Can Augusta National Get The MacKenzie And Jones Back In Their 5th Hole?

John Boyette and the Augusta Chronicle report on landscaping work around what will be a new property line by Old Berckmans Road. A photo gallery and details from the club's permit filings suggest a robust effort. 

As The Forecaddie explains, this is pretty clearly the beginning phase to major work at the fifth hole. Once the new perimeter is established, the club will be closed and on-course work can begin.

While no changes have been announced, this will be a huge test of new Chairman Fred Ridley's devotion to MacKenzie and Jones.  For Golfweek's April issue, I wrote about the Ridley's comments and fascinating omission of Clifford Roberts in favor of a rare MacKenzie reference, as well as what the future portends.

Which brings us to the 5th hole. Other than the 11th hole's awful pine nursery plantings in place of what used to be fairway, no hole was more perversely compromised to prevent a driver and sand wedge approach than the 5th. In 2002, fairway bunkers were pushed forward to pinch the landing area and force a lay-up off the tee.

Jones, however, described the intent of rewarding those who carried the left bunkers to shorten the hole and enjoy a better angle. He noted the danger looking for the left tee shot pulled into the woods but also the distinct difference in angle and distance for the second shot.

Here is the George Cobb rendering from Golf Is My Game and take note of the contours included by Cobb. There was a high spot down that left side where the best angle was obtained, as well as nice mounding in the right center that added visual deception for the safely played tee shot:

1960 rendering by George Cobb for Bobby Jones' Golf Is My Game

In one of his earliest renderings and comments, MacKenzie even equated the dogleg corner and overhanging trees to the Road hole's station masters garden and the green design's principles inspired by the Old Course's 17th. 

With additional space behind the tee to add length and Ridley's stated devotion to the original strategies, the fairway bunkers should come back a bit and the left side restored. However, with the tee possibly shifting to the right, this will change the view, angle and maybe effect the ability to restore the very classic risk-reward strategy. 

Time will soon tell if the nuances so well documented by the architects and rooted in the Road hole, are reclaimed during this summer's fifth hole work. 

Instagram: Tiger's Comeback Complete, Your U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Champs, Pine Valley's New/Old Skyline Green, Holston Hills From Above

Tiger during Wednesday's Wells Fargo Championship pro-am showed why he could never win again and still realize how much he was missed.

A gesture from @TigerWoods that goes above and beyond the ropes. #LiveUnderPar

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on May 2, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

At El Caballero Country Club, Colorado State golfers Katrina Prendergast, 20 and Ellen Secor, 20, were 2-down with five to play before defeating Lei Ye, 16, of the People’s Republic of China, and Yachun Chang, 17, of Chinese Taipei, 1 up.

The champions and their 🏆 #USWFourBall #USGATrophyGoals 📸 USGA/JD Cuban

A post shared by United States Golf Association (@usga) on May 2, 2018 at 6:24pm PDT

The 9th at Pine Valley has seen the old "skyline green" effect restored after decades of framing by trees.

The horizon/infinity left green on the par-4 9th at Pine Valley Golf Club. A little tree removal goes a long way - the lack of a backdrop on the approach to this green makes gauging distance more challenging and lets in more wind (in addition to opening a hell of a view). #pinevalleygolfclub #pinevalleygc #pinevalley #pvgc #georgecrump #harrycolt #charlesalison #cbmacdonald #awtillinghast #perrymaxwell #hughwilson #georgethomas #williamflynn #waltertravis #roberthunter #alistermackenzie #donaldross #williamfownes #crumpsdream #newjerseygolf #classicgems #golfcourses #golfphotos #golfcoursephotos #golfcoursephotography #golfcoursearchitecture #whyilovethisgame

A post shared by Jon Cavalier (@linksgems) on May 2, 2018 at 8:14pm PDT

Holston Hills gets a thumb’s up from the Sugarloaf Social Club gang.

Holston Hills is the premier example of how to properly restore and preserve a Golden Age gem. And this track just adds further proof that the man from Dornoch was the greatest router who ever lived ... ideal green to tee walks, maximum fun factor and the ability to be enjoyed by all types of players :: those are the defining tenants of the Ross oeuvre.

