Pre-Majors Site Practice: Should It Be Controlled?
 

It has been well documented that Phil Mickelson prepared for this year's U.S. Open by practicing extensively at Winged Foot in the weeks prior to the tournament. During his sessions -- nine days spread over three visits -- he was usually unaccompanied by a member and left to practice as he pleased. His typical eight-hour days were far longer than the time permitted by the standard practice rounds that are the norm for a PGA TOUR or USGA event. And the bulk of his time was spent on and around the greens, hitting shot after shot into each green to learn its individual nuances.

So?

So that was an advantage not enjoyed by the rest of the field.

First of all, Phil's name recognition permitted him host club access that would not have been granted most other players -- exempt or not.

Second, even if club access was not a problem, the non-exempt players -- more than half the field -- did not know they were 'in' until the week before the tournament. And even among the exempt players, few could afford to jet in and out at will, particularly with a caddy and an entourage of swing coaches in tow.

Third, PGA TOUR practice round rules -- and presumably the USGA has rules similar -- permit only one shot onto each green, whether from the fairway or greenside bunkers. If you miss the green, you are allowed one additional shot into the green. You can putt and chip (assuming no course damage) without limit. However, under no circumstance can you delay a player in the following group. That constraint alone severely limits practice time around the greens during tournament week because the field packs the course. Phil's practice obviously went far beyond these bounds.

Does this pre-tournament 'private practice' afford a few privileged players a competitive advantage over the field? Should the USGA put limits on such activity prior to its championships? Vote now, then post your comments below.

I hardly know where to begin...
 

Who has the advantage, the tour rookie, or the veteran who has played Winged Foot (or to generalize, the great courses and the Tour Courses) many times over the years, whether competitively or as a guest/member? Does Jim Furyk regularly cash in in Hawaii? Does Davis Love own Harbortown? Did Tom Kite dominate in Texas? Did Sam Snead rule at Greensboro? Do we all begin life on an even playing field? Do we all have a reasonable opportunity to improve our lives and the lives of our families in this great land? Is life fair? Does this dress make my butt look fat? Will Yoda give me a nice discount on lessons just because I'm a heck of a swell guy? :laughing1

There should be practice days for all the field,predetermined,Monday to Wednesday -just like the Open Championship.

Course knowledge has its advantages. Does the Member Champion have a chance? :) Having your swing working 110% has its advantages too. I’ll take a Hot Putter any day. If Phil M. learns every inch of every fairway and green, he still needs to execute the shot.

Do Pre-Tournament Golf Course visits occur regularly by any or all players? No.
Does anyone visit Iowa prior to the John Deer Classic seeking an edge on the field? No.
Does a Veteran PGA Player have an advantage over rookies because they’ve played the Tournament Course five times each over ten years (50 times)? Yes

Phil is a Glory-Seeker (aren’t most Tour players?). If he’s willing to give up a Tournament the week before, then so be it. Oh, Hmm? wait a minute, a lot of Top Ranked Players give up Tournament Play the week before to get extra practice for a major. I think that habit should stop.
RULE #243-A-657-ABC: “Any player attending a Major Tournament may not play if he skips out on the tournament the week before - but he’s still welcome to the Buffet”.

Phil’s Pre-Tournament practice is designed to give him publicity as much as an edge. He needs constant air rushing up his skirt to feel-good.

Much has been done to ensure “Fair Competition” including “Leveling” the actual playing field. Look, Look, Look what the PGA has done. Faster Greens, narrow Fairways, Longer Fairways, higher Rough, more Rough, Taller Trees, more Trees, deeper Traps, more Traps, and the endless Food Buffet and unlimited drinks, free cars, free, free, free. And stop the Ass-Kissing. Blowing up a Players ego may give him the idea that he can Win and we all know where that leads to. And, don’t forget the Caddies. If your caddie is better than my caddie, I should get a stroke per round.

If a Player pays to play the course a week before the tournament, and he plays well during that week, Should he get a refund if it rains during the tournament week and he doesn't play well?

Anyway, once the rule is created to prevent players from seeking an unfair advantage by playing the course prior to a tournament, then maybe the player should only be allowed limited practice time at the end of each round or Limit them to 3 Ball Bucket Tokens.

Actually a number of players have been known to play / practice the courses prior to the week of the tournament. Tiger does it, not the the extent Phil has just done.

Is it only majors that this happens at? Most likely but then some unknown players we probably don't hear about.

