Is Merion an English golf course?

[mike_malone]

  All the discussion about Merion's origins coupled with Rose's win makes me wonder how much those inland English courses affected Merion

[BHoover]

Early in the week, I thought to myself that, take away the trees, Merion seems to bear a resemblance to a course you might see in the UK. It may not play like one, but it certainly shares features you might see in the UK.

Certainly, I'm no authority on this as (a) I have never played Merion and (b) my only experience with golf in the UK was playing a parkland course in Oxford 10 years ago as a student. It was so memorable that I can't even recall the name of the course.

[JNC Lyon]

Thinking about it less from architectural heritage standpoint and more from a "current feel" standpoint, Merion has a lot of characteristics of some of the London courses.  It squeezes effortlessly into a tight piece of property.  It embraces the property's shortcomings rather than suffering because of them.  The road on 2, 14 and 15, the quarry on 16-18, and the greens on holes like 2, 5 and 15, are very similar to a lot of the stuff in London.  Also, like several London courses, Merion has a complex architectural lineage.  It has been created by evolution much more than by pre-planning.  And, on a side note, they cut the fairway right up to the bunkers, which is something I saw (and loved) at places like Woking or Worplesdon.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I agree that the land has the look of a UK parkland course (not London heath).... But Merion seems to have considerable more interest in the greens, bunkering and routing... Not for nothing that Merion is world class and there aren't any parkland courses of the same standard in the entirety of GB&I...

Completely different bunker style but in positioning etc... I might say Little Aston comes closest in feel...  But then I haven't been to Merion...

[Scott Warren]

Geoff Ogilvy commented on Twitter that Merion reminded him of a heathland course with American rough.

[David_Elvins]

Sunningdale Old reminded me of Merion in feel a bit.  I had thought that it was because Sunningdale Old had a bit of an American parkland feel, but it could be the opposite.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Looks far less like a heath than a park to me...

[Sean_A]

Yes, I would say the feel of Merion is somewhat like an English course but with rough on steroids and a much higher maintenance level.  I think this feeling is down to the quarry holes, road crossings, walk-overs, course texture and compact routing.  But Merion is better than probably any inland English course, maybe even links.  

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Maybe looked a bit like an English parkland course - but probably less tree lined as UK parklands tend to have become excessively alboretum like over the decades - and I don't ever recall seeing thick, deep rough like that on a course in the UK.......I hope I never see it in the UK either! Vile stuff, lower the mower blades or get some sheep in!

All the best

[Dan Boerger]

Mike - One of the first times I played inland golf in England (mostly around Surrey) I thought the same thing. You could just dump Merion here and it would feel right at home.

All of which makes me wonder why they don't put some similar course in the Open rota?