Here's the second half of the transcript of the press conference featuring Jim Hyler and Mike Davis, discussing the suspension of first-round play in the U.S. Open today.
Q. Mike or Jim, how would having USGA subsurface greens impact the greens the way they're playing? Would it help at all?
MIKE DAVIS: You know, these greens are essentially the old pushup. In fact, if you look at it, we rarely play U.S. Opens on USGA spec greens. We do at Pinehurst because they rebuilt their greens and Pinehurst happens to be a Sandy area. And going down the road, there will be a few newer courses we're playing on.
But all our U.S. Open courses really are on the old pushups. Now,
understand that these old pushups have been modified over the years
with a lot of deep-tine aerification and they do a lot of drainage work
in them. While they're not USGA spec greens they do tend to start to
act like that.
But our problem, if it weren't raining right now, even if the greens were dry, we still couldn't be playing golf. There's just casual water all over the fairways. You'd be at the point where you'd need to take relief, and your relief may be 150 yards away. But good question.
Q. Are you concerned with all the rain we've had in the last couple of weeks that even though this place drains well, as you say, there will be a cumulative point where it just starts backing up?
MIKE DAVIS: Bill, that's a good question. We've asked Craig Currier that who knows this course quite well, although Craig will readily admit he's just not dealt these cards very often.
But having said that, he does feel comfortable with everything that's working out there that will -- it does drain very well naturally. The only place you need to do it a little unnaturally is down on that 18th fairway area.
So if it was dry it would be much better, obviously. But it's not -- it's not to the point where it's so waterlogged that we're not going to be able to play golf at some juncture when it stops raining.
Q. Mike, because 18 is sort of the, I guess, the most cautious part of this course because it floods up, will that determine how the rest of the course is affected, because it is going to be the final hole?
MIKE DAVIS: Sure. You know, 18 would be our most problematic hole with respect to through the green areas. I would say there's a few other greens on the course such as the second hole, which does tend to puddle up a little bit more than other greens.
In fact, No. 2 was the one we had the most problems with in 2002. But, yes, in fact we could, as Jim mentioned, we could get some lingering showers into tomorrow.
So we checked the entire golf course, and I would say the area through the green that will be most mindful will be the 18th fairway.
Understand, that doesn't mean there can't be casual water on there. We're looking at the area that's casual water and saying, okay, if a player's ball's here and he wants to take relief under the casual water rule, where is his nearest point of relief. And I think that even when 18 gets real wet, you'll find that probably the intermediate rough, and it's not that far away, it really doesn't change the nature of the shot that much.
So those are the things we're really looking at. I think the key thing here at Bethpage is that it's been the putting greens that has really stopped play. That's why we were stopped today. It was not the 18th fairway. It was the putting greens that just became unplayable.
Q. I just wanted to ask, is there a potential for the workers and the spectator areas, the non-course areas, to become so saturated to become dangerous or a safety hazard to just considered, having to make changes in that regard?
JIM HYLER: I'm not sure I understand your question. You're saying in the non-playing areas?
Q. What if it gets so wet that it becomes a safety concern for the spectators?
JIM HYLER: In the non-playing areas.
Q. Some of the hills and slopes.
JIM HYLER: Our ops people are out there also watching and monitoring people-movement areas, and we put down wood chips and put down gravel. We'll try to take every precaution we can given what we're dealing with.
Q. Mike, how much rain actually has fallen at this point? And you said the other day, Jim, I think you had 200 volunteers coming out. Are more reinforcements going to be necessary? How many people will be working on the golf course tonight?
MIKE DAVIS: Well, the exact rain amount I'm not sure I can tell you. About 20, 25 minutes ago it was slightly over an inch. And we're getting two different figures. One from the superintendent and then one from our metrologist.
But it's over an inch. They thought when this was all said and done that it could be up to an inch and a half today.
By the way, now that I'm thinking about it -- I misspoke there -- Congressional Country Club in Washington is another course that has USGA spec greens on.
Jim, do you want to take the other part?
JIM HYLER: Craig has about 65 people on his staff, his permanent staff for all the courses here. Of course they're all focused on the Black course right now. There are about 150 volunteers who are here working this week. So that's a little over 200 people. There are no plans to call in others. I mean, that's a lot of people to scatter around 18 holes. So as soon as they can get out there and start to work, they will be.
I think you've seen some shots on TV of the guys on 18 squeegeeing water now. So I think we've got a good crew of people who can rally and can do the best job possible with what they have.
Might try an all-photo post later to give you a good look at how the Black was shaping up this afternoon. Also want to lay out our plans for the rest of what could be an extended Open week, where the superintendent and the golf course management profession will definitely be in the spotlight, especially considering the fact that our flight out of here leaves at 11 tomorrow morning. Could be a challenge, but we'll figure it out.
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