Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
It is a golf course that has supposedly been designed by a noted designer with the amateurs in mind and yet is drawing criticism from the professionals as it is too tough. Apparently the main difficulty stems from large undulating greens that make pin positioning crucial and the approach shot and course management critical.
The course only has a single tree meaning it is open to the elements in an area where strong winds are commonplace, meaning low shots are at a premium onto fairways that have contours that will quickly deviate the ball offline. The bunkers are deep and challenging, not only for players but also ground-staff who struggle to retain consistency.
All sound familiar? However, on this occasion it is not the links course at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain but the site of the US Open starting tomorrow at Chambers Bay in the Pacific North West.
The course designer, Robert Trent Jones Jr, has established a public course that is likely to ensure the winning score is over par. Only four times in the last decade has a below par score been required to win this prestigious tournament.
However, to prove that perception is everything, Jones Jr considers this course to be the jewel in his considerable crown with a portfolio of courses spanning the globe.
The winner is likely to come from a player who embraces the challenge rather than fears it.
