The secrets of Oakmont  12:00, 12/06/2016

EVERYTHING IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

USGA often says that all you need to do to hit Oakmont’s holes is playing straight. Off the tee, you don’t have to be worried about any dogleg or washout area because there is no trees, no water, just grass, a whole lot of sand with such wide and clear vision that you can even look out from the clubhouse and see the entire course.

Although, you shouldn’t misunderstand that Oakmont is simple and easy. On the contrary, it is well-known as one of the toughest courses in the world. Oakmont does not allow any mistakes, miss a fairway by two feet and you’re in trouble.

And just look at the names of past U.S. Open winners at Oakmont: Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els, Johnny Miller, Larry Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Tommy Armour, Sam Parks Jr. With the exception of Parks, every Oakmont Open champion is a multiple major winner. And Parks’ win came in 1935. This proves that in order to conquer Oakmont, you must have a lot of experience and steel mental to withstand high pressure.

DIABOLICAL GREENS

One of the features that make Oakmont such a challenging course is its greens. There is an old joke about Oakmont is that they have to slow down the greens for the Open. The grass surface is believed to be too slippery with high slope, which makes the rolling ball uncontrollable.

If you have a downhill putt or chip, keeping it on the green can be an accomplishment, not only because of the speed but also because of the contours.

Those slopes affect more than just putts. Approach shots must be meticulously measured. Pitches and chips must be judged with precision and even a sand shot that might be perfect at 99 out of 100 courses won’t fly at Oakmont.

One of the most-used phrases during my Monday round: “That was inches away from perfect.” Oakmont punishes missed shots like nowhere else.

THE ORIGIN OF THE STIMPMETER INVENTION

The way we measure green speeds actually traces its genesis to Oakmont.

Ed Stimpson, a Harvard engineer, attended the 1935 U.S. Open and decided the greens were too fast, but there was no way to determine how fast. So he invented Stimpmeter, the tool which we often see on golf courses today.

NOVEL DESIGN

The Open venue has to stand out and feel like more than just another course, and Oakmont meets this requirement.

There’s no water at the course, but the it is dotted with waterless red-staked hazards. A heavy rain could fill these gullies with standing water, but for the most part players will be able to hit out of them (assuming they can find their balls).

But it’s bunkers what golfers are afraid of when thinking about Oakmont. The most famous of them are also the most dastardly: the Church Pews, whose original design consisted of 7 pews but now is 12. Hit into them, and you likely have no chance to go for the green, because like many of the fairway bunkers at Oakmont, if hit in, you likely have to wedge out. Bad news, Open contestants: The USGA pared down the front lips of many of the fairway bunkers to allow more shots to roll into them.

Overall, as tough as it is, Oakmont Country Club is a fair course. It requires the most basic tenets of golf: hit good shots. You don’t need creative thinking or Marvel-like superpowers to make it on the course. Be smart, hit the fairway, hit your approach below the hole, and try your damnedest not to three-putt.