Major(s) News & Notes November 3rd, 2022
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Chicago Golf Club lands two big USGA events (USGA)
All of that and more in The Quadrilateral’s weekly (free) news and notes.
The only course that will remain difficult under all conditions will be one that is designed and kept for golf of a stereotyped, monotonous character, and this makes a most uninteresting proposition. BOBBY JONES
Available via Amazon (US): Golf Architecture For Normal People
Barnes And Noble (online and in stores)
Bookshop.org option to support local independent bookstores.
Reviews:
"Golf Architecture for Normal People . . . should be required reading for those who are not ashamed to admit they know little about the subject, and for those who think they do . . . . Golf course architecture geeks have trouble slimming their thoughts down to bite-sized chunks, but Shackelford has achieved a remarkable success here." —Independent (Ireland)
"From the relative newcomer who’s slowly getting hooked to those that have played the game for most of their lives and think they know a thing or two, Golf Architecture for Normal People provides a solid and sober perspective that will help everyone recognize why some golf courses are worth playing more than once while a single trip around others is all you’re ever likely to want or need." —Links Magazine.
“It’s a wonderful book. An easy read that arrives just in time for your summer reading list. If you’ve never thought about how an appreciation for course design could heighten your enjoyment of the game, you must check this out.”—The Peterborough Examiner
"As in his prior publications, in his newest book Shackelford shows a deep appreciation for what can be done to create a golf course that appeals to the broadest possible golfing audience…Shackelford’s prose is succinct, often witty, and accessible."—Cape Gazette
"Author, blogger and golf architecture expert Geoff Shackelford, who helped Gil Hanse design Rustic Canyon and restore 2023 U.S. Open host Los Angeles Country Club, taps into his passion by creating a guide that helps every golfer understand the nuances of course design. Published by Tatra Press, the 164-page hardcover book is a must-read for every golfer to better understand the game they love." —Golf Pass
"Shackelford provides an informative picture [and]...sprinkles in history lessons about those who planted the game's architectural roots, defines common terms and helps you hone your eyes when it comes to identifying some of the tricks of the trade."—FORE Magazine
"This new book does a great job demystifying golf course design ideas for average players, but can also be a beneficial read fro PGA Professionals and other golf course employees to get a better understanding of their home courses." —PGA Magazine
Chambers Bay Makes Its Case For Another Major
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Semi-finalist Annabel Wilson at the 17th Saturday (Darren Carroll/USGA)
Major(s) News & Notes, November 18, 2021
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Rory McIlroy reiterated the importance of majors as the PGA Tour focuses on financial incentives. My thoughts on this dichotomy are shared with a very profound solution.
Plus, Inverness and Olympic Club news, Slumbers on model local rules and media, capped off by some Reads.
Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, October 21, 2021
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Today I’m wrapping up the 46-inch local rule ramifications with a succinct statement about what went down and what’s next. Plus, an array of venue news and notes, a new golf film about the 1976 Open's rogue qualifier, another post-op Augusta aerial, Reads and a couple of podcasts to put in the queue.
Here’s more on The Quadrilateral, though as the year ends I’ll be updating the explanatory site in anticipation of evolving the newsletter in 2022. The current price you pay is the one you keep so if you’re tempted this is the time to sign up.
The Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, September 2, 2021
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If you had subscribed, then this would already be in your inbox.
USGA Announces "Long-Term Relationships" With Oakmont And Merion
/For Immediate Release even though most of these are not immediate! My analysis for The Quadrilateral is here and due to this breaking news, open to all.
USGA ANNOUNCES LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB AND MERION GOLF CLUB
Venerable Pennsylvania courses to welcome 10 more U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Championships; Oakmont named second U.S. Open anchor site
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Aug. 11, 2021) – As part of its commitment to stage golf’s greatest championships at the nation’s most iconic venues, the USGA has awarded five more U.S. Open Championships and four U.S. Women’s Open Championships to two of the country’s most storied golf courses, Oakmont Country Club and Merion Golf Club, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
As part of the announcement, the USGA has also committed to bring its national championships to the Keystone State with greater frequency, beyond the now 18 championships scheduled to be played in the commonwealth between now and 2050.
