Monday, September 10, 2007
click image to view the slideshow of photos from Monday at East Lake
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The East Lake greens are obviously the issue as The Tour Championship week begins in Atlanta, and I had a chance to walk the course this morning.
The greens are bare around the edges, and perhaps a little bumpy in some places in the middle. Obviously I couldn't walk on them, but some of them looked fairly smooth, and #8 looks like it could be the most damaged, probably because it sits high with no shade and is very exposed to the sun.
Scott Verplank can be proud of his caddy Scott Tway, because he was walking the course bright and early, and he thought that they weren't going to be that bad and that the pros would adjust pretty quickly. Although the greens are green, you can tell that the grass is very thin, so cancelling the practice rounds was a good idea to save three days of wear and tear and ball marks.
I doubt that the pros will be "wishing them in" from three feet, but the players who complain about them will surely be the ones who won't contend. The players who embrace the conditions will thrive. Some would argue that golf in its purest form is an unfair game played on imperfect grounds. Rub of the green may a play a part this week, but the best player will still win.
Other than the greens, East Lake looks to be in fantastic condition.
view photographs of the East Lake's greens from this morning here
RM
The PGA Tour announced at 5:30pm today that "restricted practice rounds" will be allowed due to "moderately improved conditions". However, play will not be allowed on the greens of 2, 13 and 15.
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Reader Comments (15)
Those greens are horrendous.
East Lake have very limited play and umlimited resources, there is no excuse for the condition (or lack thereof) of these greens.
This is just one more gaffe in a season of Fed Ex related blunders.
I'll be surprised if we don't see a withdrawal or two between now and Thursday.
ES
Looks like a great Muni! :-)
The finale of the Fedex Cup appears to be being played at Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Links and Deli. Is Froghair in charge at East Lake now? In these conditions, my money is on "Stick".
SM - AGC
Oh Waahhh!!! Not everybody plays perfect greens every week, yeah it looks like my local muni, so fricking what? Maybe I wanna see some pampered pro get a sucky line just like I do every week. Watch them whine about the hippity hops like 95+% of the Golfers out there have to deal with. :-P
How long has the PGA been aware of this problem? How long were the fans in place? It does appear that the greens are playable for us duffers. These guys make their living by playing and scoring. The great players will be okay. Watch out for Mr. Sabatini (spelling?).
Should not be too bad. Only 30 golfers and they are not letting the amateurs on. Surprising in that the grounds crew lost the greens. Were they afraid to water and raise the ire of the PGA for slower greens? Hole placement is the great equalizer.
With all the money involved in the PGA Tour, why did they not shade the greens from the sun and water them to keep them alive?
Heck, my local Munis are better than this. :-)
That is absolutely horrific. These are pros and this is a pro tourney, not a muni weekend hack a thon. The tour has to have known about this for long enought o have found a better venue.
Why can't the pros putt on damaged greens? They are all going to be subjected to the same conditions. I'm tired of courses being so specifically prepared for them.... I agree with another poster, let them putt on the greens that you and I have to play every week instead of the incredibly manicured greens they are used to. I hope the greens don't improve by the tourney!!
From what has been coming from the media one would have thought they were completely dead. No doubt plenty of bad spots but hardly a disaster. They all have to play them, so it's fair.
Hmmmm... I think Swiss cheese would go great with all that whine!! And you call yourselves."professionals". Please!!!
Hmmmm... I think Swiss cheese would go great with all that whine!! And you call yourselves."professionals". Please!!!
I lean towards the "Yeh...just like what I have to play on every week" crowd. But then...think 'bout it folks, they aren't really playing the same game that we play, we just enjoy the illusion that they do. This is a business with the tag word "professional" smacked on the end, but it's just organized gambling and oppurtunistic manipulation by competing commercial interests. Not saying I don't enjoy watching them play...just sayin'. I don't let my emotions get stirred one way or t'nother by the hype and the spin. Let the big money do that and kick back and enjoy THE SHOW.
For me, i'll get much more out of my friday afternoon front 9 walk for 10 bucks on greens that look like a back yard done by lawnmower man...and i'll love every minute of it, because it's real golf.
That Matre is a genius photographer.