 09, 2006 (NOTE THIS WAS FROM LAST WEDNESDAY)
The fairways and greens at Chaska Town Course and Hazeltine National Golf Club are smooth. The fairways are lush, sand traps are soft and the rough is real long.
No doubt about it, the courses are ready for the U.S. Amateur Tournament.
While the courses seem to always be in prime shape, a lot of extra work went into planning for and preparing the courses for the 312-golfer contingent arriving for practice round on Aug. 18.
Chaska Town Course Executive Superintendent Mark Moers directed a few minor changes to the course and stepped up the maintenance schedule a bit, but it was basically business as usual.
"For the most part, we've been doing everything regularly," he said. "They didn't have us do anything extra that we didn't normally do."
For Hazeltine, which will host the final rounds of match-play, it's a matter of keeping their high standard and expectation of the course which has played host to several professional championships.
"Right now, we're just maintaining," Hazeltine superintendent James Nicol said. "It's pretty much what the members play."
While most of the players qualifying for the tournament are unknown outside their hometowns, the ones battling it out by the final rounds will likely become famous. Each of the tournament's winners in the past 10 years has turned pro.
"These kids are going to be great champions later on," Nicol said. "You look at Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson - they were great in their amateur career and it springboards them to be professionals."
Great golf watching
The tournament will be a treat for spectators, as fans may walk down the fairway with the golfers. At the Town Course, only the 10th tee, and the greens on Nos. 9 and 18 are fenced off.
"We're really looking forward to it," Nicol said. "It's really a neat event. To be able to stand right there when they hit the ball so strong and so far; they really are the best in the country."
The tournament promises to have a little bit of everything, with the mix of the two courses, stroke play and match play. All will add up to something new for almost any spectator.
"It's different than any other tournament," Moers said. "It is new to me as well. It will be interesting Saturday at the practice rounds to see what goes on."
Moers and Nicol are confident that both courses will have enough spectator parking. The Town Course is able to use parking in the adjacent playground and park area, as well as more spaces in empty lots in the nearby housing development, if needed.
Maintaining
Moers said the Town Course surfaces are fine-tuned. The rough is grown out an extra inch and a half to 4 inches.
"There's an area on No. 3 that we have to get to seven inches down below by the green," Moers said.
Courtesy walks were cut from some tee boxes to the fairways so golfers may avoid walking through the rough. Groundskeepers are lowering the green heights slightly and cutting down on the watering to make for harder putting surfaces.
The recent spell of scorching weather hasn't made things easy, but a cooldown and scattered sprinkles have come just in time.
"It's been going pretty well, other than the drought," Moers said. "That kind of had us going, trying to keep the greens and fairways alive."
The big change to the Town Course was turning hole No. 7 from a par-3 into a par-4. Other than that, attention to detail - even the smallest detail - is in order.
"We're going around looking at landing areas, if there are any little holes to get into," Moers said. "Making sure catch basins are leveled and smooth and there are grates by them; Just so they don't have a rules infraction where they have to have somebody come and give a ruling."
The changing strategy between the courses will be something to keep an eye on as the longer Hazeltine course comes into play in the later rounds.
"They're going to have to put their ball in good places," Moers said. "Otherwise, they'll have a little more trouble."
The course staffs have been preparing for years for the tournament, but the reality is sinking in that it's just around the corner.
"We've known about it for a while, but now it's creeping up on us. We always look and say 'we've got more time,'" he said. "But now all of a sudden, we don't have time."
Now, it's time to watch the planning and preparations pay off.
"We had good plans going in," Moers said. "In the winter, we checked on it and went over what we needed to do. We just have to accomplish what we set out to do."
That would be to run a smooth, fan-friendly tournament while hosting more golfers than usual.
"We'll have 280 on a good day," Moers said. "But four days with 312 golfers; That's going to rip up the place a little bit."
jpblack what's up buddy? How have you been doin? Agent- My first goal of the week is obviously to make the matchplay. 314 players to 64 is not an easy task at all with the strength of field. If I make it to matchplay I plan of taking it match by match and soaking up the atmosphere. To your question of what it will take to qualify for matchplay I would say I have no idea. Hazeltine is 7400 yard par 72 and Chaska Town course is 6600 or 6700 yard par 71. So I would expect the courses to have a measurable difference in scores.
Drive it long and straight, nerver short side yourself, no penalties, no, 3--putts, make everything under 10 feet and you'll probably do all right.... :mj07:
Good Luck, Bullett, let us know how it goes.
Good Luck, Bullett, let us know how it goes.
Well when u put it like that screamin it doesn't seem that hard at all. I feel much better now. Hahahaha.
never played hazeltine but heard its some track. i work at baltusrol in springfield and i heard they are similar, long as hell and you have to putt well. make sure you have a good caddy who can read greens and that you have confidence it but i dont have to tell you that....
gl
gl
Bullet ~ gl, the Chaska Town Course is my home course, I played it on Thursday. The fairways are great for a public course. The greens were kind of rough. They have been holding back the water to get them firmer. The rough was getting very deep and thick to get ready for the tournament.
Hints:
Hole one two teir green, hit the right tier.
Hole 2: Drive to the left, much better approach shot.
Hole Three, lay up to the right and this is the slowest green on the course, I think because of the lake.
Hole 4 Not much advice.
