1913, 1963, 1988, 2013; USGA getting what it deserves

[Scott Coan]

That's not just rain that's been pelting their wondrous choice of venue for the 2013 US Open; that's also the Golfing Gods pissing down on their little party.  You get exactly one chance in a lifetime to celebrate a centenary anniversary so there really is only ONE venue where the 2013 Open should have been held and that is The Country Club.

I have read dozens of articles about David Graham in 1981 and Jack & Lee in 1971 and Hogan in 1960; heck even Chick Evans in 1916.  Yet here we are on the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of golf in America and I have seen exactly one article lately referencing the wondrous Francis Ouimet.

Merion, with all it's great architecture and history, should have been saved for any other year but this one.  The powers that be at the time had the nous to recognize the 50th and 75th anniversaries; yet the bozo's in charge 6 years ago somehow could not summon the courage and foresight to make this Open happen at TCC.

Let it rain I say, LET IT RAIN.

[Scott Coan]

If the proposal was made properly and with fair consideration then the members would have taken it in a heartbeat.  TCC is known for one thing and one thing only, and that is Francis Ouiment's victory 100 years ago.  Pulling on those historical heartstrings would certainly have swayed any wayward members.

[Mike Sweeney]

Scott,

David Fay seems to have taken responsibility for the decision:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/06/05/former-usga-chief-critical-the-country-club/EGTVv3HkDDqkRtwnld4teO/story.html

“My views were formed during the 1988 Open and the 1999 Ryder Cup. I thought there were too many weak and indifferent holes on the course and too many spectator bottlenecks.

[Ronald Montesano]

This is the better event to honor Ouimet. The young participants need to be saturated like sponges in Ouimet. Much better event, as focus is completely on the amateur:

http://www.2013usamateur.com/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp

[Patrick_Mucci]

Scott,

How do you know that TCC wanted to host the Open in 2013 ?

I'm sure you're aware that he members at Winged Foot rejected hosting the Open in certain years.

How do you know that the members at TCC didn't feel the same way ?

Are you aware that rain is forecast for Boston today ?

Why would you wish for inclement weather for any tournament ?

[William_G]

Scott,

 

[BHoover]

Forget about the USGA, what about me?  I was all set to watch the online coverage here at work.  Now what am I supposed to do today while at the office?

 

[Patrick_Mucci]

If the proposal was made properly and with fair consideration then the members would have taken it in a heartbeat. 

Why wouldn't the proposal be made properly ?
What do you mean by "properly" ?

Why wouldn't the members give any proposal presented, "fair consideration" ?
What's "fair consideration" ?


TCC is known for one thing and one thing only, and that is Francis Ouiment's victory 100 years ago. 
Pulling on those historical heartstrings would certainly have swayed any wayward members.

Are you a member ?

If not, how can you speak for the members ?

[JESII]

Why no 36 on Sunday?

[PCCraig]

I'm biased having a fair amount of experience at The Country Club, so I would of loved to have seen the Open there this year. The indication that I've seen from a few different articles (Fay's piece as well) is that the members thought it was a given, but the USGA said no. It'll be great to see the club host the Am later this summer, at which point I think you'll see more coverage of Francis.

For the record, David Fay is becoming a bit of a goofball color analyst in his older years. "Too many weak holes" is a joke of a comment is likely more of a dismissal of the club and it's members than anything else. 

[Patrick_Mucci]

PatC

There are too many weak holes at TCC.

That's why they have to gerrymander the course and create holes by combining two holes, eliminate holes and take holes from another course to fill their place.

At Merion, WFW and other venues there's no need to create a hybrid course, you get the course in it's purist form,  "as is".

[Jason Topp]

PatC

At Merion, WFW and other venues there's no need to create a hybrid course, you get the course in it's purist form,  "as is".

Except for the mowing lines and the added bunkers

[Phil McDade]

PatC

At Merion, WFW and other venues there's no need to create a hybrid course, you get the course in it's purist form,  "as is".

Except for the mowing lines and the added bunkers

And denuded greens...

[PCCraig]

PatC

There are too many weak holes at TCC.