This week’s U.S. Amateur at Oakmont marks the 88th USGA championship conducted in Pennsylvania, the most of any state and the latest in a relationship between the state and the USGA that began with the 1899 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Philadelphia Country Club and continued with the 1904 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Merion and the 1919 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont.
“Oakmont and Merion are iconic in every sense of the word – they’re in rare company in golf and continue to test the best in the game,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “We’re making history and kicking off a new era for our national championships in Pennsylvania, and we couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead.”
Oakmont Country Club, which was previously announced as the host site for the 2025 U.S. Open, will host the 2028 and 2038 U.S. Women’s Opens, the 2034, 2042 and 2049 U.S. Opens, the 2033 Walker Cup Match and the 2046 U.S. Women’s Amateur. It will become the second U.S. Open anchor site named by the USGA, in an effort to return to iconic venues with deep and meaningful USGA championship history every five to six years. Pinehurst Resort & Country Club was designated an anchor site last year.
Including this week’s U.S. Amateur, Oakmont has hosted 17 USGA championships, identifying winners such as Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open, 2016), Paula Creamer (U.S. Women’s Open, 2010), Ernie Els (U.S. Open, 1994), Patty Sheehan (U.S. Women’s Open, 1992), Johnny Miller (U.S. Open, 1973), Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Open, 1962), Ben Hogan (U.S. Open, 1953), and Bob Jones (U.S. Amateur, 1925).
“Our members and all of Pittsburgh are so excited to host the USGA and the best players in the game at Oakmont, which we believe is one of the most exacting tests of golf anywhere in the world,” said Ed Stack, president of Oakmont Country Club. “It is the perfect venue to identify the best golfers around the globe, in concert with the USGA’s mission for championship golf. The new champions who will be crowned over the next 30 years will join a distinguished list of past champions and etch their names in golf history. We are proud and humbled to showcase Oakmont Country Club, Pittsburgh, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a number of USGA championships through 2049.”
Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, which was previously named the host site for the 2022 Curtis Cup Match and the 2026 U.S. Amateur, will host four additional Opens – the 2030 U.S. Open, 2034 U.S. Women’s Open, 2046 U.S. Women’s Open and 2050 U.S. Open, with additional championships to be named in the future.
Merion, a key long-term strategic partner of the USGA, has hosted 18 USGA championships – the most of any site – and is synonymous with legendary championship moments. Bob Jones won two of his five U.S. Amateur titles at Merion (1924, 1930), while Hall of Famers Ben Hogan (1950) and Lee Trevino (1971) are among the five U.S. Open champions to have hoisted a trophy there, joining Olin Dutra (1934), David Graham (1981) and Justin Rose (2013). In total, Merion has hosted six different USGA championships, including the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur, Curtis Cup Match and Walker Cup Match.
"Starting with its formation, the desire to host significant championships has been at Merion’s core. It is no wonder Merion has hosted more USGA championships than any other club in America,” said Buddy Marucci, championship chair for Merion Golf Club. “Our friendship with the USGA dates to its first decade and has produced some of the most incredible moments in golf history. We are thrilled to celebrate those moments by announcing four more Open championships, and we look forward to bringing the best players in the world to compete on Hugh Wilson’s timeless masterpiece.”
The announcement was made on Wednesday at Oakmont, supported by representatives from both clubs, as well as several legislators, including Pennsylvania Senate Pro Tempore Jake Corman, Pennsylvania State Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Pennsylvania State Representative Carrie Lewis DelRosso.
“Golf – an $84 billion industry – is one of America’s favorite pastimes, and Pennsylvania is proud to enter into this new partnership with the United States Golf Association,” said Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin. “When visitors come to our state to watch or play golf, they’re staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, and shopping at our small businesses. We look forward to hosting new visitors at our world-class golf courses, generating tourism revenue and creating new opportunities for golf fans for years to come.”
