The Mission: Challenge The Field
By Ken Klavon, USGA
Augusta, Mo. – Upon arrival, the Boone Valley Golf Club course looks like the kind of place to spend a serene day. Have a beverage cooler in tow and watch the balls fly harmlessly into a gaping blue sky.
That’s on first glimpse. The 156-player U.S. Junior Amateur field, beginning Monday, might have a different opinion.
As is the case with any USGA championship, the course and its degree of difficulty will ultimately lead to the crowning of a champion. The P.B. Dye-designed layout opened in 1992 off back roads some 45 minutes west of St. Louis. Its beauty lies in its rustic appeal and natural turf setting that consists of rye, fescue, bentgrass, weeds, native grasses, not to mention environmental pests like chiggers, snakes and ticks. It resembles something you might play in the northern regions of the country, or in this case, a desolate locale.
However, the tranquil setting is worthy of a mirage. With the exception of generous fairways that may otherwise provide a boost of false confidence, akin to being housed on a faulty foundation, the course is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“The greens are just ridiculous,” said 17-year-old Alex Shi Yup Kim Sunday. “Some of the downhill putts you’ll be lucky to stop.”
Said 17-year-old Zack Sobel of Palm Harbor, Fla.: “They’re definitely hilly. You have to be careful with that. You don’t want to be putting over any hills; you want to be below the hole.”
To the naked eye, many of the bentgrass greens look as flat as a pancake. But there are dips and contours that don’t initially register until its too late if players aren’t careful. Of course, that was by design.
“Some of the greens are drained away from the lakes instead of toward them,” said Alan Clark, Boone Valley’s director of golf. “It gives the players awkward looks.”
Coupled with those looks will be the green speeds. Entering the first round of stroke play, greens were rolling between 11 and 11 ½ on the Stimpmeter. The intent is to keep them within that vicinity even if the course firms up later in the week.
Players that can read greens will no doubt benefit.
“There is so much variation in them,” said U.S. Junior Amateur Championship Director Genger Fahleson. “There are little nuances that make them deceptive.”
If the greens are the last line of defense, the rough presents an equal counterpart in the difficulty of solving Boone Valley G.C. The first cut was trimmed to 4 inches last Friday; the USGA’s has given indications that it will let it grow more. What this means is that inaccurate shots off the tee will make the course that much more penal, which Sobel agrees with. “It should be a penalty if you get in [the rough],” he said.
Shots off target will indelibly put more of a premium on the short-iron game, which Shi Yup Kim believes will make or break a championship for many. All in all, though, if the setup proves to test all facets of a player’s game, then the USGA has done its job this week.
“Just set it up and give them challenges,” said Fahleson. “Challenge them on tee shots, challenge their short game and challenge them on the green.”