So mostly out of curiosity since I’m sure I couldn’t even if I wanted to, how did you guys sign up to caddie for this event? Do you have to be a member at blue hills?
definitely don’t have to be a member, but I’m sure they give preference to members and local caddies. I would think it helps to have played in competitive events, or caddied in them before so the caddie master (BHCC Head Pro) knows that you have at least an idea how to handle it out there. I didn’t sign up, Sean just asked me for help yesterday morning, since my guy Monday’d in.
there are a number of guys from my regular weekend group that do it.
@ericrbens @shonseymp
I’m thinking I’ll show up an extra 30min early or so to get pin sheets and have pre work done on the math to that days pin, so all I have to do is subtract one number for the tee. Is that common best practice?
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I have to chuckle at little bit at this yardage book for a real-deal KFT event. Most of these guys will send driver on BHCC #3. It only has three references for tee shots (253, 260, and 274), it doesn’t have any references for their driver landing area (maybe 274 since it plays +10 or so), and it doesn’t have any yardages between 169 and 66 (they’ll be landing around 90-110 front). It basically serves no purpose. I hope there is another page for the approaches or you’re taking copious notes on all the missing sprinkler heads.
These books almost always have the bottom page with the landing area sprinklers. The <100 on the hole map are JICYFU and need to punch out
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I was curious, because this page layout is odd AF (basically useless). Hopefully, it is like this:
@tnord, I’d be really curious if Scott Fawcett sent a DECADE packet for this week, like he usually does.
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Notes? It’s BHCC, just hand them the driver and beat on it! You can see my dot for where he ended up in the practice round. This is where I wish I would have done a better job documenting the specific yardages. I can’t quite recall this one…I think it was ~102 and he hit a 56. But he was grabbing the gun and shooting it himself for a lot of the day, so it’s a little tougher than usual to remember.
I haven’t seen any of the decade stuff. I met Derek at registration and he handed me a book so I didn’t get a chance to see.
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I have to be honest, I haven’t reviewed many courses like this one. It is just about as tree lined as you can get. As always, the slides are meant as a guide for you to use in combination with the conditions and height of trees. Rarely on this course will dropping back to three wood for “accuracy“ be the correct play. I think you are deciding between your driver or next club below three wood on virtually every hole.
I’m actually VERY surpised to find this:
He suggests laying back to 240-260 on 2, 3, and 7, sending it everywhere else.
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as usual, he’s wrong. 
7 is the only hole I think he’ll hit 3w. Although if they move the tees up enough I think launching driver (or 3w) over the corner is the play.
All totally up to you! The worst thing that happens is he says no and he wants to use his bag. Just what I would do personally is carry his and make do.
And to the book issue, yeah every number that is on that book for covers is from back of the box.
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I would show up 1 hour-30 mins before my guy to get that stuff, food, water, walk the course, etc. Just dependent on the tee time of course
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would you go scope out all the tee placements ahead of time also? so you’d end up walking the course twice?
I wouldn’t scope out tees no, that’s something you can do when you arrive on the box and do the math fairly quickly enough.
Just watch certain shots into certain greens to see how they react, watch some putts. Stuff like that
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He does include a caveat:
He seems to go a little against his “decision tree” on 2 & 3: there are > 65 yards between penalty hazards, it pinches ~40 yards between the trees, but laying back leaves more than wedge (as articulated for 9 below). I’d send it everywhere but 7 too.
It was hard for me to accept when I first came out here because I tend to play the opposite way. But literally none of the best players here lay back anywhere but 7. They all just bomb it all over the place. It’s basically the Bryson at WF approach…the fairways are so narrow, trees so intrusive, and rough so penal that you’re probably going to be in the rough with a 3w anyway, so just launch it.
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It’s a result of poor design and presentation of the golf course.
Don’t worry, I’m still not on board with the dark side!
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So, based on your comment, blue hills usually plays differently than how they set it up for this event?
Edit: I guess any course would change for a pro event, just curious if there was anything other than long rough they did to make this course different then how I’ll get to see it this weekend.
I can’t speak to how Blue Hills plays normally, but all the rain has certainly turned it into a bomb-and-gouge event this week.
it’s a bomb and gouge course day to day, and more so this week. there’s one “fake tee” on 15 that isn’t normally there.
First time attending a pro event, any tips for the best spectator experience tomorrow?