Different Strokes for Women & Men at the U.S. Open Championships

By: Nancy Berkley

The U.S. Open Championships coming up in a few weeks could be an opportunity for more viewers to be inspired to take up the game - especially women. Both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open - the top two championships conducted by the United States Golf Association - are being played on the same course in consecutive weeks.

This is the first time - and probably the only time - the championships will be played back to back. (See my previous article "U.S. Open Championships - A One-time Opportunity for Women's Golf" at http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/us_open_championships_onetime_opportunity_for_womens_golf). If managed properly, the 2014 men's U.S. Open will be an opportunity for all those golfers and fans watching to be reminded to watch the women play the same course the following week. What an opportunity to promote women's golf!

The U.S. Open course is the famous Pinehurst No.2 in Pinehurst, N.C., designed by Donald Ross. Originally laid out by Ross himself around 1903, it was returned to its original design before the start of the two Opens by architects Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore.

Men's play begins June 12 and finishes on Fathers Day June 15. The women's competition begins Thursday June 19, and the winner will claim her trophy on Sunday June 22. At least that's the schedule providing that no playoffs are needed and Mother Nature cooperates with good weather.

In a press conference conducted by the USGA with LPGA Tour players about the back-to-back championships, the players expressed some concerns. An important issue for the women was the lack of available practice time on the course during the first tournament week. Ordinarily, the LPGA players would have the opportunity for several practice rounds on the course the prior week. The players also expressed concern that the divots taken during the men's practice and championship rounds will not have time to heal and grow in before their play begins.

Practice is particularly critical for the players - both women and men - on this course. The good news is that after the recent restorations to Pinehurst No.2, there is no traditional long grassy rough. The bad news is that the instead of traditional rough there is now sandy-grassy-waste-area rough. Instead of the classic "rub-of- the green" talk, viewers can expect to hear "roll-of-the-rough" comments.

To learn if and why the course will play differently for female and male golfers, I decided to turn to ask Bradley Klein, an expert on golf course design and in particular, courses built by Donald Ross. Klein writes for Golfweek magazine and is the author of the biography: "Discovering Donald Ross."

Brad is my favorite "go-to" person when I want a reasoned expert opinion. So, I went to Brad for some answers about the upcoming Opens: Here are my questions and Brad's answers:

Q. Would you say that Pinehurst No. 2 will play easier for men or for women?

Klein: In playing Pinehurst No, 2, it helps to be able to impart a lot of spin on an approach shot to control its landing. We will see if the women can put as much spin on the ball as men do. Alternatively, you can always play run-up golf by bouncing the ball in, which is fine for everyday golfers but actually tougher for pros given that there's so much guesswork on distance and trajectory.

We will see how well the women use the bump-and-run or choose to spin the ball on to the green. All things considered, I am sure that the course will play more demanding for women than for men, even after factoring in the difference in tee yardage. I also think that the men will have an easier time - or a less difficult one - hitting approach shots from the thin fairway edges and from the sandy waste areas alongside fairways (that used to be called "rough").

Q. Any views about the types of grasses that the players will hit off of on the fairways? Any benefits to men or women? And, what about the rough, which is not a typical rough? How is it different and does it favor female or male expert golfers?

Klein: The Bermuda-grass fairways lend themselves equally well to a firm, descending blow or to a more sweeping shot. So they will play fairly for both the men and women. The real difference will be from the areas over-planted with "wire-like" grass and some three or four dozen other native plants that are popping up through the sandy areas. The lies will be inconsistent, uneven, and in some cases, simply "unfair," whatever that means in golf. Strength will help in recovery. I am sure that the women are very aware that their strength will be tested on this course.

Q. The USGA says that they are going to keep the green speed the same for both the men and the women. Do you think that will happen?

Klein: No. I think that the USGA will slow down the greens for the women in spite of what they say. Maybe more important is that the greens naturally hold the moisture. That will make it easier - especially for the women - to hold an approach shot on the green. But it still may make a difference in what type of approach shot the players use

Q. What about the divot issue? Will the women be playing on a course that is "beaten-up?"

Klein: The Bermuda-grass fairways don't divot up quite as much as bentgrass, and they recover faster, too. The crew will sand and they will discourage practice-round divots. But there will be a pocketing effect of landing areas - new depressions - where balls will gather in similar zones for the men and the women on some holes, no matter where the tees are set. That's because of the nature of the landing areas on the first, third, seventh, 10th holes - nothing can be done about that. The widened fairways will help somewhat by providing more landing space. But there's going to be some beat-up ground out there and some shots will be affected during in week. It'll be a matter of luck whether the occurrences are incidental or consequential to the outcome of the championship.

Thanks to Brad for answering my questions and confirming that this is going to be an exciting championship for both women and men. In early June, the USGA will release the complete list of golfers who will be playing in the Opens. There are two paths: those who qualify at the dozens of sites where qualifying competitions are taking place all over the world, and those who are exempt from qualifying and earn their place in the Open through previous victories and current world golf rankings.

Good luck to all! Follow the news on www.usga.org.

Nancy Berkley, President of Berkley Golf Consulting, is an expert on women's golf and junior-girls golf. She is a frequent contributor to www.cybergolf.com/womensgolf. Her book, "Women Welcome Here! A Guide to Growing Women's Golf," published by the National Golf Foundation, is an industry reference on marketing golf to women and spotting trends within the industry. She offers information and advice about the golf industry on www.berkleygolfconsulting.com and is often quoted in national publications. She was a contributing editor of "Golf for Women" magazine and a founding advisor of "Golfer Girl Magazine." Her interviews with women in the golf industry now appear on www.golfergirlcareers.com. Nancy lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Harvard University and Rutgers Law School. After a business and legal career, she decided to write about the game she learned and loved as a teenager. She describes herself as a good bogey golfer with permanent potential.

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