2012 US Open: Why the Olympic Club Fits Tiger Woods' New Game

The 2012 U.S. Open is one major championship where the modern day bombers may actually be at a disadvantage.

The Olympic Club, site of the 2012 U.S. Open, maxes out at 7,200 yards; however, it’s unlikely that the course will actually play 7,200 yards during any of the four rounds.

Players are more likely to see a 7,000 – 7,100 yard course on most days, and it could possibly even play less than 7,000 yards during a round or two depending upon how generous the USGA is feeling this week.

A 7,000 – 7,100 yard course is fairly short by PGA Tour standards and is very short by U.S. Open standards.

Olympic’s Lake Course isn’t a wide open grip-it and rip-it style golf course. If you step up to the tee with a driver and attempt to unleash a 340-yard drive down the fairway, you will likely wind up in the thick rough.

While the bombers may snarl at a course that takes driver out of their hands for much of the week, The Olympic Club’s Lake Course is essentially shot maker’s paradise. This course is all about angles and working the ball in both directions.

A large majority of the Lake Course’s holes dogleg in one direction or another and most fairways, particularly on the front nine, slope quite dramatically towards the left or right.  

Players will be forced to control their distance off the tee while shaping their shots in one direction or the other based on the slope of the fairways and not necessarily the direction of the holes.

A number of players will benefit from this style of play, but one player who might benefit more than any other is Tiger Woods.

A tight and winding course that brings shorter hitters into the mix would ordinarily not be a dream setup for Woods.

However, Tiger 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4.5 or whatever version we’re on now is perfectly suited for this style of play because it will take the driver out of his hands for most of the week.    

Although Woods currently leads the PGA Tour in total driving, which takes into account both distance and accuracy off the tee, Woods still appears to be incredibly uncomfortable with the driver in his hands.   

Now, you may be asking how a player can lead the tour in total driving without being confident in his driver.  

Well, it’s because driving statistics simply measure performance off of the tee, and Woods has been hitting a large amount of three woods and irons off the tee in 2012.

Two weeks ago at Muirfield Village where Woods won the Memorial Tournament, he hit the ball exceptionally well off the tee, only he did so with three woods and irons.

Aside from Sunday, where he finally hit his driver well, Woods only took his driver out of the bag 2-3 times per round. And when he did, he hit his driver off the tee and was still having difficulty finding the fairway.

If Olympic played 7,600 yards and Woods was forced to hit the driver off the tee at virtually every par four and par five, he’d have a very tough time winning this week.

But that’s not the case.

Woods could approach Olympic in a manner very similar to the way in which he approached Muirfield Village two weeks ago.

There will be several holes where Woods will be forced to hit his driver, most notably the 16th and 17th, which are both par fives.  But for the most part, Woods could navigate his way around Olympic while hitting mostly three woods and irons off the tee.

Woods is hitting his irons well enough that when he’s actually in the fairway there are few players on the planet who can hope to compete with him.  

Finding the fairway off of the tee has not been Woods’ issue this season; his issue has been finding the fairway off of the tee while using a single club—his driver.

If Woods’ driver stays in his bag for the majority of the week, he could tactically navigate his way around the Olympic Club and put himself into contention on Sunday afternoon.

Five years ago a course like the Olympic Club’s Lake Course would be Woods’ worst nightmare. But this is a new Tiger Woods with a new game, and he may just three wood and iron his way to a fourth U.S. Open title this week at the Olympic Club.

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