Meehan: Time for first Pros Roundtable of the local golf season

One fringe benefit to covering golf is tapping into the thoughts of area pros. That’s my goal with the Pros Roundtable, a semi-regular feature in this space. I round up three pros, fire off four questions and usually learn something from their responses. Today’s threesome: Brent Walsh, general manager at the Coeur d’Alene Golf Club; Gordon Corder, pro at Manito; and Brad Ebberson, pro at The Club at Rock Creek. Q: What’s the coolest hole you’ve played (can’t be on your own course), and why? Walsh: The first hole that came to mind was the par 3 11th at Pacific Dunes. From the tee you are towering at least 100 feet above the Pacific Ocean. You can’t beat this view. With your eyes drawn to the ocean, the dunes and bunkers are much easier to hit than this small green. Par is a great score. Pretty sure I made 5. Corder: The first hole on the north nine at Sahalee Country Club stands out in my mind. You stand there and look at the beautiful conditioning, understand the history of major championships hosted there, and then think, “Wow … did I bring enough golf balls?” Ebberson: My quick response would be No.11 at Pacific Dunes. Its 148 yards uphill on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean to a green that looks like it’s the size of my office desk. Throw in a typical 20-mph side wind and you’ve got a real sweetheart. Q: Tiger Woods hasn’t won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Has he won his last major? Why or why not? Corder: I still believe Tiger can win majors but he has both fallen back to the pack and they have caught up. He’s much more human now in that he has to play out of his mind to win. He can’t just show up and win anymore. Ebberson: It’s not if but when. I believe once he clears his head, simplifies his swing thoughts and sharpens his short game he’ll be back on top. He certainly has some stiff competition these days! Walsh: I believe that the physical problems (back and joint pain) that Tiger Woods is dealing with has impaired his trust in his golf swing, motivation and stamina to pull off another major victory. Q: What is the most common putting mistake you see with amateurs and can you offer a tip to fix it? Ebberson: Decelerating. Try matching the length of your back stroke with the forward stroke that accelerates through the ball to improve your chances at finding the bottom of the cup. Walsh: Alignment is by far the most common putting mistake I see. The easiest cure is the use of alignment aids such as alignment sticks. This helps give the player a visual to properly align his/her feet as well as the putter face. Corder: The biggest mistake I see amateurs make is focusing too much on the stroke. Using the technology we have today, we now understand that 92-95 percent of the direction the ball travels from a putter face is determined by the face angle at impact. Knowing this, the best advice I can offer is to spend some time doing drills or working with a PGA professional to get the putter face perpendicular to your intended line and forget about perfecting the stroke. Q: The U.S. Open is coming to links-style Chambers Bay next month, a new look for our national championship. Will pros love it or hate it? Walsh: From the current reports, the players hate it. However, we are talking about the top professionals in the world. I think they will learn to adapt to the challenges Chambers Bay possesses and end up loving it. Corder: I guess it depends on who you are asking. I’ll bet the guy who wins will love it and the big-name player who misses the cut and has a microphone put in front of him will tell us how the USGA got the set-up wrong. Either way, the enthusiasm in the Puget Sound over this U.S. Open is incredible so I’m excited to take it all in. Ebberson: If the tour pros are anything like me they’re going to love it. I couldn’t think of a better venue to host golf’s toughest test in the great Pacific Northwest.