What Will Ernie Do To Wentworth Next?

[Mark_F]

David Howell wins the British PGA with a 17 under par score on a course some 250 plus yards longer with more bunkers.

Are the greens next to go under the knife?

Perhaps with some assistance from Adam Scott?

Or will they go the Augusta route of more trees?

And more rough?

And some water?

Can Britain's first island green be about to make an appearance next year? On a 475 yard par four with a 17 yard fairway bordered by 100 birch trees and three foot cabbage either side?

Or will the tees just be moved across the other side of the A30?

[Frank Pont]

To be fair, Ernie already predicted that all his changes would only make a difference of 2 more strokes (Golf World interview May).

The winning scores in 2004 and 2002 were -19, so Ernie was right there since this years winning score was -17 (although the winning score in 2005 was -15).

The recurring and most obvious question then is why go through all the course changing; statistically speaking it is rather trivial compared to the effect of the ball, the shafts and the driver faces....

At least he did not relocate historic greens, something other courses resort to to keep "championship" length. A good example of this is Hilversum, a Dutch classic course partly designed by Colt. The club has hosted the Dutch Open many times, but felt it was becoming short, and is now in the process of relocating/rebuilding 10 (!) out of their 18 historic greens to add 550 yards to their card.... wow, who knows this might make a 3 stroke difference!

[David_Tepper]

I am pretty sure the tournament at Wentworth was played as lift, clean & place all 4 days due to the heavy rains. My guess (and it is only a guess) is the average pro saves at least a stroke per round when he can put his hands of the ball. Obviously, the pros had little difficulty sticking their shots on the soft greens. Let's see how the course plays when it is dry & firm before passing judgement.

And by the way - these guys are good!!!    

[Tony_Muldoon]

The BBC website has a story of the normally placid Retief Goosen giving off about the greens.  
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/5025826.stm

“Goosen said he had spoken to Els, who he claimed admitted the greens needed work. The greens were largely untouched in Els' revamping,
"I saw Ernie last night and he said when you're playing late afternoon the first two rounds, you've got pretty much no chance of making putts," Goosen said.
"The greens have always been the issue here, not so much the rest of the course. But you never know, they might dig them up and plant new grass and next year the greens may be good.
"He hopes that hopefully they might do it but he's not sure how much money is left for it to be done."
Goosen said the poa annua grass on the greens should be replaced by "anything else".
Els, who finished the tournament on the same score as Goosen, said the weather was to blame.
"If the weather were better, the greens will roll better," Els said.
"The greens are awful now. Nothing against the greens staff. It's just the weather, footprints and stuff.
"There is no time to change the greens. You'd have to close the course for a year. That's not possible. “


Harrington has made the same complaint for years and has in the past tried to avoid the tournament. A lot of political pressure has been put on him to compete in this flagship tournament when he freely admits to hating playing Wentworth in the spring but enjoying it during the autumn matchplay.
It might not be coincidental that the normally reticent Goosen is a mate of Ernie’s?

[ForkaB]

Hmmm

Interesting to hear Retief complain about the poa.  Sounds like Tiger vis a vis Pebble for the ATT/Crosby.  In that the climate for PB in Feb is somewhat similar to Wentworth in May, and both courses seem to do OK 4-5 months later (PB when it holds US Opens in June, Wentworth for the match play in October), maybe poa just ain't that good of a year round grass?

Turfheads out there, what thinkest thee?

[James Bennett]

Rich

I don't think the issue is poa as a turf type on this occasion - I think it is the time of year.  mid-May is very early for a northern location like Wentworth to have strong, healthy turf.  The roots will be cold so the turf will be struggling irrespective of the turf type.

Ditto for Monterey Peninsula in January.

I expect the bent grass greens in these areas are equally marginal at these times of year.  The bent grass greens at MPCC Dunes course were (litereally) fantastic in early April, but I don't know what they are like in January (Bob Huntley could answer this).  I didn't see any greens of the few I saw in the UK that were of pro-tournament standard in early May (but I must say that Merion in Philly were as fine a set of bent greens for mid-April as you could wish to see, absolutely tournament ready!  Philly soil temperatures seemed well ahead of the UK though).

James B

[James Edwards]

Its funny, because i was a member for many years and I can tell you that the greens are some of the truest surfaces Ive ever putted on and that was on the monday after the event.

If you want to make it tougher - take a leaf out of the US OPENs book and make 17 and 18 par 4's!  or at least change 18 to a par 4.  This would reduce the winning score by 8! then suddenly the course becomes tough, doesnt it?!

[the 3rd] 47? yards, strong uphill, bunkered tightly on the right, tight fairway, well bunkered greenside, 3 tiers, with a swale around the last third of the green followed by a steep bank - These guys were still firing shots in as if it were a mid iron - As Mr Tepper said "These guys ultimately are good"