LPGA Tourneys and Course Changes

[Norbert P]

  We might agree to different degrees that the arrival of PGA tourneys to golf courses can wreak havoc on members' nerves and the "mortal" playability of those courses.  

  What positive or negative impacts arise from an LPGA tournament?  

  What actual manipulations of the courses do take place to satisfy the standards of that tour and the USGA?

[JohnV]

Usually there are few changes required for an LPGA event.  The tour staff will select tees on the holes that fit the players and try to get the yardage somewhere between 6100 and 6400 yards.  The USGA goes a little longer for the Women's Open.  When the Women's Open came to Pumpkin Ridge, they did decide they didn't like the choices at the 16th hole and got the club to build a new tee between the back two existing tees.  Otherwise there were no changes (they did play #14 as a par 4 from the up tees though.)

If anything, the rough height gets cut down for non-majors.  The green speed is never taken too high.

When I worked the Futures Tour, I tried to get the other officials to look at the way the architect wanted a hole to be played and take that into account when choosing which tee to use.

[Jason McNamara]

 What positive or negative impacts arise from an LPGA tournament?  

  What actual manipulations of the courses do take place to satisfy the standards of that tour and the USGA?

We had the Women's Mid-Am last year; not all that much changed.  We did have a few more shaved USGA-style chipping areas, plus the rough was a bit higher than usual - 2.5 inches (Bermuda), perhaps more in spots.  (As elsewhere, some of the members don't like the high rough, but hey, we have really wide fairways.  If you miss them, you get what you deserve.)

The only hole where the tees weren't lengthened from the forward tees was the 18th.  It's a par 5 that was played at 440  - reachable with a good drive, but sort of a cape hole.  Water all along the right, bunkers all along the left, and wind L to R hurting slightly.  Almost all the players chose to lay up.

Other than not being able to play the course for a week, certainly no complaints here.  Our "keeper of the green" used to be at one of the PGA stops, iirc, so it wasn't his first rodeo, so to speak.

Jason

[Jason Topp]

When the Solheim Cup was at Interlachen, it was very interesting to me how difficult the rough was for the players.  If they hit the fairway, their ability was remarkable, but from the rough, which was by no means real deep, many smother hooks went about 75 yards.