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Matt_Ward

Re: Next up the Honda...At a classic?
« Reply #25 on: March 05, 2008, 03:52:27 PM »
Gordon:

Agree with you.

Too bad the World Championship tag could not apply to the Honda event at PGA National. Doral for quite a long time has been an overrated event IMHO. Frankly, I don't see all the hype minus the few times in which the tournament was hotly contested (see the year between Tiger / Phil as one example).

I've had the opportunity to play the PGA Tour sites in Florida and The Champ does identify the smallest weakness in one's game. Length is rewarded but without proper positioning you get little for your efforts.

Would love to see Tiger, Phil and Stricker (the world's top three) battling it out with all the others.

The only thing that could hurt the Honda is a desire to abandon ship and look for yet another layout.

In my book, home is now secure at The Champ at PGA National.

Dean Stokes

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Next up the Honda...At a classic?
« Reply #26 on: March 05, 2008, 04:11:26 PM »
I believe they signed a fairly lengthy deal with PGA National to hold the Honda there.

The tournament is growing every year and with Tiger moving his home to the area within the next few years..........

Shivas,  Mirasol did look ok on TV but it was a horrible course to have an event on. Two big looping nines through homes - so if you wanted to watch somebody on the 5th or the 14th you had a monster walk to even get to those holes. There were no cut throughs to any other holes.
Living The Dream in The Palm Beaches....golfing, yoga-ing, horsing around and working damn it!!!!!!!

Matt_Ward

Re: Next up the Honda...At a classic?
« Reply #27 on: March 05, 2008, 04:21:26 PM »
Dean:

Just proves that "seeing" a course from the blimp and seeing it from the ground can make for a huge difference.

Gordon Oneil

Re: Next up the Honda...At a classic?
« Reply #28 on: March 05, 2008, 11:39:19 PM »
Since Curtis Strange hung the label "carnival golf" (I believe it was; and I remember that budding guru of course design Greg Norman had some very choice words as well) around the longtime Honda home of Eagle Trace virtually forcing the tournament committee's hand to find a new venue asap, the Honda Classic has done quite a good job selling houses as one of its main functions.  Both Weston and Mirasol made no bones about it and had no use for the event once it had served its purpose and its contract had run out.  In Mirasol's case, the homes sold almost as fast as they could print the sales contracts.  The same could be said regarding Heron Bay if only it were a better golf course.
Matt, the Honda has certainly found a home at PGA now that the Senior Tour decided to move one of its most popular (with the players) and longest running MAJOR tournaments conducted at the same venue (I know that sentence was more than a little awkward).  Over the course of many years there weren't very many complaints or criticisms from the senior players either.
There aren't any more homes to sell.  The players and the tour seem to be happy.  Organizers and sponsors have happy faces.  As long as the tinkering with the South Florida swing's schedule doesn't crap on the tournament any worse than it traditionally has over the years and force some drastic change for change's sake, I think the Honda has found a new/old home for many years to come...
And that is a good thing...IMHO.

And that about says it all for this intrepid reporter down here in sunny and windy (grip it down an inch or so, take PLENTY of club, slow back and even smoother through the ball) South Florida.

Sorry about that, it's March and that's some of what you need to think every time WIND is mentioned this time of year...