A post shared by Sugarloaf (@sugarloafsocialclub) on May 2, 2018 at 5:17pm PDT

Two Short Course Openings: Sand Valley's Sandbox, Prince's Himalayas

Social media watchers have known these two were coming for some time, still it's fun to see a pair of great "accessory" courses opening to play on the same day: Sand Valley's new "Sandbox" course by Coore, Crenshaw and The Boys, and the rejuvenated Himalayas nine at Prince's Golf Club by Mackenzie and Ebert.

A few images, starting with Sand Valley where I'm sure we'll see more as the opening day play proceeds:

Fun run around Sandbox at @sandvalleygolf ... Coore/Crenshaw hits another homer with this short beauty ... also, how about those tee markers

A post shared by Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) on Apr 30, 2018 at 2:32pm PDT

It's hard to believe the May 1 opening of the Sandbox, our 3rd golf course, is less than 6 weeks away. We're very excited to invite our followers to join us for a special event to celebrate the opening of The Sandbox. The opening day event includes three days of golf, camaraderie and evening panel discussions with Michael Keiser, Jr. and Bill Coore moderated by @shanebacon of FOXSports and Andy Johnson, founder of @fried_egg_golf golf blog. Click on the link in our bio to learn more...Let the countdown to golf season begin!

A post shared by Sand Valley Golf Resort (@sandvalleygolf) on Mar 23, 2018 at 6:17am PDT

Prince's 3200 yard nine makes a 27-hole day there appear to be essential. Here is a Golf World UK story pre-project on the planned work.

On our way to the opening of the reinvigorated Himalayas 9 at Princes. After a day of torrential rain, a sigh of relief that the sun is shining! Should be a good day.

A post shared by Mackenzie & Ebert (@mackenzieandebert) on Apr 30, 2018 at 11:56pm PDT

A lovely touch by Princes featuring what must be one of the best stories in golf of the famous Laddie Lucas. #NewHims

A post shared by Mackenzie & Ebert (@mackenzieandebert) on May 1, 2018 at 9:17am PDT

Ko's 3-Wood Reminds Us What Shotmaking Can Be Like When The Professional Game Has Symmetry

If you haven't seen the shot, do check out Lydia Ko's 3-wood from Lake Merced and the 2018 MEDIHEAL Championship.

In her Golfweek account, Beth Ann Nichols called it "one of the most clutch 3-woods in LPGA history, negotiating a tree down the left side of the closing par 5 and nestling it in close for eagle. For a moment, an albatross was in the picture."

I want to highlight the shot for a host of reasons beyond the simple pleasure of watching someone with supernatural talents deliver so decisively under pressure. 

Some are wondering why the LPGA held more appeal in recent weeks and shots like Ko's bear greater study in the context of the distance and skill debate.

Consider...

--The 18th hole for this particular event will never be confused with Augusta National's 13th, yet there was enough strategic interest to create intrigue: drive down the right side and get a better view of the green, drive left and perhaps shorten the approach, but also lose the better angle.

--In the playoff, Minjee Lee outdrove Ko by 30 yards, but as Golf Channel's Karen Stupples noted almost immediately, Ko would have the better angle due to an overhanging cypress tree and the shape of the alleyway approach. Check out this screen grab of Ko's angle, with Lee's ball down the left, just above Ko's waistline:

--Since LPGA driving distances are of sane proportions for a majority of the golf courses on earth, even very simple architectural elements provided options, risks and nuanced reward in positioning. The execution by Ko was ultimately masterful, but she was given a canvas thanks to the firm ground conditions, immaculate turf and LMCC design to execute something special.

--Watching the way Ko's ball hit the ground and release toward the hole only added to the drama and beauty of the shot. If this were a 6-iron, as we see all too often hit into a par-5 by today's male players, the shot loses appeal. It's not something we talk about nor is it a shot that leaves us in awe of the players. Or, in modern parlance, we don't feel like we're living under par.

--The game is far more interesting to watch and play when angles have meaning and the ground can be used. Even a novice golf watcher can get a thrill from a shot like Ko's and appreciate that they saw something few humans could accomplish. 

--When the game is compelling because of the aforementioned elements, more people will tune in on those merits over, say, watching forty-year-olds playing air guitar to music that hasn't been relevant in decades, if ever.

