Local favourite Ryan Moore has compared conditions at US Open venue Chambers Bay to those at Muirfield for the 2013 Open, conditions which prompted some memorable criticism from the players.
Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter was furious with some of the pin positions after an opening 72, writing on Twitter: " Unfortunately the guys this afternoon will struggle with a few pin positions. 8th hole is a joke, 18th needs a windmill & clown face.''
Eventual winner Phil Mickelson, who was the only man to finish under par, also called on the R&A to "let go of their ego" when setting up the course, which was playing so dry and fast that Rory McIlroy putted from the 15th green into a bunker in his opening 79.
Having grown up just a few miles from Chambers Bay, Moore is one of the few players this week with previous experience of the public, links-style course which only opened in 2007.
" As far as the golf course and the way it bounces and the way it plays, it's something I actually enjoy," said the world number 32, who was 32nd at Muirfield and 12th at Hoylake last year. "It's not what we play week in and week out. It's much more like what we play at a British Open every year.
"I remember playing at Muirfield a couple of years ago where it got so firm and fast over the weekend, I was hitting sand wedges from 190 yards, because it would roll 80 yards. If you had any breeze behind you, you just could not stop the golf ball.
"You kind of have to let the golf course dictate what you can do. You can't force your will on the golf course and I've gotten better at that, just kind of picking a spot, hitting it to it and then you kind of have to let it go. You did everything you can, you have to let the golf ball go where the golf course wants to take it."
The mottled appearance of the greens has also caused some concern in the build-up to the year's second major championship, but Moore believes they will play much better than they look.
"They're definitely not the prettiest greens in the world, but no fescue greens are that pretty," the 32-year-old from Tacoma added. "But it actually rolls a lot better than it looks, and I've been really impressed with my rounds of golf.
"They look like they're going to bounce a lot, but if you hit a good putt, it goes in."
And as for the trains which run alongside the course on the edge of Puget Sound, Moore added: "I t could definitely get you, because they don't mind honking their horn on the train. They definitely do it at least a couple of times going by.
"You'll have to be mindful of that, especially if you're on two or down there on 16, 17 or 18. But we play with a lot of distractions week in and week out with a lot of people.
"And we played in Harding Park for the match play this year and you're right along a big road and cars driving by and honking horns. That's just stuff you do, and you deal with it. But I don't think it should be too bad. I think it's actually kind of cool."
Source: PA