1. I (liking RTJ- work more than most here) appreciated:
Bellerive
...in the last PGA, which resulted in a fine contest between Tiger and Koepka.
1. It's already big (long enough) for the current elite game
2. It has the grounds to host the show
3. It has a lineage of hosting majors/large events...
4. ... but it's not over-exposed in the golf fans' environment
5. It's just about in the heart of the geographic midwest, and adjacent to population centers.
As a course to watch the play of pros I found it very pleasing, but most of all in the long lag putting and judgement chipping.
I can understand that some take a lack of physical spectacle or shot strategy away, when one of the prime features is massive huge RTJ greens with swells and tiers and quadrants... but I have grown up with and connected with golf through some of those same greens, and I am really, really (constantly) impressed by the quality of elite professional, world champion lag putting from 50, 60, 70, 80 feet... which Bellerive (and many RTJ courses) elicit.
This is one of the "small" skills that as a caddie and golfer for 40 years that goes unnoticed... the amount of 3 putting and misses of close ground run (judgement)...this is one of the core gaps that makes up a chasm between even low handicap/scratch golfers and the touring world class golfers... and the chasm that exists between low handicaps and average...and average and bogey...and bogey and high handicaps...
2. Although I'm much less enthused to offer it, for the sake of geographic and course variety as well as utility to host, another possible major venue for something could be
The Old White - Greenbrier?
It might need some yardage (LoL - at 7,350, it "might need yardage") but here's a course that's got some familiarity and interest from the contemporary world, is big enough to host, gets a major into an unplumbed area, has a template course to chew on, and finishing on 8-9 iron (for them) par 3 ought to set our hair on fire in nasty personal debate for weeks. It ought to make money and is literally made for largesse hosting of wealthy patronage.
3. It could never happen, as the course has been rendered nearly obsolete by the improvements men's game, but I was reminded by the 2014 LPGA and last weeks US W Am how much I miss observing golf action every year at:
Westchester CC West.