Knowledge is wonderful but execution is where it is really at.

Ben Curtis was an unknown player that did a Phil Mickelson course reconnaissance job at Royal St Georges. That course was a pig and favoured conservative play any aggressive play was more likely to yield a bogey than a birdie. The key to playing the course was keep out of trouble and the fairway bunkers off the tee hit a safe shot to the green and get up and down. If the shot to the green happened to end up close to the pin it was really more down to luck than judgement. The ball ran all over the place when it hit the green and it was impossible to judge with precision the outcome of the bounces.Curtis got a lot advice from local caddies and members when building up to The Open and practiced on the course prior to the tournament. There is no doubt in my mind that his early preparation was pivotal to his success.

US Open Interview with Mickelson
 

Q. Obviously you're revolutionizing preparation for these events by coming to venues much earlier than obviously everyone else is. Is this going to be a constant for the other majors, because obviously it's working very well here? And second, do you learn from that to use a different club, pull one club from your bag, put another one in? How often have you used that this week?

PHIL MICKELSON: It's going to be a constant for me because it's helping me play better. I don't know about other players, but for me it's been working well. It also gives me a chance, as you mentioned, to get my club setup optimum for the golf course, and I put a wedge in that Roger Cleveland over at Callaway helped me design after I made my first trip here. I called him up from Winged Foot and said, "Roger, I need you to design a 64 degree wedge. I need it with a certain amount of bounce, I've got to hit a lot of high bunker shots out of the sand."

I have used that club extensively, the only club I've used out of the sand, I think, and it has saved me a ton of shots.

The first week I put it in the bag was at Memorial because I wanted to get a little taste for that club, and I hit the shot on 10 where it was replayed where it was a flop shot that went in the hole. Then I used it out of the bunker on 16 out of that plugged lie that flew up and rolled in.

The shot today on 10, I couldn't have done with my L wedge, I had to use the 64. I've used it a ton around the greens, and that one club, if I'm able to be successful tomorrow, that one club has saved me a lot of shots, more than one or two a round possibly. If I'm able to be successful, I will give credit to that one particular club for being the little extra edge.

Hogan had it.
 

Rank has its privileges.

And this kind of rank is earned.

You're not ever going to limit the advantage of knowing the course, but you CAN limit the advantage of knowing how the course is setup/playing in the weeks before the tourney and there can be big differences.

I don't think anybody should be allowed to play the course within the weeks leading up to the event and all players should be given the same standard practice rounds during the first part of the week.

Maybe Course Knowledge is overrated? Know Thyself.

Johnny Miller said: "Ben Hogan must be rolling over in his grave", and "I thought this was supposed to be a precision game?" Memorable commentary from the 'Yipper'.

Mickelson is buying his way into major champ. wins
 

IMHO you only have half of the story. His "entourage" maps the courses for him. I'm sure he pays Pelz and Smith handsomely for their efforts. Pelz goes to these venues and spends at least a week mapping out the short game areas and every blade of grass on the greens. They both accompany him on his practice rounds at the majors. Although he didn't win the PGA at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, his entourage was definintely here prior to his arrival and during all of his practice rounds.

I'm not aware of any one else conducting this type of business. This, along with the number of practice rounds allowed, should be a rule violation.

And yet, it did him no good.

MIrror Mirror
 

I think Daryl had the answer here, efnef.

Embrace the entourage, but in end, "know thyself."

In the words of Pogo...

"We has seen the enemy, and it is us."

The Edge
 

Thank you for your insights, wolfman. I do not disagree.

Yet, with so much 'Money on Monday' chasing the 'Champion on Sunday', will not this pre-tournament practice become routine among the privileged few? After all, the dimensions and character of a tennis court, baseball diamond or football field do not change in the weeks prior to an event. But those of a championship golf course do, and this presents an element of 'surprise' to be exploited by those with the means to do so. Unless the rules prevent the realization of that competitive advantage, then the playing field cannot and never will be level.

Which means, of course...

That with each new generation, the true talents will present themselves.

And that is not a bad thing.

I know you either win a major or you don't, 2nd or missing the cut is about the same to a top player. However, I wish I could do something that does me no good and get paid about 1/2 million.