ASGCA Recap: Collegiality, Practicality And A Ross Tartan Yarmulke

I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the observations from the annual American Society of Golf Course Architects annual gathering as seen through the eyes of a compassionate Bradley Klein, filing for GolfAdvisor.com.

Incoming ASGCA President Jeff Blume spoke powerfully about the collegiality that lies at the core of the group. 

So nice all of the men in plaid are getting along these days.

There was this, which sounds like the practicality highlight of the session:

Among the most ambitious of these efforts that served as a case study at the meeting is The Preserve at Oak Meadows in the Chicago suburb of Addison, Ill. Golf architect Greg Martin described the scope of a 285-acre project costing $18 million that involved 19 regulatory government agencies, conversion and a small army of consultants. Martin called it “a forest preserve with a golf course,” with the priority placed on reclaiming the native Illinois prairie and wetlands landscape while providing a revenue producing recreational amenity that was both "resistant and resilient" in the face of perennial flooding. It’s the kind of project where the golf course has to fit within a larger strategy of land management. Not the sort of thing that you can just improvise in the field.

And there was this lovely gesture to Klein from the society, who had already given him the Donald Ross Award:

The honorary membership status that came with the award qualified me for a share of the red tartan cloth, which they thoughtfully presented in the form of a Ross-plaid yarmulke.

"Short and Sweet: 9-Hole, Par 3, and Short Courses Are The Future"

There is much to feel good about in Adam Schupak's Links Magazine cover story on Par-3 courses gaining popularity, respect and a passionate audience wanting more of them. 

For starters, there is the totality of the short course message being validated by big names like Woods, Spieth, Bandon and Pinehurst.

There is the sheer variety of projects, the styles of design, numbers of holes and different philosophies for building or adding a Par-3 Course. 

The lack of dissent, except from Links editor George Peper and Golf Digest Architecture Editor Ron Whitten, speaks to the way these little courses resonate with most.

And selfishly, there is this very nice mention of the Prairie Club Horse Course's impact on Mike Keiser.

Bandon Preserve was conceived as a breather for the golfer walking 36 holes day after day at the resort’s four standout 18-hole layouts, while giving another option to the golfer who didn’t want to sit in his room all afternoon, either. Keiser says his inspiration for the Preserve was The Horse Course, a course with no tees, just expanded fairways and 10 greens, at the Prairie Club in Nebraska. Designed by Gil Hanse with Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford, the trio took the concept of basketball’s game of “horse,” which allows the winner of each hole to choose the stance, lie, shot, and green for the next hole.

Here's a fun drone shot of the Horse Course by Patrick Koenig:

If you don’t have the Horse Course @theprairieclub in your list of top short courses, you better giddyeup on over to the local horsepital.

A post shared by Patrick Koenig (@pjkoenig) on Oct 6, 2017 at 5:23pm PDT

Chamblee Laments Alister MacKenzie's Design Influence On Golf, Death Of "Ribbon Fairways"

Irony isn't his thing, otherwise Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee might even find it funny that he's dusting off his sticks for a competitive comeback with the hope of playing the Old Course during this year's Senior Open Championship (John Strege reports). 

Yet the same analyst who so eloquently lamented the disappearance of Alister MacKenzie design features at Augusta National just seven years ago, who advocated bifurcation regularly not long ago in hopes of allowing for classic designs to matter, now blames Alister MacKenzie's design philosophy for a range of things, including potentially "damaging" the modern professional game.

In quite the contradictory column, Chamblee says elite players would return to smaller driver heads and spinning balls to shape the balls into...ribbon like fairways lined with thick rough. Except MacKenzie--supported by rogues like Bobby Jones and Ben Crenshaw--had the audacity to channel the Old Course and spread that who whole fun/width/strategy message.

Players, professional and amateur, loved the forgiving nature of his designs, and budding architects wanting to imitate MacKenzie’s work, adopted philosophies along similar lines. To this day when having a debate with a group of Tour players or golf course architect nerds, the consensus will be to have little or graduated rough off of the tee, “to allow for the recovery” many will say, followed by “to give the greatest pleasure to the greatest number.”

