'Like putting on broccoli'

22 June 2015 - 02:03 By James Corrigan, © The Daily Telegraph

Gary Player never has been that type of legend wheeled out merely for rose-tinted golfing nostalgia. Yet with a verdict on Chambers Bay, host of this past weekend's US Open, he has gone further than he ever has before.Chubby Chandler, manager of Lee Westwood and many others, said: "He's got a few majors and he's probably in a position to say what lots are thinking."Westwood concurred, calling out a Golf Channel employer who, on social media, slammed Player for daring to have an opinion and lubriciously suggested he had tarnished his legacy. "I think Gary Player is qualified to say what he wants when he wants," Westwood tweeted.Some have found it impossible to stay silent. At the start of the week, Charl Schwartzel questioned whether it could be described as "a golf course" and predicted that, because of the bumpy greens, luck would be the deciding factor and, by the time the tournament was under way, the likes of Henrik Stenson, Ernie Els and Justin Rose were venting frustrations.Stenson: "Like putting on broccoli." Rose: "It's like a game of outdoor bingo." Els: "The worst greens I've ever putted on." Garcia: "This tournament deserves better." Even Jordan Spieth, the joint halfway leader, had a gripe, referring to the 18th as "the dumbest hole I've ever played in life".The primary objection has been the greens, with the poa weeds coming through the fine fescue and making the challenge of ridiculously undulating putting surfaces even more absurd.Player believes the Chambers Bay experience failed the game."This has been the most unpleasant golf tournament I've seen."The man who designed this course had to have had one leg shorter than the other. It's hard to believe you see a man miss the green by one yard and the ball ends up 50 yards down in the rough. Imagine, this is a public golf course. This is where we try to encourage people to come out and play and get more people to play the game . it's actually a tragedy. It's 7900 yards long. The world is suffering from a shortage of water. Can you imagine the water this course will take?"An average golfer playing this golf course, I'm telling you, if he's a 15, 16-handicap, he's going to shoot 110 and he's not going to go home a very happy man. We've got to make golf where it's quicker, where it's more enjoyable, get back to their family. We don't want a husband and wife to argue because he's taking too long and neglecting his family life. We're going about it in the wrong way."We're making golf courses longer and longer. More expenses, more water, more fertiliser, more labour. Professional golf has never been so healthy. But we're in trouble amateur-wise." ..

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