{"id":47360,"date":"2026-08-07T01:26:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T01:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/47360\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T01:26:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T01:26:20","slug":"jj-spaun-names-the-key-difference-between-shinnecock-and-bethpage-as-us-open-golf-courses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/47360\/","title":{"rendered":"JJ Spaun names the key difference between Shinnecock and Bethpage as US Open golf courses\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\/ Follow us on Google Discover <\/a> <\/p>\n

The US Open frames its entire identity around being the toughest test in golf. <\/p>\n

Last year, around Oakmont Country Club, JJ Spaun won the event as the only under-par finisher. That course is renowned as one of the toughest in America, and it\u2019s not getting any easier for the players this week. <\/p>\n

The 2026 US Open is at Shinnecock Hills, where only three players have shot under par at a major championship in the last 100 years. In 2018, Brooks Koepka won at one over. <\/p>\n

Shinnecock and Oakmont are two brutal tests of golf, but they are very distinct challenges. Last year\u2019s winner, Spaun, went into some detail as to what makes Shinnecock so difficult before this year\u2019s US Open. <\/p>\n

\"J.Photo by Andrew Redington\/Getty ImagesJJ Spaun names the key difference between Shinnecock and Bethpage Black<\/p>\n

Spaun was an unexpected winner at Oakmont last year, as he was the only man to conquer the brutal conditions on Sunday. He drained a long putt to finish the week under par and win his first major title.<\/p>\n

That was one of the greatest putts in golfing history, considering the difficulty of those greens. Spaun was asked how he\u2019s been practicing for Shinnecock\u2019s lightning-fast, undulating putting surfaces, and he explained why it\u2019s been so challenging. <\/p>\n

Speaking in a press conference before the US Open, he said, \u201cYeah, so putting is difficult to simulate, considering I live in Arizona. We don\u2019t really have crazy, undulating greens right now, especially this time of year. Everything is really slow because it\u2019s so hot. They\u2019re keeping the grass alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I did a lot last week was really \u2014 because I know Shinnecock is known for being very windy, and it can be breezy, so worked a lot on, like, my technique on flighting my shots and understanding what feels I\u2019ve got to feel when I need to flight certain clubs and what shape that takes to hit, like, a flighted draw.<\/p>\n

Who will win the US Open this week? \ud83c\udfc6 <\/p>\n

Scottie Scheffler is going for the career Grand Slam! \ud83c\udfcc\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\"2025 <\/p>\n

\u201cMore of that, instead of airborne golf, working on your carry numbers, because that\u2019s kind of what\u2019s not going to happen this week, especially the first few days. Yeah, I just tried to simulate what kind of shots I will be envisioning myself hitting throughout the tournament and just really worked hard on how to get comfortable with a template as far as how to execute those shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spaun has had plenty of preparation on difficult golf courses, having played at Oakmont last year and at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Although, in fairness, Keegan Bradley took the teeth out of Bethpage. <\/p>\n

Still, Spaun was asked about the two golf courses, both based in the North East, and he said, \u201cI would say, first off, conditions. It\u2019s a lot windier here. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re closer to the ocean or not than Bethpage. That could be a terrible guess. Sorry. I don\u2019t know if that has anything to do with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s I feel like more undulation, more elevation changes. Visually, it can look similar, but there\u2019s more tree-lined \u2014 not tree-lined, but there\u2019s more trees kind of in the surrounds of Bethpage that kind of brings it in a little bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ve got the fescue out there. It\u2019s very similar in ways visually, but I think it plays a lot differently. The greens are a lot slopier. A little crazier, I would say, around the greens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Typically, trees make golf courses more difficult, putting a higher emphasis on accuracy, but not at Shinnecock. The lack of trees leaves it totally exposed to the wind, which is expected to howl this week. This is going to be a brutal test of golf. <\/p>\n

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