I've never actually heard a tour player recite the greatest pleasure line and can confidently say that there are three active players on the PGA Tour who've actually read those words in print. (That would be the law firm of Ogilvy, Herman and Blair).

Because golf course setups have become far more forgiving – owing to the MacKenzie philosophy, complaints and suggestions of the players and to the social media chorus that we want more birdies ­– players seek to launch shots as high as they can, with as little spin as they can, with as long of a driver as they can handle.

Wait, so the players try to make birdies to please social media, not because it helps lower their scores? Kinky!

Distance has become a means to an end so much, that many are crying for a roll back of the ball when all that needs to happen is to roll back to an era when one man had the guts and the acuity to not listen to the players, or the pervading philosophy of fairness.

Imagine if the U.S. Open and other events returned to this demanding philosophy. Players out of necessity would choose balls that spin more, heads that were smaller so they could shape shots, shots that would start lower for more control and golf swings would evolve to find the balance of distance and accuracy. In time an athlete would come along who could solve the puzzle of how to hit the ball far and straight. 

Yes, they never practice how to hit it straighter these days, these kids. 

It is amazing how quickly some forget the bomb and gouge era of the early 21st century when rough and narrowness was employed to offset a distance explosion. That was back when Brandel was pro-MacKenzie and pro-bifurcation. 

Detroit Golf Club Poised To Land PGA Tour Event In 2019?

That's what the Detroit News' Tony Paul reports, though no agreement is finalized. The rumor mill has been suggesting a Quicken Loans event in the Detroit area is inevitable, so for me the pleasant surprise is the selection of Detroit Golf Club.

With two Donald Ross courses and a delightfully old clubhouse, it's a grand and bold selection. There is plenty of space, though it'll be tough to see what happens to the short, delightful South Course around tournament time. For architecture geeks it'll be a great chance to go look at some very special Ross green complexes.

Anyway, from Paul's report, on what sounds like an inspired choice if it all comes together.

The tournament likely would debut in 2019, and be held at Detroit Golf Club, making it the first PGA Tour tournament to be played within the city limits.

A high-ranking employee at Detroit Golf Club declined comment when reached by The Detroit News on Monday.

A title-sponsor candidate would be Dan Gilbert's Quicken Loans, which sponsored The National in the Washington, D.C., area from 2014-17, but pulled out after last season’s event. Quicken Loans had told the PGA Tour that its priority is a tournament in Detroit.

The event would likely replace The National, which seems destined for its final playing in the greater Washington D.C. area this June 28th to July 1st. 

Venues Matter, Volume 3,909: Wilshire v. TPC San Antonio

Sweet-Swinging Jin Young Ko tees off at Wilshire's 7th, playing 92 yards for the final round to a front and far left hole location. 

It's been a long time since a course has elicited as many texts, Tweet responses and consistent commentary. They all went something like this: "Wilshire looks great! Fun viewing! Great crowds!"

Perhaps it was the prime-time placement of the LPGA Tour action from stately and cool Wilshire Country Club. Maybe it was that ingeniously placed crane shot, conspiring with the late light to make Wilshire and surrounding old Hollywood look so darn cool. And just possibly all of that, with enthusiastic commentary from Gannon/Stupples/Cockerill/Foltz/Abbott juxtaposed with the already-tired-looking and soulless TPC San Antonio served as yet another remind of golf in a classy old course in the city center is way better than rural TPC golf.

Wilshire won the week 8&7 over TPC San Antonio. 

All of this should sting at PGA Tour headquarters but won't, even though the Valero Texas Open used to be played at a beloved city-center course with Tillinghast ties and big crowds.  The PGA Tour chases the money and worries about the fallout of going to antiseptic, suburban, bloated venues later. Or the events just die and no one examines the ties between venues with soul and those where even a novice detects the joylessness.

As the PGA Tour pursues a mind-bogglingly short-sighted position in favor distance advances that will all but rule out quaint, city-center courses on a more human-scale like Wilshire, they will have no one to blame when the numbers speak volumes.

Sure, the PGA Tour will still out-rate the LPGA Tour this week because a network broadcast still always wins. But only three of the world top 30 could find their way to San Antonio, while LA's new LPGA stop drew 21 of the world 25. For perspective, the upcoming Zurich Classic and its two-man team format has landed 10 of the world's top 14 thanks almost entirely to the fun format change.

