MGolf starts the season Monday in La Quinta

[winflop]

I played the new layout in Sept 2019 or thereabouts.  I liked it but I miss the old #3.  



technology, even at my age, has taken its toll on how tough Stanford is -- the extra 20 to 30 yards makes a large difference.  overall much better conditioned (greens, bunkers etc).  I can see how our guys are shooting 60, 61 and 62 in practice rounds.  



it still is a great track.

I also miss the old #3. The new #3 is my least favorite hole on the course because of the green. But it had to happen. When Sand Hill Rd was widened, #4 had to convert to a par 3 and the routing had to change. Originally that green was all supposed to go left toward the creek but the right side started to sink not long after the green was built.

I don't know what our guys are shooting in practice rounds, but I can tell you that the re-design of the bunkers has made a major difference in tournament scores. Prior to the re-design, about half the field would be under par for a 3-day tournament. Since then, it's been more like a quarter. I doubt our guys are shooting low 60s regularly, if at all.

[bbm233]

Is the relevance of a golf team's "line up" that those numbers are used when creating pairings of foursomes? For example, Stanford's #1 player will be paired with three  #1's from the other schools.

That's right, but only in the first round. After that, the best scores from each team are grouped.  Let's say that our #3 shoots our best score in the first round. He will then be put in the last group to go out for round two, along with the best scoring players from the other teams.

As far as which teams play together, when there are rankings (later in the season), the best ranked teams will be grouped together in the first round. After the first round, the best scoring teams in that tournament are grouped together. 

Also, the team's overall score is the first criteria to determine groupings, then individuals on those teams are paired once the team groupings are determined. So, in a tournament, if a player has the best overall score, but his team is in 6th place, he will not be playing in the final groups because his team didn't qualify for the last wave.

The net of all of this is that any two individuals playing together on consecutive days is not typical, and it is not unusual for an individual winner to finish well before the last group holes out.

[Spiny_Norman]

Hole #3 was a medium length par 3 and hole #4 a dogleg left par 4 which ran parallel to Sand Hill Road ? If I have that correct, how is the layout of holes now different from before?

Sand Hill Road expansion took much of the fairway of old #4. It is now a short par 3 that covers more or less what used to be the approach to the 4th green.

[winflop]

Hole #3 was a medium length par 3 and hole #4 a dogleg left par 4 which ran parallel to Sand Hill Road ? If I have that correct, how is the layout of holes now different from before?

Sand Hill Road expansion took much of the fairway of old #4. It is now a short par 3 that covers more or less what used to be the approach to the 4th green.

And the tee and green have been switched around on #3. You now tee off from where the old green was and hit to where the old tee was.

[SF_Cardinal_Fan]

Is the relevance of a golf team's "line up" that those numbers are used when creating pairings of foursomes? For example, Stanford's #1 player will be paired with three  #1's from the other schools.

That's right, but only in the first round. After that, the best scores from each team are grouped.  Let's say that our #3 shoots our best score in the first round. He will then be put in the last group to go out for round two, along with the best scoring players from the other teams.

As far as which teams play together, when there are rankings (later in the season), the best ranked teams will be grouped together in the first round. After the first round, the best scoring teams in that tournament are grouped together. 

Also, the team's overall score is the first criteria to determine groupings, then individuals on those teams are paired once the team groupings are determined. So, in a tournament, if a player has the best overall score, but his team is in 6th place, he will not be playing in the final groups because his team didn't qualify for the last wave.

The net of all of this is that any two individuals playing together on consecutive days is not typical, and it is not unusual for an individual winner to finish well before the last group holes out.

Thanks for your detailed reply , and (from a golf perspective) the pairings and groupings are are as they should be.
Do you happen to know if current outstanding Tour players Max Homa and Colin Morikawa (both former CAL players) were recruited by Stanford ?
I think that Stanford's sensational golf course and practice facilities would give the school a significant advantage over other PAC 12 schools.

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Hole #3 was a medium length par 3 and hole #4 a dogleg left par 4 which ran parallel to Sand Hill Road ? If I have that correct, how is the layout of holes now different from before?

Sand Hill Road expansion took much of the fairway of old #4. It is now a short par 3 that covers more or less what used to be the approach to the 4th green.

And the tee and green have been switched around on #3. You now tee off from where the old green was and hit to where the old tee was.

So 3 and 4 are now back to back par 3 holes ?

[slide]

yes, back to back par 3s.  the new #3 is a good hole.  stretches to 215 or so, but not as scary as the old #3.  on old #3, the back left pin on the shelf with tees moved left was a really tough hole.  it was not unusual to have 3, 4 or 5 groups on the tee box backed up in a tournament because of water hazard, OB etc.  

old old #4 went up the hill to the right toward the light with #5 tee box also up there.  a good tee shot got you over the embankment in the fairway.  #5 today is almost driveable from the blacks -- not so from the cardinal tees.

[winflop]

yes, back to back par 3s.  the new #3 is a good hole.  stretches to 215 or so, but not as scary as the old #3.  on old #3, the back left pin on the shelf with tees moved left was a really tough hole.  it was not unusual to have 3, 4 or 5 groups on the tee box backed up in a tournament because of water hazard, OB etc.  

old old #4 went up the hill to the right toward the light with #5 tee box also up there.  a good tee shot got you over the embankment in the fairway.  #5 today is almost driveable from the blacks -- not so from the cardinal tees.

#5 today might be driveable by Dustin Johnson but not college players. Many of them hit a hybrid or iron off the tee anyway and leave themselves 100-130 in. And then there are the tournament tees which are up on the hill by where the old old #4 green used to be. Makes the hole longer but straight. I actually think the regular cardinal tees make the hole tougher.

[Mick]

Plus Hosting Santa Clara on Monday

Stanford won the finals easily, 3-1 in match play.


Snyder / Thorbjornsen , 4&3 over McCarty / Ward 

Vilips / Menon,  6&5 over Kaneshiro / Brauckmeyer 

Arasu / Leede lost 1UP to Conley / Avrit 

Ng / Brown, 3&2 over Harvey / Zimmerman
[url=javascript://][/url]Stan (1)
Here's last year's stroke play average of SCU's men's golf team.  I imagine Stanford wasn't too concerned:

71.19
72.17
73.00
73.00
73.42
73.94
75.00
75.67
75.83

Anyway, glad the season's started.

[BobK]

Medal play was much closer on Monday