The U.S. Open Championship alone drives $500 million in economic impact annually to communities across America and delivers $70 million to golf programs and events that grow and advance the game worldwide each year. Programs funded through the U.S. Open and USGA include The First Tee and LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, as well as an annual investment of $10 million in the economic and environmental sustainability of golf courses.
The announcement affirms Pennsylvania as one of golf’s most active regions. The commonwealth boasts 671 golf courses and a thriving $2.3 billion golf economy that employs more than 50,000 statewide, as reported by the National Golf Foundation. The vast majority – 480 in total – are open to the public or are municipally owned. Charitable giving through golf events raises more than $131 million annually, supporting countless local causes for veterans, homeless shelters, healthcare research, children’s programs, scholarships and more. Annual golf tourism spending accounts for more than $700 million.
Pennsylvania golf is supported by the Golf Association of Philadelphia and the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association. They are both USGA-designated Allied Golf Associations that welcome hundreds of thousands of golfers to play and enjoy the game in cities and towns across the commonwealth, the majority of whom are recreational amateur golfers who play for the love of the game. They also conduct qualifiers for all 14 USGA championships each year, giving competitive male and female golfers of all ages the chance to compete for a national title.
Many of golf’s greatest champions have called Pennsylvania home, including Arnold Palmer (Latrobe), Carol Semple Thompson (Sewickley), Johnny McDermott (Philadelphia), Buddy Marucci (Villanova), Jay Sigel (Bryn Mawr), Jim Furyk (West Chester), Nathan Smith (Brookville) and Betsy King (Reading).
A complete list of current/future USGA championships in Pennsylvania follows*:
Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, Pa.)
2021 U.S. Amateur
2025 U.S. Open
2028 U.S. Women’s Open
2033 Walker Cup Match
2034 U.S. Open
2038 U.S. Women’s Open
2042 U.S. Open
2046 U.S. Women’s Amateur
2049 U.S. Open
Merion Golf Club (Ardmore, Pa.)
2022 Curtis Cup Match
2026 U.S. Amateur
2030 U.S. Open
2034 U.S. Women’s Open
2046 U.S. Women’s Open
2050 U.S. Open
Additional USGA championships to be announced later
Additional Future USGA Championships in Pa.
2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley Country Club
2024 U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club
2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Philadelphia Cricket Club
*New USGA championship announcements in bold
R&A Confirms Hoylake And Troon For Future Opens, Further Postponing A Turnberry Decision
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Royal Troon
While the Hoylake (aka Royal Liverpool) and Troon had already been awarded Open Championships in 2022 and 2023, they were to be pushed back a year by the R&A’s 2020 Open cancellation. There was some thought we might see a trade to keep Troon on track to celebrate the centennial of its first Open in 2023, a big part of the February announcement.
But it appears no trade was made and each course will now slide back a year. So now 101 years later we’ll celebrate Arthur Havers’ game story-killing win over Walter Hagen and Macdonald Smith.
Moving Troon to 2024 also makes any talk of a return to Trump Turnberry moot until at least 2026 given their proximity. But ‘26 seems like a potential St. Andrews year or, if the R&A is in the mood for anniversaries, 100 years since Bobby Jones won at Lytham and St. Annes.
The move also gives the R&A another year to find a media hotel better than the haunted and haunting Adamton Country “House”. Have you ever seen a grander entrance?
Anyhoo…
VENUES CONFIRMED FOR THE OPEN IN 2023 AND 2024
7 December 2020, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A today confirmed that The 151st Open will be played at Royal Liverpool from 16-23 July 2023 and The 152nd Open will be played at Royal Troon from 14-21 July 2024.
The Championships have been rescheduled following the cancellation of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Open will be played at the famous Kent links from 11-18 July 2021.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We have been working closely with Royal Liverpool and Royal Troon and the relevant local agencies to reschedule the Championships.
“We are grateful to everyone involved at the clubs and at our partner organisations for supporting our plans and showing flexibility to adapt their own schedules. We can now look forward to seeing the world’s best players competing at these outstanding links courses in 2023 and 2024.”