The Valero will change dates next year to a pre-Masters slot. But major changes in the TPC San Antonio design and maintenance will be needed to build upon what Houston did in the pre-Masters position. Though as I noted in last week's Alternate Shot, the Valero should be careful what it wishes for in demanding the pre-Masters date. Houston's venue offered no masterpiece, but it also didn't make players want to hurl their drivers.

As Eamon Lynch notes for Golfweek, the May calendar spot is not helping the Valero, nor is the stagnant nature of PGA Tour golf. But really, it's all about the venue for players, fans, television and ultimately, the sponsors footing the bills.

That same poll declared the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio the fourth-worst stop on the schedule, suggesting that being named for a corporation isn’t the most objectionable thing about it. The Greg Norman design (presumably he confessed to it under interrogation) hosted last week’s Valero Texas Open. It is one of the Tour’s oldest and most respected events and raises huge sums for charity. Yet players look forward to TPC San Antonio much as a condemned man does the gallows.

Wilshire's Par-3 Closer Should Make For A Fun Finish

The LPGA Tour's Hugel-JTBC L.A. Open wraps today on a perfect Sunday with a pretty tightly packed leaderboard.

There is also the fine play of Rio Olympian Aditi Ashok, who at six back is probably too far back today, but remains one of the more inspirational stories in pro golf, writes Beth Ann Nichols.

Ashok had Saturday's shot of the day on the short par-4 14th:

🦅 time for @aditigolf! #LPGAGoesHollywood @lpga_la

A post shared by LPGA Tour (@lpga_tour) on Apr 21, 2018 at 3:47pm PDT

It's been a very successful week at Wilshire based on the reviews of those watching Golf Channel's east coast prime time coverage. I explain here why this was a great get for the LPGA Tour and why more courses of Wilshire's architectural intrigue should be the tour's next frontier, especially as the PGA Tour endorses distance chasing and the road to 8,000-yard snoozefests. 

Those who know Wilshire love its 10th hole and are irked by its use as the closing hole this week. But for legitimate logistical reasons, the dreaded par-3 finish may not be so dull after all. Here is my story for Golfweek on what to expect with this grand one-shotter.

A few more images:

The par-3 10th for members, the 18th for the Hugel-JTBC LA Open and note the fairway connection to the 17th hole this week.

Rear view

Yardage guide

Horschel Wants More "Great-Designed Courses" Like Harbour Town

Titleist ambassador and former FedExCup champion Billy Horschel repeatedly takes the company talking points on the distance issue, so it was no surprise to see him call on architects to do more "great-designed" work instead of changing equipment to breathe new (old) life into architecture.

From this week's After Further Review from Rex Hoggard, which is incidentally followed by an item on how fun it is to watch Brooke Henderson drive the ball despite her small frame. 

First, in Horschel's world, he's hoping we get driver-killing "great-designed" courses so the golf ball is not restricted, ensuring on-going payments to his and other golf pro accounts:

"I think the architects in today's game should come here and understand what this course is and why it's still challenging,” Billy Horschel said. “ Too much nowadays we're playing big, wide-open courses that really aren't great designed golf courses.”

If architects could import massive overhanging trees that restrict ball flight they might, but it's kind of hard to do that these days. Nor advisable on a number of levels, most notably because there is a desire by many to see the driver remain an important weapon. And even better, to see width presented to provide options off the tee.

All of this makes the second After Further Review item by Ryan Lavner more fun. He writes about the joys of LPGA winner Brooke Henderson and the skill on display as she uses a 48-inch driver.

Or perhaps it’s because she uses a 48-inch driver, drawing every little bit of distance out of her 5-foot-4 frame. She swings freely and aggressively, aims at flags even when she’s nursing a narrow lead and rolls in enough putts to contend in all of the big events.

The 20-year-old Canadian smashes every conceivable stereotype about the LPGA – in no ways a dink-and-dunker who relies on a hot putter. There’s no one in the women’s game I’d rather watch play. 

Sadly, the folks who want to combat distance through Harbour Town-style architecture do not appreciate how the ability to use driver in separating fields has been a cornerstone of the sport for a few centuries now.

