What a guy that Matt Shaeffer is. I love to hear him speak, he always surprises audiences with some of the things he says. You didn't see it that much on that video but he can also be absolutely hilarious in how he can talk about grass and maintenance.
One time I was sitting in a cart with him up behind the 17th green (I didn't even realize you could take a cart up behind that green but that's the beauty of being out there with him) and he suddenly said;
"You know, I actually HATE grass."
So I said--"WHAT, how can the superintendent of Merion say something like that?"
He said because he loved the course of Merion so much and the way it can play and his grasses were always fighting him on that goal and direction. He even named a couple of greens whose grass he particularly hated.
So he said his approach was to beat the hell out of it and threaten to kill it if he had to. Can you imagine that? If you were Merion's green chairman do you think hearing things like that would make you kinda nervous?
That's why, if you have a superintendent like Matt Shaeffer, you have to have real faith in him and in my opinion Merion certainly should.
The Merion bunker saga (Merion bunker project of 2001) was one of the most contentious series of threads this website ever had and its probably still on going to some extent.
The truth is the look of the Merion East bunkers has probably had 3-4 different iterations in the history of the course and the look they have now is a different one but over the last few year I like it. Some on here still don't like it because it's different from the look the bunkers used to have before the 2001 project and obviously that bothers some people.
But particualarly after hearing that video of Matt Shaeffer I'm more inclined than ever to recommend that everyone, including the club, just let Matt do what he does best with those bunkers and don't try to change things at this point---which some fear may be the next push. And for those on here who can never seem to let it go----just remember, Matt knows a ton more about that course and its bunkers, the way they've been through the years and the way they are now, than you do or ever will!
When you've got a super like that just let him do his thing. If the weather come the Spring and into June 2013 and the US Open give him a break that golf course will be very interesting to watch deal with the best players in the world.