Annika's Sad Experience at Wykagyl

[Steve_ Shaffer]

C&C will be working on this course and will enlarge some greens and add some bunkers. Here's an excerpt from the article:


Planning for this makeover got under way three years ago when the membership decided to look beyond just replacing the irrigation system and improving the drainage situation. They brought in architect Bill Coore, a design partner of Ben Crenshaw who's known for a gentle touch when modifying classics.

"We really wanted to get back to the original design concept of what Wykagyl once was," said Chuck DelPriore, who sits on the club's board of governors and helped formulate the proposal.

Several trees have already been removed.

Work on a new irrigation system is expected to get under way on Monday, with a number of modifications to follow in short order. A number of greens will be expanded and some of the fairways will be widened.

There are 58 bunkers around Wykagyl, and 30 more sand traps on the drawing board.

"We looked at old aerial photographs and we had that many," DelPriore said. "The idea was to make the course more strategic than penal. The goal was to make it more difficult for the better golfers while making it more forgiving for the casual player."

http://tinyurl.com/g5yc4

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060517/SPORTS01/605170374/1108

[Phil Benedict]

They could definitely use some tree removal.  Several trees overhang fairways.  They tend to keep the fairways too narrow, and the rough is pretty fearsome.

Ross, Tilly and others have touched Wykagyl, haven't they?  C&C just latest in long line of architects.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

According to the article, RTJ and Arthur Hills have also "touched" Wykagyl.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Did anyone see Annika's sad experience on the 9th hole yesterday?

She couldn't hold her approach shot 3 times to the elevated, back to front sloped green. Either too much spin on the ball or a very bad hole location.

/noticias.info/ SYBASE CLASSIC
May 21, 2006
Final Round

An interview with: ANNIKA SORENSTAM

Q. Talk about 9.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, what can I say? I hit a lot of good shots. I really did. It's a tough green. I hit a 9 iron in the first time and I thought it was a great shot. I actually took one more club to hit it soft to make sure it wouldn't spin. And then I hit a sand wedge. I don't know what to say other than that. I made seven good shots.

Q. Have you had an experience like that at other golf courses?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: If I have, I've totally forgot about it.

Q. Has that ever happened to you on the 9th green before?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's happened a few times on this golf course. I can't remember No. 9. It happened once, but not three times, for sure.

Q. How deflating, if it was, at the point when you were three shots behind and all a sudden you're back to even?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's very deflating. I played well today. It's tough out there. I played good golf today. It's one hole, and that's where I'm going to leave it at.

[TEPaul]

If I'm not mistaken I believe Wykagl will have the services this summer of C&C's James Duncan---eg "The Duke".  

In my opinion, they couldn't be in better hands. When one first meets "The Duke" one feels he's being introduced to a youngish English Don rather than a golf course architect. James Duncan was the project manager on Hidden Creek. Apparently one of the reasons he was made project manager at Hidden Creek was C&C figured he probably knew a lot more about the Heathland style of architecture than they did.  

[Mike_Sweeney]

http://www.wykagylcc.org/

There are some nice looking holes out there? Has anyone played it?

[Geoffrey Childs]

I happened to meet Chuck along with a member friend Jerry Lynch while practicing this weekend and they told me about the project.  I think Wykagyl is in great hands both from james Duncan and from within.  Chuck and Jerry both really seem to understand what is necessary to make their project a success and they are bonifide golf architecture junkies.  In fact, they both lurk on this discussion group and I'm hoping they will get login's so they can contribute.

I'll be up there to play the course within the next few weeks so hopefully we can get some before and after viewpoints on the golf course.  It sure looks like a gem.  I live less then 5 miles from the place but have yet to get over there to play.

[rgkeller]

Did anyone see Annika's sad experience on the 9th hole yesterday?

She couldn't hold her approach shot 3 times to the elevated, back to front sloped green. Either too much spin on the ball or a very bad hole location.

/noticias.info/ SYBASE CLASSIC
May 21, 2006
Final Round

An interview with: ANNIKA SORENSTAM

Q. Talk about 9.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, what can I say? I hit a lot of good shots. I really did. It's a tough green. I hit a 9 iron in the first time and I thought it was a great shot. I actually took one more club to hit it soft to make sure it wouldn't spin. And then I hit a sand wedge. I don't know what to say other than that. I made seven good shots.

Q. Have you had an experience like that at other golf courses?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: If I have, I've totally forgot about it.

Q. Has that ever happened to you on the 9th green before?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's happened a few times on this golf course. I can't remember No. 9. It happened once, but not three times, for sure.

Q. How deflating, if it was, at the point when you were three shots behind and all a sudden you're back to even?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's very deflating. I played well today. It's tough out there. I played good golf today. It's one hole, and that's where I'm going to leave it at.

Greens designed at five, played at eleven.

Goofy golf.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Whenever I see a pro spin a shot off the front of the green, it makes me think today's conditions are more challenging than the old days, not less.

Back then, if the ground game prevailed as much as we think it did (and I am not sure that is the case) its hard to imagine a golfer of any stripe thinking about a shot doing anything but rolling of the back of the green.......so today's game is truly more dimensional than in the past, or at least, new challenges have emerged to take the place of old ones.

[PThomas]

Crenshaw had the same problem at SHinny in one of the Opens there

[John_Cullum]

Whenever I see a pro spin a shot off the front of the green, it makes me think today's conditions are more challenging than the old days, not less.

I watched her ordeal. She did not spin it back, the ball just stopped going forward and then couldn't hold its position.

[Sean Remington (SBR)]

  I think Annika handled herself very well in the interview. She is a GREAT PRO.