British Open week remains a personal favorite
Now that I think of it …
n It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year, British Open week! Regular readers of my column know I really enjoy this week on the professional golf schedule.
This is the week those fortunate enough to qualify to play in the oldest championship in the history of golf get a feel for how the game was originally played. Wind, rain, rock-hard conditions and some of the most fierce sand dunes anywhere will all be in play.
Carnoustie Golf Club is one of the most difficult of any of the British Open venues and it’s not as Car-nasty for nothing. Carnage will be everywhere.
For the record, I’m taking Dustin Johnson. He handled Oakmont Country Club fairly well in 2016, including that magnificent 6-iron to the 18th green that was locked onto the flagstick and never wavered from it. That shot locked up the U.S. Open for DJ and I expect him to play similarly this week.
n I heard an interesting story this week about that championship. A week or so before the Open, Johnson and his brother, Austin, who is his brother’s caddie, got a practice round in at Oakmont.
Afterward, Austin came into the pro shop and was looking for some OCC merchandise. He engaged the staff in conversation and told them it was the hardest golf course they had ever seen.
He told them DJ had no chance to win there. And we all know how that turned out.
n Western Pennsylvania is about to get a boost that will combine golf and entertainment industries all under one roof.
TopGolf, a driving range out front with food and beverage and great atmosphere happening behind the hitting bays.
There is to be an announcement tomorrow of the exact opening date for the venue, which will be the 43rd facility in operation.
A media preview was held there this week and the place got rave reviews. It’s not your standard practice range by any means. There are hitting bays, but no buckets of balls will be found. Balls are dispensed by waving a club over a sensor.
Artificial mats are in place and specific targets are in place to take aim at.
It’s all electronically linked and players can choose a variety of games to play, all that involve hitting those targets. Points are awarded for accuracy and distance.
The facility was built not far from the Bridgeville exit off I-79 and has a great ease of access. If you’re traveling that interstate, you’ll be able to see the tall poles that hold up the nets that keep balls on the property. And if you’re thinking about launching a ball out of there, consider this: It’s 210 yards from tee to the limit of the range. But the fence rises 182 feet from the ground, so it would take a magnificent blast on one of the balls, all of which have computer chips inside and don’t travel as far as standard balls.
But it’s not about standing on the tee and bombing it at TopGolf. It’s more about having fun and there will be plenty of that for everyone.
n The West Penn Golf Association’s biggest event of the year, the Open, will be held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, at Oakmont CC. It will be very interesting to see how a collection of the best players, amateur and professional, are able to deal with the intricacies and demands of one of the best layouts in the world.
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Do you have an interesting story about your club or course or an individual who has done something special, let me know? Send your story ideas to mike.dudurich@gmail.com.
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Mike Dudurich is a freelance golf writer and hosts The Golf Show on 93.7 The Fan, Saturday mornings from 7-8 during golf season. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDudurich.