2005-02-21

Thursday at Nissan Open

As a last minute out of the blue whim, I went to the Nissan Open and watched Fred Couples

I posted about it here (A Fred Couples Fan Forum) and decided it might be time to update eatgolf.com.

Here is my write up:

I was there, had a great time. Got there around 11:00 right when Freddy hit the range. Crowd was small and Fred was about 4 golfers from the edge of the range so I had a fantastic view. I've got to say, for those of you who have never seen these pros hit balls - the trajectory is just magic. All of them - not just Freddy.

They all hit the ball perfectly straight. Even when they put a draw or a fade on it the ball still floats with so much forward momentum and backspin gyroscope action it looks straight. You're like, is that moving a little left? no, yeah, no, yeah - nothing like the typical players' ball flight -and much higher also. All the pros seem to have this same ball flight. Freddy of course has a slightly more magical trajectory that looks to carry a little farther - don't know how to describe it but the ball climbs real high and looks to accelerate halfway through the climb / flight? Maybe that is what he means by "parabolic trajectory" in his book? He was hitting drivers that bounced off the top third of the back fence in between the same two poles over and over. Their wedge shots all fly dead straight also ? dead straight.

Fred seemed like he was in a good mood and kept talking with all the other pros - even during their swings. I noticed none of them spoke while he was hitting - I guess Fred was the only one really talking -smiling while he talked. I was close enough to hear his voice but could not make out what he was saying.

First hole - This is like a 500 yard par 5. They tee off from a huge cliff - so the driving distance might be deceiving. I was on the fairway when he teed off so I don't know but I suspect he hit 3wood off the tee. It was a great tee shot and carried the other two players balls and landed in the fairway about 15 feet from the right rough and bounced to a clump of grass about one foot into the primary rough. (the wind was right to left here and because he teed off from a cliff he may have over estimated the wind or got a wind pause). His stance was ball below the feet by about 6" and also sloping to the right of the pin. He took a couple practice swings without a club. He was the only person I saw all day that was looking at the tops of the trees to gauge the wind. The other two guys hit great shots right on top of the flag but one was short of the green and the other on the green but long. The shot watch / shot point / shot track / whatever they are called guys told me that Freddy was 178. It looked a lot more like 200 a little down hill to me but that might have been because the pin was in the front. Freddy hit what looked like it was fat but the ball took of like it was on a string and landed right at the flag and rolled past it. The crowd just loved it. His first putt was downhill and he ran it by and it surprised everyone when he missed the second.

Second hole goes the other way - now the wind is left to right. He hit a real nice drive but turned out to be in the primary rough I guess ? the ropes were on the other side of the fairway. He was out driving his playing partners and they were hitting it very well. Hit the green or just missed and two putted I think. I must add, every putt I saw was right on the hole and tracking. You could see the ball slowing down a couple feet from the hole and just tell it is the right speed and online, but somehow, it would just burn the very very edge ? how did that not go in! I saw a couple of these today from him. He is putting well, they just aren?t dropping (don't know the deal with the short ones). I know, on tv the sound the crowd makes always sounds like they thought the putt would go in no matter what but that is because they cheering crowd had a bad angle. The ones I saw like this was where I had a good line on it.

Third hole - Could not tell how far in the rough he was because I was on the other side of the fairway but he hit it a mile and it looked great from the tee. The wind was still left to right on this hole and pretty strong. He ended in the left rough but looked real close to the fairway. His second came up short. It would have been in a nasty trap if he had gone at the pin, but instead was in like a fairway collar that leads to the left side of the green. He looked to be about 15 feet off the green with a double bumping straight slight uphill tight fairway and then 15 feet of green. He decided to putt like everyone else would do. The problem was that after putting uphill to get to the green it was all downhill and right to left from there. His putt looked good going up the fairway but once it hit the green you could tell it was too fast. It passed the hole and then two or three feet after the hole the ball rolled like one mile an hour and just kept on rolling and rolling and rolling - fast greens down hill when the grain is pointing at the ocean.

Fourth hole ? I was standing at the green and watched the first pro hit way short, right of the bunkers. The second pro hit a little short but carried the bunkers. Fred hit right at the flag and landed a foot or two short of the green ? 15 feet or so from the flag. ? Man his putt looked good but no joy.

Fifth hole - wind has stopped and it is now sprinkling. Not too cold but just wet. Weird sprinkles like with heavy fat drops of water but spread out 12? apart from each other. Everyone puts on rain gear except Fred. Fred busts another one down the middle and the small crowd cheers like they did on all the previous holes. It starts to rain steady and I decide to wait under the tall trees and watch from there. Fred hits the best shot of the group to about 25 feet maybe? and two putts. I am now super wet in some sort of a wool Ashworth sweater with no umbrella or hat and can't find a place that sells them nearby. I took the long walk back to the first tee where the proshop was; it was dark and raining, I decided to call it a day.

Great time! Just watching Fred go through his entire bag on the range was unreal. Joey should hook up a "bag cam" or something so we could all buy a video tape of him hitting balls. He still has it - I think he hit the ball at least as good as all the other pros out there (never watched @, although while Freddy was putting out on #2 @ walked right by me and asked if he could shake my hand and I was all like WTF? Just kidding. @ did walk right by me though with his surrounding throng of autograph seekers - his face appeared skinnier than you would think).

BTW, #18 is a sloping uphill monster that almost looks downhill on tv ? with a punchbowl arena green. I think on number two Freddy?s ball landed on the side in the rough of one of these punchbowl style greens and bounced onto the green? Tough to remember all the which hole was which hole details. I kept an eye out for any earthgolf/fred types but never really asked anyone ? did speak to a lot of people in the crowd though and they all seemed friendly and all seemed to know Fred?s game.

--Rich

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