Welcome to the United States British Open.
Welcome to golf on the far side of the moon.
Welcome to Chambers Bay, the former sand and rock quarry that defied all odds and this week is the focal point of the golf universe.
Chambers Bay is a public golf course gem that will be beyond demanding for the best players in the world.
Chambers Bay is a links golf course that was stuck on the side of a large hill and it will present a U.S. Open venue, an Open test like no other.
The players had better be in great physical shape. It is an eight-mile walk and there are severe elevation changes out there, a treat for the eye, a treat for the television broadcast with breath-taking vistas.
It is unlike the old-money traditional clubs like Merion, Baltusrol, Winged Foot and Shinnecock where membership is a net-worth contest.
This is an everyman layout, a public golf course built with great risk and vision. It features the fescue grasses normally found on European links courses. Enough sand to stock a healthy desert.
The ninth hole is one of the signature holes on the course. It is a par three that can play from 217-244 yards. The upper tee is the longer shot, but it is a breathtaking 100 yard elevation drop to the green. The lower tee turns it into an uphill shot. Such is the conundrum that contenders will face. There is a multitude of setups the USGA can use, many evil.
It will require patience, a wicked short game and assorted ball striking skills.
This weeks winner won’t win the U.S. Open, the winner will survive Chambers Bay.
Simple as that.