Michael Johnson, Captain of Royal Liverpool Golf Club, said, “Without doubt the golfing world greatly anticipates the return of The Open after the hiatus of 2020 and Royal Liverpool Golf Club is delighted to fit into the revised schedule alongside our friends at Royal Troon. We must thank The R&A for its continued support and look forward to welcoming competitors and spectators alike to Hoylake in 2023.”
Desmond Bancewicz, Captain of Royal Troon Golf Club, said, “Following the most unusual circumstances this year, affecting all our lives, Royal Troon Golf Club looks forward with eager anticipation in hosting The Open in 2024 for a 10th time and sends their very best wishes to The R&A and Royal St George's Golf Club for 2021.”
This will be the 13th time the Championship has been staged at Royal Liverpool and the first since Rory McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug there in 2014.
The Open will return to Royal Troon for the 10th time following Henrik Stenson’s memorable final round duel with Phil Mickelson before claiming victory in 2016.
Future venues:
The 149th Open will be played at Royal St George’s from 11-18 July 2021
The 150th Open will be played at St Andrews from 10-17 July 2022
The 151st Open will be played at Royal Liverpool from 16-23 July 2023
The 152nd Open will be played at Royal Troon 14-21 July 2024
What Happened To Trump Ferry Point As A Major Tournament Venue?
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In light of the New York Daily News’ story last week spotting the first money-losing year and an empty tee shot most days, The Forecaddie wonders what happened to this New York City, Jack Nicklaus, Trump Golf-managed venue with the magical locale?
Longtime readers will know that at one point, there appeared to be a battle for who could name the most tournaments at Ferry Point. And now…
While his supporters will blame politics, Trump Ferry Point is more likely the victim of unrealistic expectations that built as soon as various organizations were sniffing around to see if it would work. Logistically it has issues and now, as so-so sales at New York area majors have shown, the market may be oversaturated both in terms of tournaments and with amazing venues featuring more than just great views.
Which reminds me, The Northern Trust returns this week just months after the PGA at Bethpage and just months before the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. And…it just keeps on coming after that.
Nicklaus: Sebonack Will Get A U.S. Open Someday
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Mark Herrmann of Newsday talks to Mike Davis of the USGA after recent Jack Nicklaus comments suggesting Sebonack will some day host a U.S. Open. The course is a co-design by Nicklaus and Tom Doak.
Speaking at a Long Island Association luncheon recently, the 18-time major winner said, “I think we’re going to get the U.S. Open out there…and it won’t be long.” He wrote something similar when he served as guest editor of Golf magazine last month,
Davis, interviewed at this year’s Open here, said, “It’s one of many courses that has offered an invitation to host it. When it gets to that, there’s actually a team — I’m not necessarily engaged in that any more — but I daresay that there are probably 25-plus courses that have interest. The team does an analysis of every single course. I think it’s fair to say of every one of those that I’ve seen, is there a possibility? Absolutely.
The course hosted the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open and sits next to National Golf Links and Shinnecock Hills, host of the 2026 U.S. Open.
Should Erin Hills Get Another U.S. Open?
/If I had to vote, the answer would be a reluctant no. While the B grade given on Morning Drive to Erin Hills would be more than enough to get it another U.S. Open most years and certainly proved to be a much better venue than Whistling Straits, the next eight years of courses elevates the U.S. Open in ways that Erin Hills is unable to inspire. 
That said, a remote place with no business pulling off such an undertaking did so in fine fashion.
A course that had undergone so much surgery was able to shine, with several strong holes and no silliness.
The fans of Wisconsin are wonderful and I heard very little complaining about the lack of up-close viewing opportunities. They would have been within their right to complain.
The conditioning and presentation of the course, outside of the over-stimulated natives immediately off the fairways, was excellent.
Had the weather cooperated and the course remained dry all week--always an if this time of year--the width so many despised would have been necessary.
A few other views on the topic, starting with Golf World's Jaime Diaz.
