The U.S Open is nearly upon us and here is a look at a drastically changed Shinnecock. Holes nine and ten are featured here with descriptions from the boys at the USGA.
On this classic finish to the outgoing nine, players will typically encounter a right-to-left breeze on the blind tee shot to a fairway with a lot of movement. A tee shot that doesn’t reach the bottom of the hill could leave the player with an uneven lie for the uphill approach shot, on which the player will likely see only part of the flagstick. Carrying the approach shot to the green is paramount, and those who err over the green will face a testing downhill chip or putt.
The player faces a decision from the tee: hit a shot of about 220 yards to a plateau, leaving a relatively level lie, or drive it over the hill. Distance control is critical on the approach shot, whether from 180 yards or so to a green on a similar plateau, or with a shorter club at the bottom of the hill or, more dauntingly, part of the way down the hill. The approach is typically downwind, to a green with a closely mown area behind it.
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