Kevin Na's Rant & The Lush Native Swath Of Erin Hills Rough

I can't fault Kevin Na entirely for his rant about the Erin Hills natives. The fescue grasses are beautifully managed throughout a property that is pretty stunningly maintained. The grasses are sparse where they'd naturally be thin and more dense where water collects.

So to see the native grasses clearly receiving fairway irrigation overspray is not generally a shocker. We see it all too often on prairie courses. But the decision not to manage (trim) these crucial areas just off the primary cut is a risky one given how severe they are (to the point of the natives leaning over). A herd of goats or some refined thinning practices could have alienated what will be a potential lost ball issue.

That said, Na's suggestion that players should be handling setup is a frightening one!

Here is what he posted on Instagram:

Erin Hills is a great design course but the fescue is almost unplayable. BTW never found the ball. So don't hit it in there lol. straight hitters have a chance! #usopen #erinhills #mikedavis #lostball #usga

A post shared by Kevin Na (@kevinna915) on Jun 11, 2017 at 10:24am PDT

Here are some photos I Tweeted yesterday:

. @ErinHillsGolf in amazing condition but irrigation overspray of first five yards of native rough will be @usopengolf lost ball problem. pic.twitter.com/Xrym38gRp9

— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) June 12, 2017

And a video that may require hitting the link as Twitter video embeds are acting strange.

Here is the video version I took yesterday illustrating irrigation overspray effect on the @erinhillsgolf natives. https://t.co/hzeJkhWK5V pic.twitter.com/5pyl4CCrHQ

— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) June 12, 2017

Comments

[crodad]

D Maculata,

I don't give a shit if these guys act like they're at a funeral or a carnival!!! I like to see great recovery shots, short-game wizardry, calculated risk/reward shots and creativity! I DON"T want to see guys being forced to hack it 12 yards out sideways, hit to the middle of the green and then hold their breath as they stroke a 22 foot downhill put on greens that are running at 15 on the Stimp!

You're offering up supposed answers to questions I don't give a shit about! Brands? As a fan of the game and of architecture, I just want to see exciting golf, wherein the course and the players are the co-stars, not the God d@*# villians.

[D. maculata]

Well I can see this conversation is going nowhere but I'll play along. What entitlement should allow a player in the US Open to be able to recover from a wild-ass shot? Should there be no penalty for the sake of entertaining viewers? You can dine on the five attributes you want weekly on the PGAT, ET and LPGA. There's a reason those events have a 20-under winners.

BTW - Check your waders for leaks before leaving the house ;-)

[KevsSticks]

I think Na's regretting his tone more than anything. He came off as a whiner.

He'd been better off with the Pat Perez route
PAT PEREZ STUMBLED ACROSS JIMMY HOFFA’S BODY IN U.S. OPEN ROUGH
http://www.progolfweekly.com/pat-perez-stumbled-across-jimmy-hoffas-body-in-u-s-open-rough/

or even Lee Westwood...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-4600218/Lee-Westwood-caddie-poke-fun-Open-rough.html

[Gutta Percha]

From an otherwise readable golf journalist, this article contains an odd usage of the word 'alienating': "A herd of goats or some refined thinning practices could have alienated what will be a potential lost ball issue."

I agree with the USGA on trimming the monster fescue. If the fescue rough is unusually thick due to artificial irrigation, then mowing it to a manageable height could remediate any likely and foreseeable issues with lost balls and slow play.

[Bill Wilson]

Na's entire "rant" was done tongue-in-cheek and looks like he "gotcha" most of you all.