US Open: Is Chambers Bay full-size crazy golf?

Whatever else is made of Chambers Bay in Seattle, controversial site of golf's second Major of the year, it is difficult to see it winning the universal endorsement of the 156 golfers competing in the event. The 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel from South Africa was the first notable name to offer a withering critique of a venue that resembles a man-made version of a British seaside links course, but looks appear to be deceiving.

It seems more like full-size crazy golf for adults. All that is missing are the tunnels to hit through, but there are trains running up and down the 17th hole.

Chambers Bay provides scope to hit promising drives, but that is when the fun begins. Solid approach shots can be made to look bad, ridiculous or farcical just by the severness of the slopes and undulation that defines the track.

"But most guys aren’t of the mindset to be able to shoot the scores you’re going to see here and remain focused.I think you will see a tournament won in over par, especially if it stays like this. If you get off on the wrong foot on Thursday, the hardest thing is going to be to accept what is going to happen out there.

“You play a golf course like Muirfield Village (which hosted the Memorial two weeks ago) and you’ve got the most perfect putting surfaces you could ask for and then you come to the US Open and you’ve got surfaces that a good putt doesn’t really matter,” said Schwartzel.

"They roll so badly that a good putt misses and a bad one goes in. That’s the most difficult part for us. You practise and a good putt goes in the hole, so you’re going to have to work on accepting what is going to happen out there. You’ll just have to be mentally stronger, I suppose.”

If one thinks Augusta's greens at the US Masters are petrifying, study the putt Bubba Watson made during a practice round on the Pacific Northwest set-up. Playing the ball away from the holes could be a regular occurence on such a course, and may be the key to retaining sanity over four days when a score of level par score of 280 is likely to land the jackpot.

“You feel like you’ve played 18 after you’ve played nine, anyway, because every hole seems to be uphill,” said Tiger Woods.

“And I don’t want to walk eight miles each day.” The criticism of Chambers Bay is only beginning.