It’s well positioned if the USGA is truly committed to moving the championship around the country. At the moment, there is a vacuum in the Midwest. Medinah and Olympia Fields in Chicago don’t inspire and former USGA mainstays Hazeltine and Oakland Hills have become more aligned with the PGA. The same with Whistling Straits, which has had two PGA and is slated for another Ryder cup.
And in an unofficial competition comparison with another minimalist style public course that is vying to be deemed a modern classic, Erin Hills has come off better than Chambers Bay near Seattle.
Erin Hills, with sheer bigness that requires less retrofitting for distance than older courses, and a brawn accented by humpy land and jagged bunkers that can make for exciting golf, offers a welcome but only occasional – maybe once every 20 years - change of pace from the traditional Golden Age classics.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette isn't a fan of the public course experiment.
If it were up to me and not Mike Davis and the USGA, I’d play every U.S. Open on the great, traditional, classic and iconic courses in our country, not these pop-up daily-fee facilities designed to bring the national championship to the public golfer, which, to me, is like playing the Super Bowl at Cupples Stadium on the South Side.
Michael Bamberger wanted to play...to the greens on the driving range, which is one of the best I've seen. From this SI/Golf.com roundtable:
Bamberger: Good for them. Not for us. The USGA wants to preach a message of playability. This course was too easy for the elites. And unplayable for 90-shooters, from any tee. Some of the greens are nutty. The place is beautiful, though. Spectacular. I'd love to play holes on the driving range all through a long dusk.
Teddy Greenstein thinks the course deserves another shot but wonders if there is competition from a nearby state.
The USGA is committed through 2026 with a greatest hits collection that includes Shinnecock Hills, Pebble Beach, Winged Foot and Oakmont. USGA executive director Mike Davis said that “in a few months, we’re going to name another tried-and-true.”
Insiders predict Oakland Hills’ South Course, a Donald Ross design near Detroit that has hosted six U.S. Opens, will get the call in 2027. Erin Hills should return soon after as another anchor of the Midwest.
USGA executives love that owner Andy Ziegler was willing to close Erin Hills to public play in October, taking a financial hit with the payoff of perfect conditioning.
Todd Milles of the Tacoma News Tribune wonders if Erin Hills will join (maybe) Chambers Bay in the every 20-year category.
Unless something unforeseen happens, Erin Hills has made such a favorable impression this week that it would be hard not to see it emerge as the USGA’s go-to venue in the Midwest for the foreseeable future.
“Erin Hills won’t be in the 10-year rotation,” Putnam said, “but it will be in the 20-year rotation.”
Columnist Says Oakland Hills Will Get Another U.S. Open
/Carlos Monarrez says he doesn't know for certain, but from speaking to folks at the U.S. Amateur last week, he's confident "that our national championship will return to Oakland Hills for the first time since 1996."
The U.S. Amateur looked spectacular on TV if crowd size and conditioning were a barometer. However with 2027 the earliest open date and the club having vetoed a restoration plan that would have bolstered its chances, a U.S. Women's Open or a PGA seems more likely.
Monarrez writes about general chairman Lee Juett's response from the USGA:
Last month, Juett said the club had extended an invitation to the USGA to host its seventh U.S. Open. During the tournament, Juett and club leaders met with USGA executives to further that process, which included strengthening those relationships. And it yielded something else: an understanding that Oakland Hills would love to host another USGA championship while it waits for a U.S. Open.
This brings me to my next prediction. Oakland Hills also will host a U.S. Women’s Open. The next available date is 2022, and it makes perfect sense.
Olympic Club Lands 2021 U.S. Women's Open
/Two things are worth noting in this news: another historic venue will now have hosted both the men and the women's national Open championship, adding to the club's legacy and also enhancing the stature of this event.
Webb Simpson's 2012 win will be a faint memory the next time Olympic Club hosts a men's U.S. Open, with the USGA committed through 2024 and likely knowing where the event is headed in 2025 and 2026.