That's why they have to gerrymander the course and create holes by combining two holes, eliminate holes and take holes from another course to fill their place.

At Merion, WFW and other venues there's no need to create a hybrid course, you get the course in it's purist form,  "as is".

They haven't played the member's course in a tournament at TCC in a long time, it's been on the Composite Course. So I'm not sure why it makes a difference that the 10th hole on the member's course is considered weak, when it's not used.

What holes on the Composite Course at TCC do you consider weak?

[V. Kmetz]

You know...it's going to rain in Boston too...and longer into tomorrow.

The Golf Gods can piss in many directions.

cheers

vk

[Anthony Butler]

That's not just rain that's been pelting their wondrous choice of venue for the 2013 US Open; that's also the Golfing Gods pissing down on their little party.  You get exactly one chance in a lifetime to celebrate a centenary anniversary so there really is only ONE venue where the 2013 Open should have been held and that is The Country Club.

I have read dozens of articles about David Graham in 1981 and Jack & Lee in 1971 and Hogan in 1960; heck even Chick Evans in 1916.  Yet here we are on the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of golf in America and I have seen exactly one article lately referencing the wondrous Francis Ouimet.

Merion, with all it's great architecture and history, should have been saved for any other year but this one.  The powers that be at the time had the nous to recognize the 50th and 75th anniversaries; yet the bozo's in charge 6 years ago somehow could not summon the courage and foresight to make this Open happen at TCC.

Let it rain I say, LET IT RAIN.

Staying on the weather related theme, a lot of wind and rain and not much sunshine in that post, Scott...

While I agree with some of the course related comments from David Fay, Pat Mucci and other esteemed individuals, let's not forget that the club has made several improvements to the Composite Course since Gil Hanse started working with club a couple of years ago... It will be interesting to see how they play at the US Amateur later this summer. But these changes weren't even proposed until 3 years AFTER the '13 Open was awarded to Merion.

TCC is simply undecided and uneasy on the matter of hosting another major event. There are many logistical problems that remain unresolved... Off site parking is tight and their take over of the adjacent Putterham Meadows course  for the Ryder Cup  resulted in restitution to the town of Brookline of  $1m + more than was originally budgeted.

While positive reviews from the Amateur might help things with USGA, the logistical problems being experienced already at Merion this week are a warning to all parties that some of the older private venues for the US Open are problematic. Prospects for a return to Brookline for the US Open are like today's weather.

Cloudy at best.

[Mark Pritchett]

PatC

There are too many weak holes at TCC.

That's why they have to gerrymander the course and create holes by combining two holes, eliminate holes and take holes from another course to fill their place.

At Merion, WFW and other venues there's no need to create a hybrid course, you get the course in it's purist form,  "as is".

The composite seems to work just fine for Royal Melbourne. 

[Jud_T]

Don't foget the flattened greens.

[Mark Bourgeois]

I am less concerned with the choice of venue than that we remember the man and the golfer. Ouimet belongs to history so he is where you find him. I would just like us to remember this as the "Francis Ouimet Centennial Open." In that spirit I would like to share these Francis Ouimet-related videos.

Here is the swing that put America on the golfing map: http://ow.ly/lR0Rt

Here is Ouimet discussing the win w his caddie E. Lowery on the 50th anniversary of the feat: http://ow.ly/lR3aL

And here is a Ouimet Fund bio of Eddie Lowery -- with each passing year it seems more amazing a US Open champion could have won with a 10yo on the bag. I realize the Open then wasn't what it is today but still: http://ow.ly/lR33m

[PCCraig]

I am less concerned with the choice of venue than that we remember the man and the golfer. Ouimet belongs to history so he is where you find him. I would just like us to remember this as the "Francis Ouimet Centennial Open." In that spirit I would like to share these Francis Ouimet-related videos.

Here is the swing that put America on the golfing map: http://ow.ly/lR0Rt

Here is Ouimet discussing the win w his caddie E. Lowery on the 50th anniversary of the feat: http://ow.ly/lR3aL

And here is a Ouimet Fund bio of Eddie Lowery -- with each passing year it seems more amazing a US Open champion could have won with a 10yo on the bag. I realize the Open then wasn't what it is today but still: http://ow.ly/lR33m

Those videos are fantastic!!

