2019 U.S. Open: Feature Pebble Beach Every Four Years

Watching the 2019 U.S. Open last week at Pebble Beach, I kept thinking about the The Masters. Augusta National hosts the championship every year in early April and fans gear up for one of the most revered courses in the country.

Why is the U.S. Open not held at Pebble Beach more frequently?

When it comes to Augusta, every year, we know the holes and if players made a good or bad decision. Every year, we know that the 12th hole can destroy dreams of a green jacket, the 13th hole provides a chance to take control of the tournament and the Sunday pin location on 16 allows players to use the slope for birdies and a potential hole-in-one.

Part of what makes The Masters magical is that casual golf fans know the course inside and out, and know what the players need to accomplish to win. Why is that? Because Augusta National hosts the championship every year.

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I bring up The Masters because Pebble Beach just hosted a fantastic 2019 U.S. Open, highlighted by Gary Woodland’s first major championship. Every February fans are treated to the stunning views of Carmel Bay at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but a U.S. Open is held at the course about once a decade.

Why is the U.S. Open not held at Pebble Beach more frequently? While America has many fantastic championship courses I suggest a rotating U.S. Open site.

To provide further context, since Pebble Beach hosted Tiger’s iconic 15 shot victory in 2000, the U.S. Open has been played at 13 different locations. As fans, this makes it difficult to track the best holes on the course, know what shots are good versus bad, and what players need to accomplish to win on Sunday afternoon.

Players also want to be familiar with the course and plan their strategy to win America’s golf championship. Finally, the USGA is often maligned for their poor setups; while the players and analyst both lauded the Pebble Beach setup, it is much easier to properly setup the course for a U.S. Open if they return every few years.

No offense to Chambers Bay or Erin Hills (both of which were bashed for their setups), but I believe it would serve the fans, players and USGA if the U.S. Open rotated between four courses; Pebble Beach, Oakmont Country Club, Shinnecock Hills and Pinehurst #2.

These are four iconic setups, each in a different region of the United States, that would serve as the best tests for our National Championship. The fans would understand the courses and, with FOX doing the broadcast every four years, they can continue to experiment with new camera angles and shots (like the drone utilized this year).

Along with enhancing the fan experience, the players would be familiar with the U.S. Open site each year and the USGA would be able to optimize their setups of the course each year to provide a stern yet fair test.

Next. Why the USGA Loves having the U.S. Open on the West Coast. dark

The USGA has already named future sites of the U.S. Open through 2027, and sadly they likely are not reading my blog post. However, based on the fantastic viewing experience, stronger player performance and ideal course setup this weekend I strongly suggest the USGA utilize a four course rotation moving forward.

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