Hole 5: I think play to the right at the barber pole, the green is humped and narrow, ball will funnel left or right from the hump in middle
Hole 6 par three always seems to play longer than yardage for some reason
Hole seven: par 5,drive down left side if you want any chance of getting home in two (I can't do it but maybe you can.
Hole 8: Again drive left of the barber pole easier approach.
Hole nine par 5: I can cut the corner on tee depending on wind and tees, but there is definite trouble to the right off the drive if you leave it to the right. It is a blind tee shot kind of, I think I aim at the siren on the hill. Second shot is much better to get to the right side of the fairway, long skinny green and you take the deep bunkers out of play.
Back Nine is harder than front.
Ten stay left again on thedrive. Green is one of the most inclined front to back.
The more I write this the more I think you need to draw your drives.
11 is a tough soon of a gun. stay left, right is jail.
12 par three, cant be short, big green. Tends to be slow.
13 looks so simple and I doubled it on Thursday (shot a 79 which is decent for me). Don't get greedy. Put it between the 150 to 125 be happy, then throw it onto the green. Green slopes away from you so put a little extra spin on it.
14 is a par 3, Blue pin will not leave much room in the back left. I birdie it Thursday!!!
15 is a par 5, you guessed it stay left with your drive, anything right can end up in the woods, second shot just go for the big oak tree and the ball funnels to the left. Another slow green and stuff breaks towards the water. I have only seen one guy make it in two and it seems dangerous (you won't be able to if you drive to the left, very small green protected by water and sand).
16 is short par 4, guy I play with that played golf for the gophers aced it. Not much to say.
17 is a bitch, long and straight, thursday it was iinto the wind, 450 yard par 4 and they were nice enough to give me a blue pin. Just hit your drive long.
18 is a tricky par 5, don't get greedy!! I warned you don't get greedy. Driving let puts you in the water. Next shot is all position just make sure you put it in the fairway.
Now comes the worse part of the course. I will have a heart attack going up that hill one day.
This mostly assumes you are not going for the par fives in two when they put you at the tips.
Now for another tip. Go to Heartbreakers on Pioneer trail and Hightway 41, it is just a little bar in the shopping mall, (drink a couple of glasses of water, don't let your buddies know why you want the water) have a couple of beers and then bring some quarters to the bathroom. You will get a good laugh in the bathroom.
I have only walked Hazeltine I have not been lucky enough to play it.
GL
Northern Star
Hints:
Hole one two teir green, hit the right tier.
Hole 2: Drive to the left, much better approach shot.
Hole Three, lay up to the right and this is the slowest green on the course, I think because of the lake.
Hole 4 Not much advice.
Hole 5: I think play to the right at the barber pole, the green is humped and narrow, ball will funnel left or right from the hump in middle
Hole 6 par three always seems to play longer than yardage for some reason
Hole seven: par 5,drive down left side if you want any chance of getting home in two (I can't do it but maybe you can.
Hole 8: Again drive left of the barber pole easier approach.
Hole nine par 5: I can cut the corner on tee depending on wind and tees, but there is definite trouble to the right off the drive if you leave it to the right. It is a blind tee shot kind of, I think I aim at the siren on the hill. Second shot is much better to get to the right side of the fairway, long skinny green and you take the deep bunkers out of play.
Back Nine is harder than front.
Ten stay left again on thedrive. Green is one of the most inclined front to back.
The more I write this the more I think you need to draw your drives.
11 is a tough soon of a gun. stay left, right is jail.
12 par three, cant be short, big green. Tends to be slow.
13 looks so simple and I doubled it on Thursday (shot a 79 which is decent for me). Don't get greedy. Put it between the 150 to 125 be happy, then throw it onto the green. Green slopes away from you so put a little extra spin on it.
14 is a par 3, Blue pin will not leave much room in the back left. I birdie it Thursday!!!
15 is a par 5, you guessed it stay left with your drive, anything right can end up in the woods, second shot just go for the big oak tree and the ball funnels to the left. Another slow green and stuff breaks towards the water. I have only seen one guy make it in two and it seems dangerous (you won't be able to if you drive to the left, very small green protected by water and sand).
16 is short par 4, guy I play with that played golf for the gophers aced it. Not much to say.
17 is a bitch, long and straight, thursday it was iinto the wind, 450 yard par 4 and they were nice enough to give me a blue pin. Just hit your drive long.
18 is a tricky par 5, don't get greedy!! I warned you don't get greedy. Driving let puts you in the water. Next shot is all position just make sure you put it in the fairway.
Now comes the worse part of the course. I will have a heart attack going up that hill one day.
This mostly assumes you are not going for the par fives in two when they put you at the tips.
Now for another tip. Go to Heartbreakers on Pioneer trail and Hightway 41, it is just a little bar in the shopping mall, (drink a couple of glasses of water, don't let your buddies know why you want the water) have a couple of beers and then bring some quarters to the bathroom. You will get a good laugh in the bathroom.
I have only walked Hazeltine I have not been lucky enough to play it.
GL
Northern Star
Loved the course. Bring your big stick and hit accurate as the rough are thick! Played out there in 2001 with a member. Got my moneys worth as I shot one of worst rounds ever... That being said I birdied 10 and 16. 11 ATE MY lunch. easily lose a few strokes here if you dont hit the fairway.
Good luck. Loved the course.
Good luck. Loved the course.
