U.S. Open hears the train a comin' … 45 times a day
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Lee Janzen was lucky. He avoided the noise.
Just a couple minutes after the two-time U.S. Open champion teed off on No. 18 in his Wednesday afternoon practice round at Chambers Bay, a freight train roared by just a few yards behind the tee box. Those same tracks also run parallel to the 16th and 17th holes at this week's U.S. Open venue.
This will be a unique championship for many reasons. Among them: the greens are brown, the sand traps are gray – and the trains are running, whizzing north-south on tracks wedged between Puget Sound and the course.
Golfers hate the sound of a shutter click during their swings. Now they have to deal with being railroaded.
The course marshal working the 18th tee box Wednesday afternoon grinned when the freight train went through. This is his local course, and yes, he said, trains are just part of the scenery.
Every day. This week included. The schedule is not expected to be altered for the Open.
[Slideshow: Fly over Chambers Bay]
"Forty-five trains a day," the marshal said, ranging from Amtrak transportation to freight. "I love seeing the Amtrak trains with the passengers all staring at the course."
Waiting them out probably won't be an option for players wishing for peace and quiet on the finishing holes. The train that flashed by after Janzen teed off was a few dozen cars. Delay long enough for that to finish rolling past and players would risk a slow-play warning or penalty.
The audio bombardment from passing trains is just one of the challenges of Chambers Bay's closing holes. If players survive that gauntlet, they still have a steep walk up an 18th hole that can play as long as 604 yards. It's a daunting way to end what could be a long and brutal round.
After Janzen teed off on No. 18, I asked him what he thought of the place.
"It would be great with a cart and a cooler of beer," he said. "It's a tough walk."
Then the train roared by.
It's not just a tough walk. It's a loud walk, too.
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