Scouting Medinah

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For those wondering why more players do not scout out courses like Tiger and Phil have, this quote from Medinah head pro Mike Scully in Len Ziehm's story on Medinah might surprise:

'Since the Western, about half the field has been here,'' Scully said. ''Tiger took his [first] peek early. Phil [Mickelson] put in his extensive time, and Luke Donald played a bunch. There were three that I was surprised weren't here before championship week. We never saw Ernie [Els], we never saw Retief [Goosen] and we never saw Sergio [Garcia].''

Huggan On Sergio

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John Huggan kicks off the inevitalbe series of stories on Sergio returning the site of his near-PGA win in 1999, with a column on the 26-year-old's career.

Perhaps understandably in one so young - and so spoiled - Garcia has not always reacted well to adversity. Like all leading golfers, he is a convenient excuse-maker and rarely accepts responsibility for anything, a trait that is enhanced by the fact that he surrounds himself with people whose sole purpose seems to be massaging his sizeable ego. Then there is his selective memory when he talks about not getting good breaks: at times, this less-than-attractive characteristic has slipped into something not far short of paranoia.

Take the aforementioned US Open four years ago. After completing his second-round 74 in almost constant heavy rain, Garcia launched into an astonishing tirade against the organisers and, significantly, his biggest rival. But it is no secret in golfing circles that Woods and Garcia are unlikely to be seen going out for dinner any time soon. Friends they are not.

"If Tiger had been out there, I think it would have been called [off]," Garcia said bitterly. "There was a moment when not even the squeegees were going to help. I really felt like we should have taken a 45-minute break. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy this morning, but it was almost impossible this afternoon.

"If you get the luck of getting the good side of the draw, like somebody seems to do in these tournaments, and you're the best player in the world and you make lots of putts, everything works. It's tough to beat a guy when things are going like that."

All of which sounds more than a little sad, never mind defeatist, from one so naturally gifted. Then again, to his credit, Garcia is apparently unafraid of hard work. While the putts have continued to slide by, he has done much to improve his distinctive swing, and today he is perhaps the best driver of a ball among the elite players.

And perhaps just as significantly, the multiple re-gripping saga that used to precede every shot has mercifully been eliminated.

This perspective from Peter Kostis may get the Titleist Golf Products Design Consultant back on non-speaking terms with Tiger:

"Tee to green Sergio compares more than adequately with Tiger," Kostis observes. "He is a very solid ball-striker. He's not better than Tiger, but he doesn't have to play away from his driver. In fact, he is a beautiful driver of the ball.

"I don't see any weaknesses in his full swing. That's his greatest strength. He could certainly get a little better around the greens. And he could certainly get a little better on the greens.

"His temperament is interesting. Let's face it: he is Spanish, and he has a Spanish temperament. He fits the stereotype. His frustrations with the putter cause him some emotional stress, but if he gets that under control, there isn't anything he can't do."

Klein On Medinah

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Golfweek's Bradley Klein on this week's PGA Championship host:

For those who think narrow, tree-lined fairways are the paradigm of good course design, Medinah No. 3 stands out like an icon. For others who are keen on strategic variety and a nuanced aesthetic of vistas and playing textures, there is no more boring example of architecture in America than this very long parkland layout in suburban Chicago.
And...
Medinah has length. What it doesn’t have is a lot of trouble around (or on) the greens. The modestly sloped greens don’t unduly punish approaches that are short-sided. With the par-5s vulnerable and little trouble elsewhere, expect lots of low rounds and a tight bunching of the field.

And from his  "America’s Best” ballot...            

3. Natural setting and overall land plan: 5
            The 106,000 square foot Byzantine clubhouse gets a 10, and Lake Kadijah helps situate the golfer. But the course is otherwise devoid of vistas or any external sense of place, other than all of those towering hardwoods, and that gets repetitive real fast.
 
4. Interest of greens and surrounding chipping contours: 7
            The newly rebuilt/regrassed greens, average size 4.200 square feet, are modestly sloped, flawlessly manicured, and without a lot of trouble left and right in terms of short-game recovery.
 
5. Variety and memorability of par 3s: 7
            These are like latte breaks during a valium drip. There’s just enough variance among the trio of over-the-water par-3s (2nd, 13th, 17th) to make them interesting. But the shaping is so odd. Rees Jones’ handiwork is evident in the flat horizon line 2nd green with symmetrical, linear outslopes -- it looks like an upside down pie plate. No. 13 is set above and apart from the lake by surrounding bunkers, but the vinyl support wall there that also creates the diagonal effect of the 17th green (much improved over the old green, by the way!) has a hard-edged look out of character with the grounds.   
 
