Merion #9 - One of the more difficult shots in golf

[Bradley Anderson]

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/1920s/1924/2408188.pdf

The long high shot was called for here. A target that was fronted by water, and surrounded tight by bunkers. The green was very large, by the standards of those day - and even by today's standards. It was also built with, for lack of a better term, a speed ramp to slow the ball down that made it to the green, but without enough loft to check up. I bet they could dry this baby out and balls might roll past the hole, and backup to roll down. You gotta just love these kinds of features.

[Joe Bausch]

For the new members here or those that have not made it to Merion, here are a few pics of the ninth to help the thread:

[Chip Gaskins]

don't take this wrong, but if that pond was on a fazio course in florida it would bring howls from this board.....

sharp edges on merion seem out of place to me.  #9 & #11 greens specifically.

[J_ Crisham]

Brad,  I thought this was the 3rd hardest of the tee shots on the  par 3's at Merion. I thought 17 was the toughest and 3 was right behind it. On 9 I thought we hit 6or7 irons in . The 13th was difficult for those in the front bunker even though it was only a wedge.    Great set of par 3's.     Jack

[Ronald Montesano]

Is there a new member outing at Merion any time soon?  The way you make it read, getting on Merion is a right, not a privilege, of GCA members.  I'm too savvy to imagine it could be so.

[TEPaul]

"sharp edges on merion seem out of place to me.  #9 & #11 greens specifically."


They've both been there for about eight decades, Chip. We call it "old fashioned variety."

[Carl Rogers]

Would it be sacreligious or blasphemous to suggest cutting the rough around the green so that shots that miss the green roll into the water?

[Chip Gaskins]

here we go...

[JSlonis]

Would it be sacreligious or blasphemous to suggest cutting the rough around the green so that shots that miss the green roll into the water?

The hole is hard enough without your suggested change.  The front hole location is by far the hardest, you don't need balls missing by a couple of feet trickling into the water.

[Dan Herrmann]

Ronald,
Merion is unique among great courses because you can see a lot of it from public roads.  Plus, it's hosting the Walker Cup this year.

Come on down to Philly!

[Jon Wiggett]

don't take this wrong, but if that pond was on a fazio course in florida it would bring howls from this board.....

sharp edges on merion seem out of place to me.  #9 & #11 greens specifically.

I have to say that Chip is probably right. If this were Tom Fazio......

TEP it is difficult to see on the old photos but were the banks of the pond wall in the same style as now back in the 20's?

[Bradley Anderson]

Brad,  I thought this was the 3rd hardest of the tee shots on the  par 3's at Merion. I thought 17 was the toughest and 3 was right behind it. On 9 I thought we hit 6or7 irons in . The 13th was difficult for those in the front bunker even though it was only a wedge.    Great set of par 3's.     Jack

at was very hard

Jack,

My point is that back in the day when you were making this shot with hickory shafted clubs, this was one really difficult shot. There was so much hazard in front of and surrounding this green, that you had to play a true aerial shot. That was a very hard shot in the day that this green was built.

Also consider that the blasting of sand out of the green bunkers, has lifted the putting sward up on all those edges. Those contours originally fell away on the sides so that the ball had not only to land on the green, but in the middle of the green. It was actually a much smaller target to hold than it is today, and with mid-iron equipment that was a lot harder to get a lofted shot out of than anything we have today.

I wish Wayne was still on here to comment on that ramp in the back of the green. It seems that that has been softened over time. But I think that is an illusion. I think that ramp in the back has not been altered, rather the left and right sides have risen so much from bunker sand accumulations, over the decades, that the ramp just appears to be softer?

[Bradley Anderson]

Anyone know if Wayne is coming back?

[TEPaul]

"Would it be sacreligious or blasphemous to suggest cutting the rough around the green so that shots that miss the green roll into the water?"

Carl,

For a time the green did have short grass fronting the green and the pond as can be seen in this 1930 drawing by William Flynn:




Here is a view of the original iteration of the ninth green with Alpinization and a rectangular green shape:

[TEPaul]

"Anyone know if Wayne is coming back?"


Ahhh, well---hmmmm, let me think about that. Could you specifically define what you mean by "coming back?"   

[Bradley Anderson]

Tom,

To you he never left, because you and Wayne golf together on world famous golf holes, and then go drink really good wine.

I think this site really misses what he contributed.

[Carl Nichols]

I'm with Chip, at least with respect to the stone wall.  Does anyone have pictures of #11 -- I can't remember whether the wall is similar.

[PCCraig]

I agree the stone wall could be busted down, but that could also be nit-picking.

What a neat green, just begging for a back left pin! I love the picture showing the green essentially sitting in a field all by itself.

[TEPaul]

"I think this site really misses what he contributed."


BradA:

I couldn't agree more; Even though some have questioned it endlessly on here, there ain't nobody in the Universe who knows as much about Merion's architectural history as Wayne does, that's for sure. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to want to reregister, and I can surely understand why but there are ways and then there are ways, if you catch my Drifto!  Our modern world of I.T. is a wonderful thing, don't you think?  

[Chip Gaskins]

Carl-

Here is #11 from the wide fairway...



same hole a year earlier

[PCCraig]

Carl-

Here is #11 from the wide fairway...



same hole a year earlier

Geez...isn't that a shame. Thanks for the side-by-side pictures.

I suppose the price to pay to host the US Open?

[Chip Gaskins]

Pat-  I wasn't trying to say the fairway got more narrow from 2007 to 2008....I was just being funny with my comment "wide fairway".  I think they are both about the same mowing width just taken from different spots.

[Bradley Anderson]

Our modern world of I.T. is a wonderful thing, don't you think?  

Modern world of I.T. ?  So all this time I've been trying to channel Wayne on my Ouija Board, all I had to do was E-mail him? 

[J_ Crisham]

Chip,  My memory of the second shot at 11 was that it was scarier than the tee shot at 9. No real margin for error on 11. A shot from the rough at 11 is terrifying if the green is firm. One of the great short par 4's in golf.    Jack

[Mike_Cirba]

Ok...who the hell started a Merion thread?!?   


Bradley...you go right to your room without any supper!!