The Olympic Club Selected as Host of 2021 U.S. Women’s Open Championship
Five-time U.S. Open site to host its first USGA women’s championship, joins CordeValle as upcoming U.S. Women’s Open venue in Northern California
FAR HILLS, N.J. (Feb. 6, 2016) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) has selected The Olympic Club, in San Francisco, Calif., as the host site of the 76th U.S. Women’s Open in 2021. The championship, considered the world’s premier women’s golf event, will be held June 3-6.
The 2021 U.S. Women’s Open will be the 11th USGA championship contested on The Olympic Club’s Lake Course, and it will mark the first USGA women’s championship for the five-time U.S. Open host site. The first of those U.S. Opens, in 1955, was won in an 18-hole playoff by Jack Fleck over Ben Hogan, one of the biggest upsets in sports history. In 1966, Billy Casper outlasted Arnold Palmer in a Monday playoff after Palmer surrendered a seven-stroke lead over the final nine holes on Sunday. Additionally, Scott Simpson (1987), Lee Janzen (1998) and Webb Simpson (2012) each earned come-from-behind U.S. Open victories at The Olympic Club.
“We are thrilled to bring the U.S. Women’s Open to The Olympic Club, site of so many significant USGA moments, for the first time in 2021,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “Eleven outstanding players are enshrined in the USGA Museum’s Hall of Champions by winning at The Olympic Club, and we look forward to adding the 76th U.S. Women’s Open champion to that illustrious list.”
The Lake Course at The Olympic Club was designed by course superintendent Sam Whiting and opened for play in 1927. Today, the Lake Course remains true to its original design with minimal revisions. In 2015, the course hosted the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, won by Todd White and Nathan Smith. It also served as the host site for the 1958 U.S. Amateur, won by Charles Coe; the 1981 U.S. Amateur, won by Nathaniel Crosby; the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur, won by Sihwan Kim; and the 2007 U.S. Amateur, won by Colt Knost.
“Hosting the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open will be a magnificent moment for the membership and staff of The Olympic Club,” said John Espiritu, club president. “San Francisco and The Olympic Club share a rich history of hosting USGA national championships, and we are honored to add the U.S. Women’s Open to our championship record. We look forward to 2021 and hosting the world’s best players on our world-class course.”
The Lake Course will become the 12th course to host both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open, joining such notable venues as Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2 in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C., and Champions Golf Club in Houston, which will host the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open on its Cypress Creek Course.
The 2021 U.S. Women’s Open will mark the fourth time the championship will be held in California, and the second time in a five-year span that it will be held in Northern California. On July 7-10, 2016, the 71st U.S. Women’s Open will be conducted at CordeValle, located in San Martin, providing fans with two upcoming opportunities to experience the ultimate championship in women’s golf.
Update on 2016-02-07 05:39 by Geoff
**Ron Kroichick on this news lining Olympic Club up for the USGA's next west coast U.S. Open.
Olympic should land the next Open on the West Coast after that, possibly in 2026 or ’27. Chambers Bay, a public course outside Tacoma and host of last year’s Open, also is a candidate to repeat as host.
Report: PGA Returning To Oak Hill In 2023
/Love the town, wish the course resembled something like a Donald Ross,
Read MoreToledo's Inverness Spends $2 Million To Update Its Gem
/Thanks to reader Dan for this David Briggs story on Toledo's Inverness Golf Club
Read MoreMembers Still Have To Vote On Royal Portrush Open Invite
/Brian Keogh reports and posts a letter that went out to Royal Portrush members assuaging concerns about a possible Open Championship (or more) by reminding them that they will get to vote before the R&A is told it's a go. The R&A has scheduled a news conference Monday to announce a future Open Championship without committing to a date.
There is frustration and irritation amongst many of the older members about the secrecy surrounding the negotiations between the club, The R&A and the Northern Ireland Executive. Few have seen drawings of the proposed changes and many are loathe to lose the 17th and 18th holes;
In theory, they could indeed say, 'Thanks, but no thanks' to two proposed new holes and other changes required for a potential 2019 staging.
