Chipping areas on older courses!?

[TEPaul]

SPDB:

When I walked Merion a few days I didn't notice where they were expanding the fairway width on #14--other than to the bunkers on the right side of the tee shot. I know they're not expanding the fairway on the left on the tee shot. I could make a case either way for the latter (the original #14 fairway went tight to the road!) but frankly we looked hard at the fairway/rough line on the left on the tee shot and it really does create an excellent diagonal out there now where a long tee shot would cut the dogleg!

[SPDB]

Tom - you are correct, they are only doing the right side of 14 - to the bunkers (which is great, since they were floating in a sea of rough out there, only in play if you flew it in there).

But I was trying to focus my post on how the chipping area of 14 won't seem so anomalous, vis-a-vis the planned fairway wrap of the bunker on 5.

Also, what of my question about the way they used to maintain the area in btw holes 14,16, and 18. Wasn't it one continuous fairway at one point?

[A_Clay_Man]

Dick- In your speculation on old style push-up greens and why this practice may not work, I infered tht the flat bottom bunker was the justification for your comment. What if all the variables where there but there was no bunker?

While the discussion here involves some great courses I have been suggesting to Mario Ulibarri he do just this for the front nine at Riverview. The "low mow" can and will only accentuate the crowned greens and simutaneously bring more of the natural land contours into play. As it is maintained now the diagram put up on the other page is exactly how it's done, with about three to four feet of collar than the four to six inch rough. Clearly, this solution is something so simple and has to be cost effective compared to altering the greens or adding bunkers to create more interest.

Very Well said Brian!

[Norbert P]

  Golf courses sell TIME on the course. Chipping areas are their way of speeding up golfers who miss greens and getting them off their course as quickly as possible.  

  Yours truly, cynical Slag

[ian]

Just a thought....

Many were actually there but the height of cut was not near what it used to be. We can put know, back in the 30's and 40's, putting would have taken a great deal of force.

The other thought is that most areas extended a long way further out than are being "restored" to. They are restored closer to deal with wear and the cost of maintaining them-while still keeping the origional intent immediately around the green

[Mark_Huxford]

Mike Clayton,
Love that line about easy shots from hard lies versus hard shots from easy lies mate. Just curious, did you feed that one to John Huggan or did he give that to you? I'm sure I've seen him write something identical.