[Dan Boerger]

Hosting a tournament is a pain for any private club. I can only imagine a major is pain plus.

I, for one, am grateful to Merion members for hosting.

[Tom ORourke]

The way I am thinning screaming irons over greens right now I think I could decline the mat and no one would be the wiser. I was at Pebble Beach in 2000 the final day the course was open for general play. That was a Sunday, one week before the practice rounds started. Play was being limited to 8 foursomes but no mats were involved. Mats this early does seem a bit severe. Imagine the restrictions in the spring! 

[Ivan Morris]

I agree that mats are ridiculous and this far ahead of 'the game' it's an abuse of the membership. I have put my 45-year membership of Lahinch into limbo because of the forced use of mats in winter. You'd wonder why? Mats make the game easier. I've played TOC using mats. The green fee wasn't reduced. I'm a compressor not a picker - so, I did not enjoy the mats at all, at all but they didn't stop me from shooting 5 birdies.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Whats interesting is this was also done at Congressional and Olympic Club. It didnt make a lot of headlines, though.

[Mark Chaplin]

Ivan - the Old course drops from £105 to £70 during mat play and rises again when they finish.

The problem with links courses is the humps and hollows gather balls and the divot damage can be quite severe in small areas when the ground is softer. Seeding or replacing divots in the winter just doesn't work.

[Ian Dalzell]

I feel compelled to respond on this thread, and will state well in advance I do not have any first hand knowledge of Merions plans relative to how long or why they are using mats.

What I can say is that as a golfer growing up at Portrush and Portstewart Golf Cubs in GB&I this is nothing new to me, very common practice during the winter months.  What those posting need to consider is that the practice I common during winter because there is NO possibility of grow back of a divot taken Dec-mid March.  

I suspect that Merion is being protective during the non-growing season.

Furthermore, I have played hundreds of rounds with mats under the same set of conditions, and at one time my friends and I did a Study of just how many shots were taken using the mats.  The average was somewhere around 12 for an 18 hole round......so it's not really a big deal, especially when you consider the width of the fairways at Merion I would suspect this number could be closer to 10.

Let them prepare for a Championship as they see fit and allow them some latitude to make informed decisions for their golf course.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Ian

[Mark Johnson]

 

I suspect that Merion is being protective during the non-growing season.

Thats not the plan as described.  I dont think anyone here would object to that.

What is being discussed is staying on mats all year until mid-June for the Open.  Growing season in the northeast starts around mid-april or likely the same time the east course would open on a normal year.

[C. Squier]

Ian - well said!

I'm really enjoying reading a bunch of non-members complain/criticize about what a private club does during a time when only members can play. 

[JESII]

The problem is that these areas could be perfect on Sunday before the tournament but a few hundred practice rouns later and the areas currently being protected will look like a mine field...

[C. Squier]

You've missed the point completely.

Bottom line is if it happened at my club, I'd be pissed off. And I'm sure many members at Merion aren't over the moon about it. And it's part of a worrying trend. Whether those commenting are or aren't members is totally irrelevant.

Your club isn't one of the world's most historic hosts of major tournament golf trying to prepare for an upcoming US Open. 

I'd also bet that if it were your club, you wouldn't be on the internet blasting your board's decisions so critically either.

[Ivan Morris]

Mark is right! The green fee paid at TOC was £70. I thought it was the winter fee but, apparently, it's a mat fee. Apologies. I still don't like mats!   

[Ian Dalzell]

Brian,
Thanks for your response but I don't believe I have missed the point at all.  I belong to a club that carries out this practice every winter, therefore I was trying to educate those like yourself who perhaps have not experienced it,that when all is said and done it is not a huge inconvenience.  Shooting an 80 involves 18 tee shots from a peg, 34 putts, 3 bunker shots and 13 shots from the rough off the fairway or around the green edge.  That leaves about 12 strokes from the fairway, not really enough to warrant the oohs and ahhs on this post.

Let me put it to you this way,it makes even LESS sense to start this practice a few weeks before the event, considering you have winter golf in the north east these last few years when divots have zero chance of regrowing.  If you do not act now, you will have all the winter divots PLUS the divots taken in the spring, and that becomes a much larger proposition to show the course in its best light on the national stage.

When you belong to a club of his stature, you are justifiably proud, and you want only the best for it when the tournament rolls around in June.  This is not really a significant imposition for the membership, in my opinion at least.  I respectfully have to disagree with those on the other side of this issue.  Yes, it is 8 months away, but only 2 1/2 of those could be considered growing season, so that point is moot for me.