6. Variety and memorability of par 4s: 5
            All of the strategy is along the tree lines; none of it involves bunkering on the inside of a dogleg. At Medinah, the fairway bunkering on par-4s squeezes landing areas laterally or contains the outside of a dogleg. Only the 12th and 16th holes offer dramatic falloffs for slightly wayward shots
 
7. Variety and memorability of par 5s: 5
            Trees are the primary defense here, which gets repetitive. Play here will likely be decisive for the outcome of the PGA, with birdies abundant and little threat to anyone playing boldly given the lack of interesting bunker positioning on second shots or the element of water in play. The relatively short par-5 fifth is very narrow; the tenth offers the one interesting option of a bold play right in order to get home in two; and the long fourteenth hole requires loft on the approach to hold a tightly bunkered green.
 
8. Basic conditioning: 10
            For a (still) heavily shaded parkland site, Medinah No. 3 thrives. Tom Lively, CGCS, like so many other Chicago-area superintendents, deserves credit for working well under demanding conditions.
 
9. Landscape and tree management: 7
            Thousands of mature hardwoods frame the holes and define the place. They’ve done a good job of clearing out heavily shaded greenside areas, removed nuisance conifers and trimmed up the canopies so golfers and visitors can see under the trees. For a densely wooded course, this is the start of wise tree management. The curtain has at least been lifted.
 
10. “Walk in the park” test: 7
            An enjoyable walk, one that’s strong on ambiance and tradition but a little short in aesthetics and variety.
 
Overall: 6.5
            Medinah No. 3 is ranked No. 57 on the Golfweek Classic Top-100 List, with an average score of 7.14. That’s marginally over-rated in my view. The course is a joyless grind.


Ziehm Talks To Jones

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Len Ziehm talks to Rees Jones about Medinah.
In general, what had to be done to Medinah in comparison with what you did at other major championship courses.

I liken this redesign project to what we did at The Country Club at Brookline [Mass.], where we took a very old, storied layout that had a lot of history. I liken it to the Sacred Ground of Golf. Medinah was already ahead of the curve. It had the length, it had the green contours, it had great holes. We didn't have to add that much length, but we did take out about 300 trees.

Trees are organic, and they tend to grow in where the sunlight is, so that was another restoration project, to bring the golf course back to the way it had been in the past. The players will notice a different course from '99 to 2006.

What will they see that will be different?

They'll see a course that has more definition because we took some of the blindness out on No. 1 and No. 8. We took out the bunker on No. 16. We brought the 17th green down to the water, and we took the tee back. Then on 18, we made a major change. We elevated the green and took the tee back. It'll probably be a short iron [approach] with the way these guys are hitting it, but it's going to be a much more precise shot.

The par-3 17th hole has become controversial because it has been changed so much. It has been a completely different hole for each of the last four majors played at Medinah. What went into the design of the current hole?

We put [the green] back on the hazard. We only have three holes that bring the water into play. We were able to bring the green back down to the water, regrade the hill [where the tee complex is located] and make the hole as long as it was [with a new tee]. We accomplished both goals -- we got the water into play, the ultimate hazard, as well as maintained the yardage.

Mickelson's "Exhaustive" Medinah Search

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Ed Sherman reports on Phil Mickelson's quest to find some semblance of design character at Medinah. Accompanying Phil were his caddy, dad and of course, senior advisor to The People's Champion, Dave Pelz.

"They broke down every green complex," [Medinah Head Pro Mike] Scully said. "They looked at every possible putt, and every possible chip or bunker shot. Then he practiced those shots. He studies it hard. It was very impressive."

 

Tiger Wishes They Played Courses Like Medinah All The Time

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Ed Sherman shares the nitty gritty on Tiger's test drive around Medinah. His caddie:

 "He said about six or seven times, `I wish we played courses like this all the time,'" Conklin said.

How far into his PGA press conference before we get the dreaded "it's all right in front of you" line? 

Unprecedented Multi-Platform Simulcast!

