My theory is that there was a stump not fully extracted and it rotted over time causing the depression. Makes for some interesting approach outcomes which I love. When stymied or partially blocked it's fun to roll a gravitational slingshot on the edge towards the hole.

This title needs to get some credit. Absolutely NY Post worthy.

As someone who enjoys watching Spieth play competitively, I think the exemptions are hurting him in the grand scheme of things. If he is going to find "it" again, it would probably help (mentally) to go down to the PGA B tour and grind a little bit, go earn something again.

Once again, the PGA Tour faces a problem that has an easy fix, but they will never do it -- just make sponsor exemptions ineligible for FedEx points.

Everyone cares about pace of play until it comes to the first tee shot. Start the round with a par thee, or even back to back par threes, and pace will be better for everyone all day.

I'm kind of the opposite. I don't mind a slightly tougher start. Takes me 4 holes to get warmed up anyway. If I'm going to make a bogey I'd rather it be on a tougher hole 😅.

I love this course but the set up is leaving a lot to be desired lately. I played there yesterday in the middle of the day (the high was 90°) and it was so green, wet, and soft. My foursome had multiple mud balls and there was standing water on the 18th fairway. It’s making the course play significantly longer than it should. All four of our tee shots on 16 came to an immediate stop on landing when they should be feeding down towards the hole. I can’t imagine Mr. Hanse and Mr. Shackelford are vibing with it these days.

Bruce Hepner is one of the few architects/restoration specialists who use restraint “don’t overlook the soup” as a strength. The comparisons to Chicago Golf are noteworthy. To think this relationship began with words from Tom Doak in Confidential Guide “the club’s landscape committee over the past 60 years should be lined up and shot for planting so many trees of so many varieties” 5 Doak scale May 1994. Kudos to Blue Mound for changing directions over 20 years ago.

I grew up in New England and Donald Ross is prevalent up here. So I’m bias but a great start to a course is one or two warm up holes, typically easy par 4s, then allow the course to begin. I’ve heard stories that he did this because back in those days courses didn’t have driving ranges so it allowed the player to warm up and be ready for the remaining course. A great example is Plymouth Country Club, Green Harbor (not a Donald Ross), or Boston Golf Club (Gil Hanse) with its par 5 openers allowing you to hit multiple shots to warm your body up.

I don’t have a specific hole or course that I particularly like, but in general I *dislike* opening with a par 5. I’m not in enough of a groove to take advantage of them, and I don’t want my second shot of the day being either a fairway wood or long iron (whether it is for layup purposes on a longer hole or going for the green on a shorter hole).