Lastly, I am not planning on going back on forth, so hope that doesn't disappoint you 

Merry Christmas!

Ian

[Sean Leary]

I thought the the East course closed in the winter? Surprised it is still open.

[Joe Bausch]

I thought the the East course closed in the winter? Surprised it is still open.

Later in the article is this:

The East Course closed Dec. 3 for winter, as it does every year about this time.  It will reopen in April, with the weather playing a factor in exactly when.

[Jeff_Brauer]

I played the Old Course in 1995 (an Open year for them) under the same scenario, matts for fw shots.  Obviously, not a new concept, or restricted to the US, private clubs, etc.

I think I still have the  mat!  Best memory is hitting five in two with a driver "off the deck" (in reality, the tee in the matt allowed it)

[Kevin_Reilly]

Whats interesting is this was also done at Congressional and Olympic Club. It didnt make a lot of headlines, though.

There were no mats at Olympic in April...two months before the tournament.  And only limited use preceding the tournament in a couple of situations where short irons would be hit from a small landing area, like the second shot on #18.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Sometimes I wonder why clubs put themselves through the pain that accompanies holding a major.

Dan,

I think that's a question that more and more clubs are asking themselves.

Memberships are often divided on the issue.

But, it may be the financial gain that has and will continue to sway clubs in the future.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Whats interesting is this was also done at Congressional and Olympic Club. It didnt make a lot of headlines, though.

There were no mats at Olympic in April...two months before the tournament.  And only limited use preceding the tournament in a couple of situations where short irons would be hit from a small landing area, like the second shot on #18.

Understood. I was just commented from what I read on Geoff's blog.

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2012/12/16/merion-has-gone-to-the-mats.html

[Josh Stevens]

Move somewhere warm!!!

It staggers me and is perhaps is relfective of the narrowness of the playing lines of a US open venue that they have to protect what little fairway they leave.

My track hosted a tour event a few months back.  We were still happily digging it up in a full members comp the Sat before - the course was closed on the Sunday, a bit of a mow and was looking a treat by middle of the week to rave reviews.

Nice and warm, and perhaps most importantly, it is wide, so the divots dont tend to get concentrated.

[Jon Wiggett]

TOC didn't have mats in the late 80's when I played most of the rounds I have played there. Also £70 for playing off mats doesn't seem such a good deal either.

Jon

[Sean_A]

Jon

£70 off mats sounds a rotten deal to me.  Anyhow, to compare TOC to Merion is stupid.  TOC probably does 4x the rounds as Merion and is open all year.  While I don't like mats, I can understand why they are used.  On links whether required or not, I will often push my ball to the wings to protect fairways.  Sometimes I even push my ball away from sparse looking heather to protect it in winter.  Its not a big deal for a friendly game.   

I belonged to a club that used mats in the winter.  After a few years the club dropped the idea because they said by the time May rolled round one couldn't tell the difference. 

Ciao

[Jon Wiggett]

Jon

£70 off mats sounds a rotten deal to me.  Anyhow, to compare TOC to Merion is stupid.  TOC probably does 4x the rounds as Merion and is open all year.  While I don't like mats, I can understand why they are used.  On links whether required or not, I will often push my ball to the wings to protect fairways.  Sometimes I even push my ball away from sparse looking heather to protect it in winter.  Its not a big deal for a friendly game.   

I belonged to a club that used mats in the winter.  After a few years the club dropped the idea because they said by the time May rolled round one couldn't tell the difference. 

Ciao

Sean,

I was not comparing TOC to Merion, just putting in my pennies worth on TOC, mats and GF costs. I also can understand the reason for mats at TOC but not the £70 GF which should be the summer rate without mats (£35 would be more realistic with mats) I think that TOC has the problem of having gathering hollows on many of the holes which concentrate the gathering of divots. A point that I have often raised is the one your club realised. After a few weeks of moderate growth you cannot see the difference.

TOC could solve the divot problem were they to play the reverse course through the winter thus altering divot patterns.

Jon

[D_Malley]

the most shocking part of the article was that Merion only expects 3-4 foursomes of member play per day.

Is this really true?  Even when you cut out the guest play only 16 members playing per day.   I kew member play was low, but this seems extreme.

The one time I was there I remember the tee sheet was nearly full (and this was tuesday late morning)

The tee sheet is usually full and from what i hear the course has been extremely busy this past season.
But as the article states, practically every group is one member plus three guests.
on a typical weekday there is very little member play in groups of four. 
The west course gets more daily member groups than the east.

BTW...didn't Jay Seigel lose a semi final match in the 89 us am at merion when his drive on the 1st playoff hole ended in a divot?

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