[Scott Coan]

That is exactly what I'm talking about Mark and thanks so much for those videos!

This has nothing to do with the validity of the course to accommodate the competition and everything to do with honoring and celebrating perhaps the greatest moment in the history of the the game of golf in America.

The USGA's own Mission Statement says that it shall act in the best interest of the game, preserve its past, foster its future, and celebrate the history of the game.  Yet when it had the chance to embrace this  centenary anniversary it shrunk from it's duty.  How many teenage golfers have even heard of Francis Ouimet, let alone pronounce or spell his name?  Has his name even been mentioned
once in today's telecast?

Handled properly, 2013 could been declared the "Year of the Caddie".  Teenage caddie/golfers - declared as Ouimet Ambassadors - could have been selected from all 50 states and allowed inside the ropes of each group at the 2013 TCC Open to tend pins.

Golf is a game that has been saddled by it's elitist past for far too long and caddies are an entry point into the game that don't get near enough attention.  This year of the caddie could have been used as a lever to twist the arms of it's member clubs to encourage more caddies and encourage more clubs to open their courses on Monday afternoons to non-member caddies to have a crack at the game.
 
David Fay stated that “Some members of The Country Club regarded the 2013 Open as a foregone conclusion,  a birthright."  I would suggest that by being one of only five founding members of the USGA and then by chance hosting the 1913 Open in which an amateur caddie that lived across the street from it's environs went on to win it's championship against the world's greatest professional golfer at the time would provide that birthright.  The USGA committee members in the early 60's and mid 80's certainly seemed to think so.

[DMoriarty]

That's not just rain that's been pelting their wondrous choice of venue for the 2013 US Open; that's also the Golfing Gods pissing down on their little party.  
. . .
Let it rain I say, LET IT RAIN.

I always enjoy when people portray 'acts of God' as expressing some sort of opinion, whether it be support for a sport team or in this case a golf course and historical figure.   It is the ultimate rhetorical trump card . . . Oh yeah . . Well God agrees with me.   I am surprised I haven't heard this used in the Merion design discussions . . . yet.  

Scott,  

When the weather clears and the tournament ends up being a great success, can we then conclude that God is happy with the decision to hold the tournament at Merion . . . and that God agrees with Fay and Mucci that CCC has too many weak holes . . . and that God isn't a big fan of Ouimet?

(I hope this isn't pouring salt in your wounds, but if a recall the literature correctly the USGA revoked Ouimet's amateur status in 1916, so the first Championship he missed was the 1916 U.S. Amateur, played at Merion Cricket Club.)

[jeffwarne]

Can someone tell me what a "weak hole" is?

Couldn't they (TCC) have taken 6-7 holes and added 50-80 yards to them and created a bunch of walkbacks and  crossovers? (oops that's this year )

I'm thrilled that the US is back at Merion, but I could've waited until 2014

[Patrick_Mucci]

PatC

There are too many weak holes at TCC.

That's why they have to gerrymander the course and create holes by combining two holes, eliminate holes and take holes from another course to fill their place.

At Merion, WFW and other venues there's no need to create a hybrid course, you get the course in it's purist form,  "as is".

They haven't played the member's course in a tournament at TCC in a long time, it's been on the Composite Course.

Then why insist that the Open be returned to a course that bears little resemblence to the course where Ouimet won the Open 100 years ago ?

So I'm not sure why it makes a difference that the 10th hole on the member's course is considered weak, when it's not used.
Neither is the 9th hole or the 12th hole.
And the 2nd hole is converted from a par 4 to a par 3.

Then, from another course they take a par 4 and par 3 and combine them to be a par 4.
They take a par 5 from another course and have it play as a par 4
And lastly, they take a par 4 from another course and have it play as a par 4.

This creates a Gerrymandered, hybrid course that's far from the course Ouimet played.


What holes on the Composite Course at TCC do you consider weak?

Depends upon your definition of weak, but 6 would be one, others might be #'s 8, 13, 15, 16 and 17.