Chamber Of Horrors

We can guarantee one thing about a U.S.Open, it's never without controversy, so why should last week be any different?

Let's be honest Chambers Bay looks brilliant with vista's to die for, but is it a major championship venue?

In its current condition sadly not.

I have read a lot of nonsense this week on social media with regards to the greens: "We play on worse greens every week", "These pampered millionaires are spoiled", "bunch of cry babies" etc., etc.

This is a MAJOR championship, a MAJOR, to me that is watching the best players, playing in the best conditions available. This was not that.

Was it exciting ? Yes it was.

Was it entertaining ? Yes, well in the same way NASCAR is or a car chase on COPS as you wait for the impending wreck to happen.

Put it this way, would you watch Wimbledon if the grass was 8 inches long? Would you watch the Super Bowl is the pitch was 50 yards long in one quarter and 200 yards long in the next?

Professional players are used to playing greens of a certain standard and yes better than we usually play on but WE are not professionals playing in a major!

Sorry but for run of the mill amateurs, like me, this is not our living, this is our leisure time activity, these guys do it for a living!

Most, if not every pro, accepts that you will not always get 100% pure greens but what they do look for is consistency and fairness, do you think Chamber Bay was this?

The "we play on worse greens" brigade hold no water for me. It's like asking Lewis Hamilton to match the speed of a lap in his F1 car driving a Kia Sportage!

Mike Davies and the USGA simply screwed up the course in terms of set up and condition.

Imagine if the R&A brought the tee on 18 at St Andrews past the Swiken Bridge and said "right guys today we are playing it as a par 3", you couldn't could you?

This U.S. Open didn't even have greens, it was putting surfaces at best, equivalent to winter greens we use on links courses!

And that's another thing, Links Course, Chambers Bay is as much a Links Course as I am Brad Pitt's doppelgänger !

Links like, maybe but that's it.

I would play Chambers Bay tomorrow if I had the chance, it looks like fantastic fun, but it is not a major championship venue! Well not in the way the USGA set it up.

A true major is the best players playing in the best conditions available.

I am all for tough set ups, bunkers that penalise and rough that punishes wayward drives and most importantly I want to see greens, not putting surfaces but true, honest greens!