Golf Channel Notable Quotes
Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open
Monday, June 13, 2016 (primetime show)
Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.
**Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open continues Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET.**
VIDEO FEATURE – A Tree Removal Revolution: Matt Ginella examines the unique story behind Oakmont’s architectural shift, led by a well disguised revolution to remove hundreds of the courses’ trees one-by-one in the middle of the night.
http://www.golfchannel.com/media/story-how-oakmont-turned-back-clock/
On Oakmont Country Club
Paul McGinley – “[Oakmont has] all the things that we love about the game of golf, the strategy that sometimes we miss in the courses that we now see… If you make a course 8,000 yards long, chances are scores will still be low if it’s soft. This is not a particularly long golf course, but you make it firm and now it’s a real test of golf. Particularly mentally.”
Frank Nobilo “That’s one of the biggest things here. Not often do you hit it from a flat position to a flat spot…Sometimes you can’t help but hit it 25, 30 feet past the flag. And you are defending, and you’re going to defend a lot on this golf course. When you get out of position here it’s like basketball, it’s a turnover. You might as well give the ball away to somebody else.”
David Duval – “This week is going to illustrate that a properly prepared golf course doesn’t require 7600, 7800 yards… You’re going to struggle to see anybody breaking par this week. Even if we get rain. It’s a visually intimidating golf course.”
McGinley – “You’ve got to respect the golf course but not fear it. You’ve got to get that balance between being respectful of the golf course, but also taking opportunities when they come and taking on those pin positions… It’s a quintessential U.S. Open setup.”
On the lasting impact of Oakmont’s tree removal program
USGA Director, Championship Agronomy, Darin Bevard – “The biggest thing is to see the architecture of the golf course restored, and to see hazards that may have been intended to be in play that were no longer in play, come back into play. And to see healthier grass all throughout the golf course is probably the most important thing.”
Oakmont CC Director of Grounds, John Zimmers – “The rough is growing certainly much better than it was 15-20 years ago for sure.”
-NBC Sports Group-