I agree with the idea of limiting practice rounds, although before Yoda brought up this point I really respected the players that would go through the trouble to put in the extra effort. The only thing problematic with limiting practice rounds is if someone in the field was a member since they were 4. If I was a PGA Tour player and they enacted some kind of a rule to limit practice rounds to the week of only, 6 hour rounds, 1 ball hit into the green, I would start playing practice rounds for majors over a year ahead of time and get all the information down so that when I got there the week of the major I would be way ahead of the curve. I would try to purchase a membership for a year if that is anywhere near possible at the prestigious private clubs. For one of the best players in the world even if it is $1 million I would figure it is money well spent, because it's all about the majors.

Matt

The Efficient PGA TOUR
 

And so it goes, Matt...and so it goes.

In the financial arena, it is called the Efficient Market Theory (EMT). That is, any competitive advantage known to the market will soon be used by all and thereby be 'diversified away'.

In other words:

"Nobody goes there anymore...it's too crowded."

-- Yogi Berra

And the bar is raised.

Permanently.

Exactly! I wonder if this whole discussion is similar to what happened when someone (not sure of my facts here but some say Jack Nicklaus) first started charting yardages on the courses rather than just estimating by eye. There's always a search for a competitive advantage whether it be in execution or planning. It's interesting...there's a course out here in California that until the last few years did not have a yardage marker on the course anywhere(other than the tees). A member told me the owner did not think it was in the "tradition" of golf to know the yardages with accuracy.

As an aside, while the course is challenging, I don't think it's any coincidence that I played my slowest round ever there (6 hours 40 minutes) before they added markers.:BangHead:

Paralysis by analysis, Lynn should know this better than anyone because he is in (was) the financial world as i am.

Sometimes you can just have too much information and that goes for practice well.

But the key is doing what is SMART with that information and making the CORRECT DECISION. What good was all Phil's (or Rick/Dave's) work for if he wasn't smart enough to pull out the 4 wood for so many holes today?

On one hand, knowing the spots to hit doesn't guarantee anything - you still have to hit them....

On the other, knowing the spots to hit is very important - even lets say that knowledge might only give you a shot or two - that may be the margin that wins championships.....

After just listening to Phil's interview Jim's paralysis by analysis comment rings even more true. I think Phil's extraordinary preparation actually put more pressure on him down the stretch. I HAVE TO DO IT! If I don't, all this hard work is for naught. I wouldn't be surprised if other cultures feel this way, we must be rewarded for our efforts, but I know it is pervasive in the American culture. I know I certainly practice it, and you would think golf could teach me to drop it!

Matt

Let’s not lose sight of the forest for the trees. Golf is played by one person, one shot at a time.

Tour Players are a special breed of Golfer. Extraordinary talent and monumental efforts are part of their make-up but their profound drive to win is their Master Attribute. The talent, course scouting, coaching and physical conditioning are subordinate.

Phil M. demonstrated the will to win on every shot he made whether good or bad. He demonstrated Sportsmanship through till the end. You can’t ask anymore of anyone. His performance was the very definition of Competitor. I’m glad to have witnessed that exhibition and have gain something myself because of it.

Looking back on this experience, maybe his Course Scouting did more harm than good. Maybe, through too much preparation, something inside you gets tempered? Maybe his situational analysis and his normal response; grinding it out, being creative, stay in play, have been fuddled by a playbook and forethought out scenarios outlining “what you’ll shoot today” on each and every hole. Without the Playbook, he may have walked up the eighteenth fairway at ten under. Only ONE person gets handed a trophy. Maybe he’ll think that it’s not such a team sport after all. (Well, unless Yoda is on the team)

Looking back.
 

Phils preparations may have given him the second place, but it did not give him the win.

In the end the ability to hit fairways and greens counted, and Phil had it going terribly wrong by hitting only 2 fairways - although he hit irons on two holes.

On the final hole Phil hit his bread-and-butter major go-to baby cut. Did not hit the fairway. Did not hit the green. Did not even hit the green after 4 shots.

And Monty. All the work was done. In the middle of the fairway. On the last hole. Hit the green and putt twice for THE WIN. Or take a bogey for a playoff.

It went horribly wrong.

I have never seen golf being as cruel as yesterday.

Phil and Monty could have lived with bogeys on the last hole. But the fact that both double-bogeyed is just horrible.

Two guys desperate for the win. Two guys already with multiple runner-ups in the US Open. Not about the money. All about finally hoping to see some hard work pay off. Or at least seeing someone elses hard work paying off.

