Westchester CC's West Course

[Matt_Ward]

I have been covering the Buick Classic (now the Barclays Classic this year) for a number of years and frankly the little publicity that the West Course at Westchester CC receives is quite shocking.

Here you have a superb Walter Travis layout and the rolling land and the delicious way the greens / tees / fairways merge together on the site makes for some of the most interesting holes in the greater New York metro area.

For a number of years the trio of par-4's -- the 8th, 11th and 12th were among the toughest holes on the tour. Candidly, I can see why the 12th was listed because it normally plays as par-5 but is switched for the event -- as are the two nines which are flipped for a better closing hole.

This year's field is quite thin, but Jim Furyk seems poised to lead the first round and you have Vijay and Sergio is the defender. For a number of years the likes of Ernie Els was a regular but the South African is taking a pass this time around.

The aspect that makes the West at Westchester so special is that the course continues to be relevant even though the total length isn't very long in today's big tee shot game. The course only plays to a max of 6,839 yards.

What's really laughable is that the West doesn't even make the top 25 in the Empire State. Here is a course that has been changed very little over the years AND is annually tested by the game's best players and still provides a worthy challenge for all types of players.

Talk about being under-appreciated.

[Will E]

Couldn't agree more with Matt's post. One of the most enjoyable places to play in Westchester, incredible variety and challenge. I can't think of many better 4's than the 11th. Also one of Tom Kite's favorite courses.

[Geoffrey Childs]

Westchester CC is one of my very favorite places to play in my area.

The elevation changes, great variety in length of holes, use of rock outcroppings and wonderful greens make it both a challenge and fun. The greens have ledges and undulations that let them offer a variety of really hard pin locations that can make the course very difficult.

I played it last Wednesday and its in great shape too.

[corey miller]

Do Ken Dye's version of Winged Foot bunkers look like Winged Foot bunkers?  Were any greens or fairways softened during the renovation work on the championship course?

[Geoffrey Childs]

Corey-

Ken Dye's bunkers do look somewhat like Winged Foot bunkers.  They are deeper then they were before as well. One problem with some of them has been a lack of exit points such that its like climbing out of a bathtub.  I hear some older members don't care for that and its also caused wear and tear above and beyond what was expected.  That sand sure is coll to play out of - makes you think you are a better bunker player then you really are.

Greens were not softened at all.  In fact he did change the par 5 14th (5 tournament) and par 3 15th (6 tournament) by making the 14th a bit narrower in some spots and possibly expanding the back shelf and he added a back shelf for a tricky pin location on the 15th.

Finally he cut away part of the hillside on #12 (tournament 3) and flashed the greenside flanking bunkers a bit so the 2nd shot from the bottom of the hill was not totally blind.  You can now see the bunkers and even top of the flagstick where before you could not.

ps- are you still on Ken Dye's Christmas / holiday card list?

edit for Shivas

[Geoffrey Childs]

Dave-  I send Christmas cards.  

[Wayne Freeman]

It's interesting to get this thread, because I played Westchester sort of as a fill in on a trip that featured Winged Foot, Quaker Ridge, and Piping Rock, and I thought I would just try to play it because of the tournament, but the entire round I just kept asking myself why this course doesn't get more recognition.  It's just terrific, and has a lot of great holes and variety with super greens.  The member I played with was really tired of the tournament--- he said the course is just destroyed for about a month and that the whole process takes away so much precious golf time for regular play.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

How many others of the regular PGA Tour venues are of this class?  

[Geoffrey Childs]

Wayne- I agree with you.  However, my member friend played yesterday!  On the south course while the tournament was being played on the West.    There is some dissention among the members about the tournament.

Mark

Riviera
one could argue Sawgrass
I have not played Colonial.

[Matt_Ward]

Mark:

To answer your question there are very few unique courses on the PGA Tour. For the most part the Tour has gone to formulaic type courses in their events.

The Westchester CC's West Course is a throw-back to classic design. As others have mentioned the small greens have plenty of breaks and shelfs to hide the pins.

The turning points in the fairway make it necessary to get the ball to the proper points. Power is important -- but not critical as so many other sites have demonstrated.

What's interesting is that if you check the roster of champions at the event you will likely find the names of most of the key winners over the years.

The West Course easily belongs among the state's top 25 courses. It has a superb rolling site and the greens are perched so neatly on old rock ledges in a number of instances -- in many ways a pattern you also find at nearby Winged Foot.

For a course under 6,900 yards and with scores generally never lower than -12 you have an event that has held up very well over the years.

Like I said -- a vastly underrated layout that should get more attention.

[Paul Richards]

Every year at this time I say the same thing - WW is one of the most underrated courses that I've yet seen.