Harbour Town is swell and all once a year, but narrow plod-fests that minimize the driver are not the model for the game. Particularly when the message is driven by corporate talking points from folks who've already made millions. "Great-designed" courses are not narrow, tree-lined and light on strategic decisions.  

State Of The Game 76: Zac Blair (@z_blair)

Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly caught professional golfer Zac Blair before he was off to go play to talk the distance debate and various architecture subjects.

Thanks to Zac for taking the time and listening to old men grumble about distance and as always, to Lloyd Cole for the musical intro. 

If you aren't following Zac on Twitter, you can find him here.

The episode's permanent link is here. 

The MP3 link here.

The show's iTunes store link here.

Episode 76 on iTunes here.

Or the episode here:

Kapalua Getting Coore & Crenshaw Restoration After '19 Sentry TOC

The Forecaddie with details of the Mark Rolfing reunion with Coore and Crenshaw to liven up and restore elements to the Kapalua they created in hopes of recapturing its glory years.  Even some of the original shapers are expected back. They're on a mission from God!

Golf.com's Joe Passov talked to Bill Coore about the project and I think we have a new classification of restoration with this:

From a design standpoint, Coore is "most fascinated" by the addition of a new tee box at the par-4 4th, close to the 3rd green. "We actually had it roughed in there from Day 1, but it was never put into use. Back in the days when many of the guys were hitting persimmon drivers, that tee was considered too demanding. Today, the guys are hitting it so far, well past the existing bunkers, that reviving that tee would be perfect. It's been sitting there all these years. We will just add some irrigation and cut back the native grasses."

Restoring a tee never built for the modern game. Wrap your head around that one.

Debating The Best At Streamsong

I think you'll enjoy the different takes on the Red (Coore and Crenshaw), Blue (Doak) and Black (Hanse) courses at Streamsong compiled by Jason Scott Deegan, who also participated.

He is joined by Matt Ginella, Brad Klein, Brandon Tucker and Mike Bailey in the showdown. (Viewers/readers were polled and the unscientific results had the Red Course as clear winner). 

Instagram Roundup: Tiger's Swing Looks Tight, India's Deep Packed Bunker, Jimmy Walker's USGA Plea And Na Touts A Tour-Only Pro V1

As Tiger Woods prepares for his first Valspar, his swing looks just that much more tighter and impressive, but as Dan Kilbridge reports, Wednesday's pro-am round did suggest (6 of 18 greens) that Woods is still adjusting to Innisbrook's tough approach shots. 

Tiger’s glutes look activated 🐯🍑💪 (Sound Up 🔊⬆️) #GlutesActivated #TigerWoods via: @nick_dimarco_ . . . . . #golf #golfislife #golflife #golfing #golfswing #whyilovethisgame #pga #pgatour #taylormadegolf #teamtaylormade #nikegolf #topgolf #valsparchamp #valsparchampionship

A post shared by GolfBalled (@golfballed) on Mar 6, 2018 at 9:13pm PST

The Hero Indian Open at DLF Golf And Country Club features a bunker getting a lot of attention this week. 

🙏🏼 📷 @plarrazabal #HIO2018

A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on Mar 7, 2018 at 8:59am PST

Jimmy Walker is making a plea to the USGA on behalf of everyday golfers...

Out there in the distance, besides the setting sun, is number 7 at Pebble Beach. I’ve hit 7 iron before. It’s 107 yards. I’ve chipped a 60 degree wedge. Too many variables in an outdoor sport to grasp what is actually happening. What I do know is the USGA does not have their fingers on the pulse of the game. Taking away a putter that helps many many people enjoy the game is wrong. Rolling back the golf ball 20% is another bad idea. Ask the normal golfer how much they would enjoy the game if they flew it 20% shorter. I’m asking. Would you enjoy that? Changing golf for the masses because a small few who play it a different level is wrong. The greats and USGA have it wrong.

A post shared by Jimmy Walker (@jimmywalkerpga) on Mar 5, 2018 at 7:02pm PST

Kevin Na posted his improvement in ball speed with a new Pro V 1x ball not available to the public but on the conforming list. Presumably, if all comments over the last week are to be believed, this will not amount to more distance for him. The post is no longer on Na's account.