I think that's what prompted Johnny Miller's comments. Don't lose sight of some basic fundamentals: Hit the Fairways, G.I.R., never be short on a Birdie Putt, Go for birdie but protect par, go for par but protect bogey, no double bogeys.

You haven't seen me play. :) And I don't get a half-million. :(

Maybe the final round is an indication of Phil's preparation. He had a chance to win on the 18th tee even though he clearly was not in control of his golf swing. That's what practice can provide: knowledge to bail out improper execution. Where can I miss it and still save par?

In the end I feel this one boiled down to the gut-check. Phil and Monte both had far more to lose by finishing second than Ogilvie.

PGA should limit access to sites by mega stars, they get enough perks with their stardom. All event participants should get the same opportunity.

CW

Bones should be fired for not forcing Phil to chip out on 18, or insisting that he hit something other than the driver off the tee! ;)

Part of a caddies job, keeping their player for doing something DUMB - not once, or twice, but THREE times (Phil should have chipped out, even after hitting the tree on his second, to ensure a good CHANCE at a bogey for the playoff.

Monty - he had it, and his mental game let him down. He rushed, you could just see it. An "anyways" (Zen Golf). I wonder if he has considered using Clear Keys?

All that said - Ogilvy played well, consistent. A well deserved survival of the Champion at Winged Foot.

My take
 

From the interview I understood they considering the 4-wood, but it would have left a very long approach. So they opted for the off-the-shelf day-in-day-out cut baby driver.

And could not believe the result. The shot was not just off the fairway. It was far left of the crowds. It hit the roof of a spectator tent and bounced back into the crowd. It was a bad, bad shot. Probably the worst he hit all week - by far.

But deciding to go for the green from that place - on a day when the swing is clearly off - seems like a bad idea.

For some reason his swing must have been terrible on that Sunday. Hitting 2/14 stinks. Especially when using irons on two tees. Of which at least one did not find the fairway.

Field average for fairways hit was 46,1% on Sunday.

On the other hand he hit 11/18 greens. 61% is clearly better than the average of 54,6%.

30 putts was also better than the average.

So what was the problem?

The double-bogey on 18.

Field average was 4.44 on Sunday. Phil lost 1,6 shot to the field on that hole.

The teeshot did not cost him the title, but the second shot cost him his only double-bogey of the tournament.

(Monty had two double-bogeys. The second one on the last hole after needing 4 shots to get from the deep rough within 10 yards from the flag and into the hole.)

Such a cruel day.

Open thoughts
 

What a tourney! I absolutely loved the way they set up this course.

It's time for another maketing campaign, this one entitled -"What in the HELL did Phil do?" Did anyone see Frank Nobilo go down on the course to recreate the shot? Phil had no second shot. It's not like he just mis-hit it. Monty mis-hit his approach to 18, Furyk mis-hit a putt on 15. But Phil tried to do something ridiculously impossible. A 1/1000 attempt. AND he mis-hit it to boot. It's easy to bash Phil on Monday morning, I guees. But man he really blew it. :sad2:

Props to Olgivy! Parred the last 4 holes with some stellar shots. He WON it. :happy3:

The thing that kills me the most is that Tiger was prolly sitting at home laughing his ass off....!

Man Phil coulda made such a statement by winning this...even w/o Tiger in the field.....3 in a row....

The rules of golf do acknowledge advantage to be gotten-- by forbiding practice on a course for the duration of a stroke play competition (but practice is okay on the course during match play-- unless forbidden by local rule or condition of competition). The USGA has control of the course for a good while before an Open Championship. It's probable that even members are forbidden regular play for months before the event. There is an excellent account of all that goes into this in Feinstein's book Inside the Ropes: Beth Page Black. I think it would be wise for the course to be "Federalized" before an Open, make the player get permission from the USGA to practice, and not from a phone call to the "pro". The USGA is often curious about how a site is going to play, and if they accompanied an expert golfer on a practice round, they might get a feel for how the course is going to play. Pretty certain they do this already-- plus they are experts at course preparation.

As for Phil.... well, a fat lot of good it did him. You can take all the batting practice you want. You can play in Yankee Stadium all year...but in the bottom of the ninth of the 7th game of the world series can you hit a home run? Phil only needed an infield single...

Slightly off topic: On the 18th tee at Winged Foot, if I was Phil's Caddie and he asked me for the driver....I would have snapped the damn thing in two across my knee and then said "Here!":confused1