Playing Shinnecock Hills

[HeavySwinger]

Not complaining about pin positions or the like...but the gallery is standing in the tall grass and it's making my legs itch!

[ErnieB]

[Cuber]

Please note who designed Shinnecock ... Dr. Rob Miller ... what better way to keep your medical practice alive and well ... especially if you're a dermatologist

[B118C]

That high grass at Shinnecock Hills is not only itchy but it is no fun to hit out of either. I've played 2 rounds there in this week's RAW elite, and due to my timing being off half the time , I have been visiting those high weeds too many times. I have suffered 2 triple bogies and a hand full of bogies along with the birdies I've made to just stay at even par thru 2 rounds. But I will say, that high grass there is brutal to get out of.

[canuck]

yes the high grass sucks, playing champ raw the only time i hit it in the deep stuff was on 18.
decided to play for the green instead of sideways to the fairway , which was closer.
well it took about 6 shots to get to the green lol
one 5 iron with a perfect snap went about 2 inches
chris

[RoyHiggi]

It sure is brutal high grass , a triple and a double bogey showed me how bad it can be and no matter how perfect a snap the ball might not move.
BUT on the counter side the fairways are fairly generous and the greens are as flat and easy as any I can remember.
Which is preferable for elite mode play, a course like Shinnecock or one with much trickier fairways and greens but rough you can play out of?

[B118C]

That's a tough question, Roy. I do like playing at places like Shinnecock, Medinah, Sawgrass and places that have the U.S. Open rough because it places a premium on your shots off the tee to stay in the fairway. Even approach shots, if missed can get you into trouble and then your scrambling to just make par, which is very realistic.

On the other hand, playing some of the classic courses and some of these new APCD courses that don't have that deep rough, but have the sloped fairways & roughs and greens with numerous undulations in them, make it a challenge to aim correctly when hitting approaches especially when the breeze or wind is blowing the other direction. Then if you hit the greens there is sometimes the roller coaster ride of a huge breaker that has to go up a slope and back down again. I played a course a little while back and I can't remember at the moment which one it was, but I had an uphill putt, I believe on fast and firm greens, that I hit up to the hole, but it stopped short by an inch or so and rolled all the way back down to my feet some 15 ft or more away. Some of the challenging greens can really smoke you if you're not putting good, but on the other hand, making a big double breaker from 35 ft or more for birdie is really great fun to watch.

So, either type is fine with me. I like playing both for the challenge and realism.

[Larry_Warrilow]

as roy remarks, shinnecock's fairways are decently wide enough even at the upper difficulty levels. i too learned the hard way that a crushed sand wedge (or two) back to the closest regular rough or fairway is the only reasonable tactic from the high grass, other than not going in there in the first place. a wonderful venue, once you have learned to be real careful. lw

[Armand]

Simply put, the rough is a bear at Shinnecock. I've been fooled a few times, where the ball actually flew quite well out of that long stuff. The first round, I aimed at the hole and kept hitting it through the high rough. My score definitely depicted that. My subsequent rounds, especially the 3rd, was played much more conservatively than typical, and although I never hit it out dead sideways, safer choices off the tee kept me out trouble for the most part. I'm hoping my final round is no worse than the 3rd round - if I accomplish that, I will be more than pleased with my score.

Hindsight would indicate that this course may not have been the best choice for my first round in 2 months. I had never played it, so thought it would be good to stroke off another course on the growing list of venues to play.

Armand