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From the folks at TNT:

In a first for a U.S. golf event, Turner Network Television (TNT) and PGA.com, one of golf’s leading interactive Web sites, will partner to bring golf fans inside the ropes with 11 hours of live coverage featuring TNT and CBS’ on-air announcers, camera coverage and editorial content as they call the 2006 PGA Championship from Medinah (Ill) Country Club. The coverage tees off on Thursday and Friday, August 17 - 18, with PGA.com simulcasting six hours of TNT’s on-air content with coverage from 2 – 5 p.m. ET for both the first and second rounds. Also, PGA.com will webcast five additional hours of bonus coverage from the first two rounds of the championship. The exclusive bonus coverage will stream on Thursday and Friday from 12:30 – 2 p.m. ET, and then again on Saturday and Sunday from 10 – 11 a.m.  TNT broadcast partner CBS will follow late-round coverage on Saturday and Sunday to the championship’s conclusion.
Oh yeah, I'm up at 7 a.m. on PGA Sunday to watch that!
 

Here's the money quote:

“One of the benefits of providing six hours of simulcast coverage on Thursday and Friday is to build interest and viewership of the PGA Championship on TNT,” said David Levy, president, Turner Sports. “This landmark multi-platform experience is the perfect example of how, with the help and tremendous access provided by our friends at The PGA of America, we can leverage our expertise and technology to enhance our network coverage giving the fan the most complete two-screen experience. We wanted to debut this big idea at a big event, and what could be better than to do so at a major championship."
And I knew sticking with AOL would finally pay off:
In addition to the live coverage on TNT and PGA.com, AOL.com users will have exclusive access to live video coverage of select par-3 holes.  This coverage will be available free and open on the Web on Thursday and Friday at http://sports.aol.com. Announcers Grant Boone, Beau Estes and Christine Pullara will provide users with an in-depth look and analysis of the world’s greatest golfers as they make their way through the challenging par-3 holes at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club. Also offered is a unique interactive open forum where golf fans can email, log on to chat or send AOL Instant Messages to our anchors and expert analysts.
Does this mean we can IM Bobby Clampett?

 

Lorne On Links

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Lorne Rubenstein shares a few thoughts on Hoylake and also writes about some favorite links holes in Canada.

The Harvest Has Begun

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Ed Sherman reports on all of the fun Medinah members will have this year playing the No. 3 course.

No. 3 is tough enough as it is without having a forest of rough under the corridor of massive trees. In some areas, it already is 7 inches high.

Some of those par 4s are going to turn into par 44s when the amateurs try to hack their way out of high stuff, provided they can find their golf balls.

"Our ball revenue in the pro shop should go up," Scully said.
Oh boy, don't give those manufacturers any ideas!
In addition to the rough, for those who truly like punishment and want to play from the back tees, players will find an added bonus on the fifth and 14th holes.

After watching the pros launch bombs at the PGA at Baltusrol last year, tournament officials decided to push back the tees on both par 5s.

The fifth is 20 yards longer at 550 yards, and the tee box was moved over to the left to bring the fairway bunkers more into play. The 14th was lengthened by 25 yards, pushing it back to 610 yards. It will require a poke of 240 yards just to carry the water, and a blast of about 350 yards to reach the top of the hill on the fairway, affording a look at the green.

All told, Medinah now will play to 7,561 yards, the longest in major championship history.

Makes you just really want to host a major, doesn't it?

Medinah's MacKenzie Bunkers

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The PGA of America announces that Medinah will be the longest course in major championship history this August. And even better, they have MacKenzie/Tillinghast bunkers.

A world-class field of 156 will converge Aug. 17-20, 2006, at the 88th PGA Championship, competing on the 7,561-yard, par-72 layout, which will be the longest course in major Championship history. (See chart below).

The Championship will be the fifth major to be contested at Medinah, following the 1999 PGA Championship, won by Tiger Woods; and three U.S. Open Championships (1949, 1975, 1990).

"I think the players will notice a different golf course from 1999 when they come here," said Jones. "When players return here, they're going to really see a different golf course, a golf course that really has more definition."

The Jones' restoration featured the removal of 300 trees, which allowed for more of the original Tom Bendelow design to be in play, and eliminated "blind" shots on the first and eighth holes. Additionally, the tee at No. 17 was moved back, the green positioned closer to a pond; and the 18th green was elevated to require a more precise approach shot.

Nice irony there...Bendelow designs it with blind shots, they're restoring his design, and eliminating the blind shots! Sorry...the best part:

"We have classic old-style sculptured bunkers, which are like A.W. Tillinghast or [Alister] Mackenzie bunkers," said Jones. "So it has much more character. The bunkers are deeper, the green contours and sizes of the seven greens that we did are complimentary to the greens that were originally here. I'm very pleased with the results."