When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
At 430 yards with a blind landing area, the narrowing of the 16th seems pretty surprising as the uphill second to a tough green still keeps the hole relevant even in the modern game.
The aerial does not do justice to this wonderful green and the grandeur of the quarry.
Oh, and needless to say the landing area was a lot more generous in the old days.
The Boston Globe's Michael Whitmer reprints David Fay's extensive explanation of The Country Club from his Merion story in the June Golf Digest. Fay explained why the USGA picked Merion over TCC, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary this year of the historic 1913 U.S. Open.
He called the composite course “overrated” while suggesting the club had no USGA advocates internally.
The club is taking the high road:
“The Country Club has been fortunate to host many great championships and to be a part of some of the game’s most memorable moments,” said club member Sandy Tierney, who is the general chairman for the 2013 US Amateur. “We highly value the club’s place in golf history and feel that the 2013 US Amateur will be a fitting tribute to Francis Ouimet, the quintessential amateur, and the centennial anniversary of a victory that some have called the most important in American golf history."
Writer Jeff Silverman has been researching and writing a club history of Merion, now all that remains is the 2013 U.S. Open to finish off the book about one of America's most history-rich courses.
In advance of the U.S. Open he joins Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and myself for a chat about past events at Merion, the setup this year, who we like going in and yes, the logo.
As always, you can listen and subscribe on iTunes or check it out here:
The great combo 15th tee and 16th hole bailout has been opened up in the last decade thanks to tree removal and makes for one of the great intersections (potentially) in the final round of the U.S. Open. 
(Click to enlarge)As the aerial shows, the road and out-of-bounds awaits the double-crossed tee shot on this 411-yarder, though mysteriously, a bit of rough separates the fairway bunkers and fairway even though the right side is no picnic for approaching this green.
I've included the aerial from Bobby Jones' day. The white dashes show how he played the hole in the 1930 U.S. Amateur qualifying rounds.
The USGA flyover:
This time it was Ryan Winther on Golf Channel's School of Golf though you wil have to sit through about 1:10 of Morning Drive with Ahmad Rashad, his earring, Kelly Tilghman and Mark Rolfing yammering on before you see Winther hit a 50% drive through plywood and the simulator.
Johnny's Oakmont 63--which we'll hear about a lot next week thanks to the 40th anniversary--is now complimented by Carnegie Mellon professors Adam Lazarus and Steve Schlossman filing a follow up to their book "Chasing Greatness: Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer and the Miracle at Oakmont."
You can read it for free here.
This caught my eye:
The Sprinkler Malfunction: Did the oft-rumored but never fully confirmed sprinkler malfunction and soaking of Oakmont's notoriously hard and fast greens actually happen? Schlossman and Lazarus uncover evidence that it did happen prior to Friday's second round and explore what that meant for Miller's eventual win.
I'm particularly interested in the course stats component promising an "interactive look at statistics and trends for each hole."
And For Immediate Release...
U.S. OPEN APPS NOW AVAILABLE
iPad application new for 2013; iPhone, Android device apps upgraded
Far Hills, N.J. (June 5, 2013) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today launched U.S. Open applications for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. These user-friendly apps are designed to bring the excitement of the 113th U.S. Open Championship to fans around the world. The U.S. Open will be played at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., June 13-16.
New for this year is a data-rich, scoring-centric iPad app, developed by IBM. Detailed player information along with scorecards, statistics, groupings, starting times and live Marquee Group coverage throughout the championship highlight the tablet experience for iPad users. The app also features hole insights, which provide fans with an interactive look at statistics and trends for each hole. A personalized live leaderboard option that allows users to track up to five of their favorite competitors is also available.
Powered by IBM cloud computing and analytics technologies, all applications provide users with access to live HD video streaming, real-time scoring, live updates, news and photos. Their user-friendly design will provide fans on the go with up-to-the-minute information and statistics from America’s premier golf championship.
Mike McCarley's most recent email to the Golf Channel community announced the addition of 52 more employees via the acquisition of two tee sheet software companies to compliment GolfNow, the OpenTable of golf. Included in the acquisition is a company based in Europe, which one can read a lot into. Or not.
From the Golf Channel head's note to the staff after Golf's Longest Day coverage, note the ambitious last sentence...
More from the Nicklaus Museum. Parts 1 and 2 are here.
Part 3 is the famed one-iron from 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusol with insights from curator Steve Auch.
My favorite segment is part 4, the "White Fang" putter painted by Barbara, gripped by Deane Beman (with a now illegal golf pencil insert), then it disappeared, and then it was recovered after someone brought it to a birthday party for one of the Nicklaus children.
Part 5 looks into the museum's Masters display, including his 1975 shirt and the story behind the 1986 putter.
Doug Ferguson's AP notes includes this from Johnny Miller, who misses the old U.S. Open of high rough, chipping out and uh, more rough. He should get his wish at Merion.
''I think it lost its identity, personally,'' Miller said. ''I don't agree with that one bit. To me, the U.S. Open is supposed to be the ultimate test. ... I just thought like at Torrey (Pines), they set it up like an old Andy Williams with distance. Not that it wasn't a good Open - it was a great Open. But I like the rough, personally.''
Those who've seen it have said the putting green tee option for the 464-yard 14th at Merion is "awkward" at best, downright goofy at worst. Do look for that as the aerial tour begins over the putting green.
(Click to enlarge)More disappointing is the lack of space to hit the ball to drive the ball, especially when compared to the look in 1930 when the road to the left was a key hazard and one that, when flirted with, shortened the hole.
Now it's "high fescue rough" obviously designed to make the hole play longer in the face of intense core work by today's pros, but also means it plays less strategically.
Here's a scan of a photocopy of how Bobby Jones played the hole in the two stroke play of the 1930 U.S. Amateur.
The video:
Watching the Golf Channel highlight package from Golf's Longest Day you hate to dwell on the negative. But I will!
Adam Schupak wonders about all of the WD's--22 to be exact who couldn't be bothered to finish the 36-hole Sectional qualifier at the Colonial site--and offers a solution. Worse, many quit mid-round, which disrupts the pacing in a group and is particularly obnoxious if a player in the group has a chance to qualify.
Not surprisingly, most of the WD's were PGA Tour members saving their energy for the 29th major this week in Memphis.
I think it’s high time the USGA penalize players who withdraw from the qualifier. If the USGA wanted to eliminate the problem in an instant, it could decrease the number of spots available at sites based on WDs, but that wouldn’t be fair to the players who keep playing. So here’s what I propose: If a golfer WDs from the sectional, he forfeits the opportunity to skip local qualifying the following year (a privilege granted to Tour pros). I bet that would make guys think twice about walking off in the middle of a round. For one, it’s not fair to your playing partners. It can screw up pace of play. Threesomes became twosomes having to wait behind threesomes. In fact, so many players withdrew at Colonial that I witnessed three empty holes on the South Course.
This is for the right to play for our national championship. Show a little respect and go the distance.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
