Some thoughts on the 2011 AT&T @ Aronimink

[Kris Shreiner]

The professionals  were very impressed and pleased with the presentation of the event this year. John Gosselin and his team did a superb job and the many kudos were well-deserved.
 
Quite a few folks expressed strong interest in having a sustained PGA Tour event presence in Philly. Why not a three course rotation, perhaps including a course in N.J. like Pine Hill, to also encourage quality private clubs with tour length, like Aronimink, to host, just not every year?

Those that attended the BBQ seemed to enjoy themselves. Many thanks to the donations from the GCA gang that contributed to supporting caddie golf and the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship. It was much appreciated.

Two guests of note were kind enough to share their insights and thoughts with the group during Saturday's lunch. First, talented Philly native, Lee Wybranski, commissioned regularly by the USGA to create timeless art, centered around their major events, was kind enough to offer his thoughts on golf-related art and what he trys to convey in his work. He is sure to continue his rise as a special artist with a deep passion for golf, course landscapes, and other projects. I highly encourage folks to check his portfolio on his website...www.groupwartworks.com.

Ron Prichard was gracious enough to join us again this year to discuss: the quality of Aronimink, the importance of Donald Ross and other key architects in American golf architecture, and what influences he felt would be important in the future of course design.
His candor, thoughtfulness, and warm, engaging manner are a potent combination that elevate Ron as an astute voice in golf that always stimulates reflection.

It makes for something memorable when illuminating discussion is shared with fellow devotees. On behalf of all who were there, I wish to thank Lee and Ron for their time and contributions to our outing.

With the conclusion of the two year run at Aronimink for the AT&T National, the Philly GCA contingent will take a small breath before firing back up for what promises to be a robust presentation of Philly golf and hospitality in 2013. Preliminary plans are under way and we look forward to a wonderful week at Merion.

Cheers,
Kris

[Joe Bausch]

There are articles out there suggesting Congressional may want out of their three year commitment, all or part.  Hmmm, could the tourney come back to Aronimink next year?

[George Pazin]

Group W Art Works - like the wordplay



He has a cool retro thing going on. Can't figure out how to link to the art, good stuff, though.

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How long does it take for the course to bounce back? It strikes me as a course that could host a big event on very short notice.

[Kris Shreiner]

George,

Thanks for posting that illustration! I think Lee does a great job capturing a "timeless look" as he refers to what he strives for in his work.

As to course recovery of Aronimink, John, the superintendent, who posts on this site occasionally, could best answer that. The course playing areas don't take near the beating the perimeter, spectator areas do and while the greens had pace, there seemed to be additional firmness that could have been employed, though the weather did have some heat and sun that could have crisped things up quickly. Our region is also entering the difficult summer stretch where anything can and might develop, so John and the PGA Tour certainly would have had that in mind when setting up the daily presention.

Cheers,
Kris

[Terry Lavin]

I thought Aronimink presented itself spectacularly.  I don't know if it's "major worthy" in the minds of the governing bodies, but it surely can hold up to a regular tour stop.  Just an incredible place.

[JSlonis]

Kris,

I seriously doubt that Trump Pine Hill would ever be considered to hold a tour event. It's extremely spread out, not very walkable and wouldn't provide much room for galleries.

Aronimink continued to receive high praise from the few players that I spoke to. The only negative I heard all week was about the hole location on # 8 on Sunday. It was nearly impossible to hold the green anywhere within 40 feet of the pin and the proximity to the hole on #10 caused some major delays. Some groups sat on the tee for 30 min before being able to play.

[John Mayhugh]

I thought Aronimink presented itself spectacularly.  I don't know if it's "major worthy" in the minds of the governing bodies, but it surely can hold up to a regular tour stop.  Just an incredible place.

Major worthy for me.  I really enjoyed watching play on that course.

[mike_malone]

 Jamie,

   I had the same thought on the pin placements for #8 and #10. I went to see the leaders on Sunday and thought watching approaches to #7 and tee shots on #8 would be fun but there were three groups on the tee. The pins on those two holes were probably closer than 20 yards from each other.

[Tom ORourke]

I am not sure about a 3 course rotation. Pine Hill is not the answer. So many of the great Flynn courses are not long enough for the tour level guys. Courses like Rolling Green, Huntingdon Valley, Manufacturers, and Lehigh are all part of the fabric of Philadelphia golf, but I doubt they have the length or the infrastructure to host a large event. Aronimink is close enough to Villanova for parking, and Waynesborough was close to some of the other colleges when they hosted the SEI some years ago. I was at Aronimink on Friday and it is, obviously, an excellent course and could be tweaked easily enough for a major or to be the regular host. I heard Chris Stroud telling a marshall that it was a better course than Congressional, set up better, and the winner should consider himself the US Open champion. I think the 18th tee could be moved back and to the left to make it about a dog leg left, and about 40 - 50 yards longer, and the closing stretch would be a true test for closing an event.  

[Sam Morrow]

Trump isn't that spread out but I agree that there isn't enough room for galleries without taking out a serious amount of trees, which of course might be a great idea.

[Kris Shreiner]

The three course rotation for a PGA Tour Event in Philly would indeed eliminate a lot of classic courses favored by our lot but short by modern standards. I'm not suggesting Pine Hill is ideal, just that it has the muscularity and potential to host a tour event. Donald could certainly open up the place further, which wouldn't be a bad thing and for all the acquisitions of golf courses he has made...I've not seen anything hosted of real significance for the men.
I do believe that there are three courses good enough, with the infrastructure to support a PGA Tour event in the Philly, N.J. Delaware orbit, and the beauty of the three-course rotation is the rest each course gets between hosting, particularly the privates, which have member concerns that they need to be sensitive to.
Will it happen? Who knows?  I do think Philly golf benefits from the big boys being on display regularly.

Cheers,
Kris

[Steve_ Shaffer]

One course previously mentioned for a PGA Tour venue was Cricket's Militia Hill course by Hurdzan/Fry. It's probably long enough at  almost 7400y.

The bigger question is whether the Tour would agree to a course rotation for an event.

[Mark McKeever]

The ACE Club certainly has the length and the facilties.  Plenty of parking in nearby Plymouth Meeting as well.

Mark

[Mike Cirba]

Perhaps a new olde Philadelphia course is needed?   

The ACE Club has the length, but the routing is abysmal and would be a painful walk.

[Anthony_Nysse]

I was watching the Golf Channel on Sunday night and they commented that officials from the PGA are looking into a possible PGA Championship there. They also mentioned that Tom Fazio had visited in the last month about possible changes to tune up to a major. Now, why in the world isnt Ron Prichard being brought back in? He is the one that put Aronimink's architecture on the map!?
  Without a doubt, I'd like to see Aronimink in the spotlight more often.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Anthony,

You missed Jeff Mingay's post on the other Amink thread:

Ron Prichard is a good friend of mine. We were talking about this yesterday.

For the record, Ron's informed me that the by-laws at Aronimink state that any future changes to the course must go thru him. The officers of the club approached Ron about Fazio's office (Tom Marzolf) having a look at the course, to which he agreed. Why not, says Ron; perhaps two heads are better than one?

Anyway, Ron is still very much involved at Aronimink. He's aware the course can be lengthened further relative to a major championship bid, and is currently preparing plans for more green surface restoration/expansion, in the short term. Ron also asked me to mention that Fazio/Marzolf handled their visit ethically, and were very classy relative to his continued involvement at Aronimink. It's not an attempt to "steal the job" per se; respectful.