Oakmont C.C. is one tough course

Paula Creamer deserves a tremendous amount of credit for finishing 3 under par (281) on one of the most difficult golf courses around anywhere that is Oakmont Country Club on Hulton Road 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Years ago one of my close friends Mr. Bill Banks would take 3 of his good friends out to Oakmont every year for about 15 straight summers. Of course these 3 guys are Mr. John Steigerwald, Mr. Jack Donahue, the infamous Wheezer a former bartender at the heralded Saloon of Mount Lebanon, and myself. I remember the first year we played that I was so nervous that I had nightmares the night before could not relax while playing. When I got on a roll the greens drove me crazy. The caddy would tell me to put over here and I would say are you sure about that line. Consequently, I stunk that day shooting in the mid 90's, I think John Stag played fairly well, and the Wheezer played like Angelo Spagnola while the member Mr. Banks played nice and steady. Mr. Bill Banks kept saying the course is not that hard. I believed him to a certain degree. But as the years wore on in to the early 90's and beyond, my rational thinking told me that Oakmont was getting easier. Fortunately for me, the final time I played Oakmont C.C. I shot an 80, birdied the unrealistically hard first hole, and I felt so comfortable reading the greens and developing a touch for the speed of the greens that I had the utmost confidence that day. I will tell you this, I could never do that again. John Stag played steady golf all those years and the Wheezer really improved his scores at Oakmont. My question to all of those that have played Oakmont, which is the easier 9 holes, the front or the back. I say the back is easier with Number 10 and 18 being off the chart hard from tee to green.