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What am I missing about Hazeltine that the PGA of America keeps seeing?

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Jay Flemma:
So what is it that the PGA of America sees ARCHITECTURALLY about Hazelnut...errr...Hazeltine that made them come back twice in seven years and lob them a Ryder Cup.

I look at these pics from their website and I think it needs to be Oakmonted...why would you post these as pix from your yardage guide?  You can't even see the holes?

Number 3



Number 4



Number 6



Why the heck would you post that as your picture of 6??? You can't see anything!

What's good about the design of HazNat?  It looks penal and long and flat and uninteresting in pics and in reviews?  Anyone?


Oh well...at least it's not medinah, which looks to me like this:

Jason Topp:
Jay:

Hazeltine is chosen because of location in a market that does not host a regular tour event, infrastructure and the enthusiasm of its members for hosting big events.  At the time Hazeltine signed its deal with the PGA, the PGA was negotiating similar 2 PGA/1 Ryder Cup deals with venues (I cannot recall the others).

I am not the biggest Hazeltine fan but trees are not a problem on the course.  They are very sparse except for the Southeast corner of the property and provide many of its more interesting holes.
 

#3 is a terrific 3 shot par five that cleverly uses a dip and left to right slope to require the player to choose between laying back to a bit more than wedge yardage on his second or place a very accurate more agressive 2nd for a pitch

#4 is a par 3 with an interesting green that plays a bit redanish (although that picture does not look like 4 to me) 

#6 is in my view the best hole on the course.  It is a relatively narrow dogleg left par 4 of around 410 yards and a severe green up against the water.  I saw a wide variety of strategies off the tee varying from a staight iron to very agressive drivers just short of the green.

Another hole in the trees is 14 which is a good short par four that is very narrow - forcing the choice between a layup and an agressive tee shot near the green.

Ian Larson:
"I look at these pics from their website and I think it needs to be Oakmonted...why would you post these as pix from your yardage guide?  You can't even see the holes?"

....couldnt agree more with being "Oakmonted". It looks completely overgrown.

Jay Flemma:
I think they sent Mr. Magoo to take the pictures:)

Jason, Medinah and Whistling are the other "2 PGA/1 Ryder deals."

I hear three is a decent hole, I just can't see it from the pix!

Anybody have architectural analysis of this course?

RJ_Daley:
Jay, I think it is just a big parkland course that is about as good as a regular tour stop, but has plenty of room on the boundaries for parking and tents that makes it attractive for the event, and the Minnieapple market is good sports town.  I don't think the course sucks.  But, it doesn't have much that is memorable in any classic sense.  Maybe the shortish par 4 #10 dogleg left down a steep hill to  the green seemed moderately interesting to me watching the previous PGA.  #16 is something of a pennisula or reverse cape of sorts, and has the Payne Stewart bridge which is a Swilcan burn sort of thing.  A couple of commercial par 5s that are OK.  Maybe par 3, 4th is the best of the par 3 lot.

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