When I played Inverness during a Midwest Knockout match I had in June of 2019, I walked away not being overly impressed with the course, but thought it represented a very good test of golf. I commented a year or so back in a different conversation thread that I thought the course had lost some of it's teeth with the tree removal that took place and didn't present the type of challenge it once did. Upon returning to Inverness for the Solheim Cup last Monday I couldn't have been more wrong in my initial assessment.
The problem when I played the course is that my focus was more on my golf game than it was really studying the surrounds and catching glimpses of the nuances that make a good course, great. Having walked the course during the final days play at the Solheim Cup I was enthralled by all the things I failed notice or register in my mind when I played here. There was much more land movement than I originally recall from 2019. The expanse of course you could see and the vistas they presented from certain vantage points were truly remarkable and the greens were much more severely contoured and dramatic from what I remembered putting them.
I thought the course looked absolutely amazing and presented itself extremely well for major championship golf. While I was disappointed the organizers switched holes 9 and 18 for this event given the number of matches that made it to the finishing hole, the 9th proved more challenging and dramatic than I would have thought seeing it's one of the least difficult on the course. That said, I left the grounds with my wife that evening thinking what a freaking cool course Inverness is and how well-suited it is for major championship golf. If the membership can't attract a major USGA event in the coming years or a PGA Championship, something's screwed up, as Inverness would make for an excellent venue and would truly test the best players in the world.
Given Oakland Hills CC had a similar renovation performed to its famous and historic Ross course and was returned to the open pasture Inverness is, I anticipate being blown away when I walk the grounds there having not seen the course in person since my caddying days ended in 1985. From the few photos and vid's I've seen of the restoration since the course reopened the work Gil Hanse has done looks to be impressive.
Inverness and OHCC, while different in many respects, share a lot of the same Ross DNA and are considered sister courses. Both deserve a higher standing in the pantheon of world golf and should have a place at the table once again as it concerns hosting major golf events. I know the players on both Solheim Cup teams raved about Inverness and loved playing the course. All lauded it as a fair and excellent test of golf and praised it for challenging every aspect of their game. I now can't wait to play it again and will view the course through a completely different lens from when I first played it.