Bubba playing 6,100 yard tees

[Parrot]

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/bubba-watson-tour-pro-at-your-course?utm_medium=email&utm_source=072121&utm_campaign=hitlist&utm_content=DM19696&uuid=89b92252ed2843b0b0af65a5d2ac0b55

 

[Snickerdog]

Read this last night, pretty interesting.

 

[RealPretendPsychic]

Really cool! Would love to see how pros (especially Bubba) would attack my home course.

 

[Canadan]

If I had that level of skill, I'd shoot the 62 and be like "nope! Let's run it back" hahaha

 

[OldandStiff]

Good read. Seems like such a fun pro to play a round with. I'd consider that a practice round for him. Not that Bubba is the most conservative player, but give him that one or a couple more to get a feel for the greens and where to miss/not miss, and he's easily in the 50's.

Was laughing my @$$ off at the bunker with something resembling sand. Lol. Those pros and their pristine everything would be throwing fits

 

[Daluteh]

Fun read. He seems like a good guy, just having that perspective. I'm also glad he had fun on a normal course, because I'm sure there are courses we think could stack up to a pro course but don't and not just because of length.

 

[wadesworld]

Doesn't look like he was playing his A-game either, he was just having fun. I'll bet he could easily be in the 50's if he was being serious and playing well.

 

[RayG]

I always thought about what a "Pro" would do at my local growing up. But over the years, it occurred to me that they may not do as well as I thought. Sure, it's "only" 6100 (or whatever) yards. But if they come out there not knowing anything about the place, they'll have the same problems us Regular Joe's will face. Don't hit it there, it's not as wide as it looks, false front there, greens like shag carpets in a potato field, concrete traps, etc...
A few years ago I paired up with some visiting golfers in town for the US Open in 2018. they wanted to play from the "gold" tees which are one up from the Normal Whites. A few holes it isn't much difference, but several are well ahead- especially the Par 5's. So I joined them just to avoid the "I'll go then move up to you guys" , etc... At the end of the day, I shot pretty much what I normally would. Because Driver would put me in places I knew not to go so I had to back off with a 3W or Driving Iron to get an angle or yardage. Sure, 2 par 5's I had 9 Irons in since they were 90* doglegs and cutting the corner was a LOT easier. But I still had to execute those shots. Shorter isn't always easier.

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

Fun video to watch! Ive always wondered how tour pros would score in the conditions we all play regularly! Personally, I’ve found I had the most fun on courses playing in the 5800-6200 range

 

[ttucliffhanger]

really cool!

 

[Bernoulli]

Interesting read. Length is a factor in scoring but not the only one. As Bubba showed here, you still have to make putts.

 

[WMac19]

I’ve no doubt that a PGA Tour pro would shoot in the 50s at my course. Perhaps giving a glimpse into that very real possibility/probability is that last year, the course record was set by our resident pro golfer, David Germann (7 tournament exemption granted to him on the Canadian Tour). He shot 62. I’ve little doubt that David too could go lower.

Par 72, 7,011 yards, 74.1 / 143.

He also has the record from the shorter blue tees (6,600 yards, 71.9 / 134), also a 62. I played with him the season prior to his setting that when he shot 63 from the blues with 10 birdies and an unfortunate bogey on 18. He was not happy about that bogey. Was an absolute pleasure to watch his play throughout.

 

[Parrot]

I’ve no doubt that a PGA Tour pro would shoot in the 50s at my course.

The tips at my course are 7035 on the card. It's a par 72, 73.3/125. It is not a difficult or long course for an elite golfer. A touring pro would shred it. The most he would have into a par 5 might be a 5W on one of them, the rest he would probably have no more than 5 or 6i and perhaps as little as 9i. There are only 2 par 4s over 450. Dude would likely have no more than sand wedge in hand on the rest of the 4s. The par 3s are a bit of a challenge at 239, 204, 198 and 180.

