A pain in the grass
At one point during Monday's round at Torrey Pines' South course, home of the U.S. Open next month, I put my pitching wedge down off the green so I could go putt. I came back to the spot where I thought I left it, only to have to search around a bit before I spotted it.
Buried in the rough.
Here's a shot of what the camera looked at when it was placed in the rough next to the 12th fairway.
Count Floyd-like scary, isn't it?
Mike Davis, the USGA Senior Director of Rules and Competition, briefed the media Monday on all the kinds of stuff that'll be going on during the June 12-15 event just south of Del Mar. And the grass factor was a big part of the discussion about how the course will be groomed for those trying to win America's national championship of golf playing.
Davis explained how a combination of rye, kikuya (most famous for its presence at Riviera Country Club) and that real stubborn poana has been mixed together to form a real test of any golfer's patience.
The kikuya, that rough stuff that is durable but acts like a Brillo pad, is what lines the fairways now. When the warmer summer months come, it will grow even thicker and tougher.
Davis said the first cut off the fairway at 15-feet wise could be cut to 2 1/4 inches. The second could would be in the 3 1/2-inch range, although Monday it was closer to 4-to-4 1/2.
"We want a stern test of golf, from putting to driving to the ability to recover," Davis said.
Put it this way, those who hit in the rough will have a rough time. Stern will turn to a slow burn for some who don't stay on the fairway.
A few other photos we'll pass along from a trip around the 18 on Monday that was far shorter than the 7,643 yards that will be made available to the PGA Tour champions and other wanna-bes who tangle with it next month:
Teeing off at No. 3 on the dark, cold gray day, from the gold tees, about 159 yards out. It takes a 5-iron into the wind. And, eventually, a par.
At the 7th hole, a tee shot that travels to the left a bit will put you in more rough by the cart path. Note: Can anyone find my shoes?
Just another long putt, this time on No. 8 ....
At the par-5 13th hole, the fourth shot ended up on the side of the hill, above the bunker and below the green ...
Which lead to the fifth shot, not too much farther away than the fourth shot, still in much peril (with Daily News sports editor Gene Warnick standing on the green, wondering if he'll ever pull the flag ... he didn't. ... the next shot was squirted left and I picked up so we could finish before it was really dark):
And the local wildlife provided all the gallery we'd need:
One more shot at how one could find the distance to the green, if one could only find the distance marker:
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