A bone to pick: "The Bear Trap"

[Matthew Rose]

Isn't PGA National basically a Fazio course that Nicklaus tweaked?

Aren't #15 and #17 pretty much the same holes they were in 1981, when the course opened?.

In that case, isn't it kind of silly and disingenuous to put such a prominently marketable Nicklaus theme on it?

[Alex Miller]

I don't know the specifics of the "Bear Trap", but I know Donald Trump does this all the time.

[JR Potts]

If my memory serves me correctly, it was called the bear trap well before Nicklaus did any work on "The Champ"

[Bill_McBride]

If my memory serves me correctly, it was called the bear trap well before Nicklaus did any work on "The Champ"

Why?

I like the way the combination of water and wind and pressure really puts the top players to the test.  It was cool to see a veteran like Davis Love hit a knockdown 4 iron on the 163 yard 15th rather than trying to hammer a 7 iron up into the wind.  The less ego the better in the wind.

[Carl Nichols]

If my memory serves me correctly, it was called the bear trap well before Nicklaus did any work on "The Champ"

Why?

I like the way the combination of water and wind and pressure really puts the top players to the test.  It was cool to see a veteran like Davis Love hit a knockdown 4 iron on the 163 yard 15th rather than trying to hammer a 7 iron up into the wind.  The less ego the better in the wind.

Bill,
I like watching that too. Unfortunately I find that to be the only interesting thing about the course -- and then they end up repeating a very similar shot just two holes later.

[Dean Stokes]

I think what they should do on 16 is take the tee back over the path to where 13 back tee is.....make the players hit driver or definitely 3 wood. Then 16 would be a doosy as well!!!!! lol.

[John Kirk]

Forget the "Bear Trap".  Hey, that's Toonces The Driving Cat!

[Matt_Ward]

Dean:

One of the best par-4 holes on the course is #16 no matter which way the wind blows. Downwind makes it even tougher -- just tough to get the right angle into the hole unless you get a good bit ways down the fairway off the tee.