 

[Jaoffo]

My son, that I have mentioned in several of my posts was quite a good Jr golfer when he was in middle school. His mother and I spent lots of time playing taxi to Jr events and sent him to several golf camps. One of those camps was a week long camp at UGA in 2000 and Bubba Watson was one of the "camp instructors".
On the final day Bubba set up the eight golfers in the camp into two teams that would play in a scramble format against Bubba with just his 7 iron and no other club. Each Jr golf teams was coached by Bubba's classmates that were also instructors.
Needless to say Bubba still won but my son will always remember getting beat by Bubba with just a 7 iron.
IIRC he was a nice young guy that really cared about the kids and wanted them to try their best but always have fun doing it..

 

[willplaysgolf]

This is a somewhat unscientific way to look at it, but if you go from 6100 yards to say 7200 or 7300 yards like on tour, that's about 60-70 yards per hole. If you look at Broadie's original strokes gained baseline chart, 60-70 closer off each tee would be in the neighborhood of 0.25 fewer shots per hole, or 4.5 shots per round. So in theory if the tour played a set of up tees at 6100 you wouldn't expect the cutline to be sub-60 or anything, but most weeks would have at least a couple rounds in the 50s.

 

[Parrot]

If I had that level of skill, I'd shoot the 62 and be like "nope! Let's run it back" hahaha

You, or @OldandStiff, would scare the stuffing out of a 62 on a 6100 yard course.

 

[Canadan]

You, or @OldandStiff, would scare the stuffing out of a 62 on a 6100 yard course.

Maybe in my prime, on my best day, on an easy track.

 

[OldandStiff]

You, or @OldandStiff, would scare the stuffing out of a 62 on a 6100 yard course.

 

[Flipit]

The Champions PGA played my home course. They complain about the greens as they are not consistent or true due to the type of grass. However they played it at 7100 I believe, even the yellows are over 6100. This was a great read and I happen to be a Bubba fan so it was extra cool. My course is a shot shapers course, I think Bubba would tear it up.

 

[YukonLiving]

That was a great read! He sounds like a fun guy to play a round with.

 

[robrandalgz]

I always thought about what a "Pro" would do at my local growing up. But over the years, it occurred to me that they may not do as well as I thought. Sure, it's "only" 6100 (or whatever) yards. But if they come out there not knowing anything about the place, they'll have the same problems us Regular Joe's will face. Don't hit it there, it's not as wide as it looks, false front there, greens like shag carpets in a potato field, concrete traps, etc...
A few years ago I paired up with some visiting golfers in town for the US Open in 2018. they wanted to play from the "gold" tees which are one up from the Normal Whites. A few holes it isn't much difference, but several are well ahead- especially the Par 5's. So I joined them just to avoid the "I'll go then move up to you guys" , etc... At the end of the day, I shot pretty much what I normally would. Because Driver would put me in places I knew not to go so I had to back off with a 3W or Driving Iron to get an angle or yardage. Sure, 2 par 5's I had 9 Irons in since they were 90* doglegs and cutting the corner was a LOT easier. But I still had to execute those shots. Shorter isn't always easier.

To play devils advocate, longer isn't always harder either. My home course is right around 6000 yards and I've struggled quite a bit this season. I played my best round of the year this past weekend at 6700 yards.

 

[Hitsnmisses]

Interesting read , highlights the ability of those on tour , l had a chat with lady who was +3 handicap she said to even scratch surface of lowest tour +6 is minimum ... and that getting to scratch is a journey ,,, but playing in + range is a whole new world / journey again ... l was amazed at magnitudes of cold at that level.
As a aside -
l don’t understand the attachment to playing a course that’s fit for handicap , would rather play a course that’s makes me work or improve scoring , therefore improving game rather than , distances for ability ,,, isnt that what are trying to achieve improve ?

 

[leftshot]

It's a great reminder of how great the PGA Tour players are and the large gap between even the best of us and them. Bubba shot a 62 on a course he'd never played that has many characteristics different than the courses he typically plays. What do you think his best score would be if he played that course 10 times? It wouldn't be a 62!

We've got a few folks here who have handicaps between +2 to -2. I'll bet most if not all of them have been told multiple times that they should be playing on tour...and I'll bet most of them chuckled at the comment, inside if not outwardly. There is a huge difference between the two.

 

[PKorf]

Pretty cool read and a fun thing to try. Bubba has never been the top of my list of likeable tour pros, but this shows him in a different light.

 

[Joshnoble01]

Good read. I bet if he played that 10 times he definitely breaks 60. Just a different level.