Question about PGA tour stops & Pro's playing other courses......

[David Panzarasa]

Hard to put this question in a title.
 Always wondered when the tour goes to their next respective Tournament, do the Pro's take time to go hit up other courses before or after the actual tournament?
 Examples; this past week in NJ, do you think or know if the Pro's played Pine Valley, Plainfield, courses in NY etc....before or after the tournament? In LA when Riviera happens, do they take time to play LACC or Bel-Air? When it goes to TPC Sawgrass do they go play Pablo Creek?
 I have heard they do, but oddly interested. Especially thinking about NJ this past weekend and all the courses around the area of Ridgewood.
 Wondering some popular stops that the Pro's try and play while they are their for tournament.

Thanks, sorry if this is an odd one

[Dan Herrmann]

David,
IMHO, 4 days of tournament level competition probaly would make the average guy (or gal) want to play golf as much as I would want to sit at home and do my job here.

Only one I've ever heard doing this was Annika, who played PV after the LPGA Championship in NE Maryland.

[C. Squier]

Fred Couples used to visit Shoreacres when he was in town for the Western Open.

[Andy Scanlon]

Mickelson played at least one round at Pine Valley when the PGA was at Baltusrol.

I also remember hearing of Brandel Chamblee playing at Merion prior to an SEI Classic tournament that was held at Waynesborough Country Club about 10 yrs ago or so (when the PGA tour briefly returned to Philadelphia)

[Doug Sobieski]

Several years ago a friend of mine missed the cut at The Memorial, yet he stuck around over the weekend and we played Scioto and The Golf Club (neither of which he'd seen before). He said it was the only time in his career (at that time probably 15 years on Tour) that he recalled sticking around after missing a cut. By the way, he was overwhelmed at how good The Golf Club was, and wished it was capable of hosting a Major. Since I'm not a member there, I don't think he had any reason to suck up to me

[John Moore II]

I know last year Mickelson played Peachtree during the week of the Tour Championship. That may be from him wanting to play or the poor conditions of East Lake during the practice round days.

[jeffwarne]

When I worked at Long Cove, quite a few pros came over to play during The Heritage.

During the US Open at Shinnecock no doubt many slipped over to NGLA.
We had several play at The Bridge and I know of a few who played Friar's Head.

[Brian Cenci]

In 1996 Ben Crenshaw made his way to Crystal Downs prior to the US Open at Oakland Hills.  I know because I tagged along for a few holes.

[JLahrman]

I know the announcers like to go play before they have to get on the air...

[Matt Bosela]

During Canadian Open week, a number of the pros (Goosen, Weir, a number of others) played St. George's G&CC on the Monday or the Tuesday.

Weir also played The National with his caddy and a couple friends the next day.

I know Fluff, Jim Furyk's caddy, makes a point of trying to play Hamilton G&CC every time the Tour visits Ontario.

[Ed Oden]

I believe it is fairly common for a few of the pros to slip over to play Charlotte CC during Wachovia Championship week.

[Kalen Braley]

I'm sure CPC and MPCC see plenty of action this week when the seniors are in town and also during the annual PGA Tour stop.

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I've seen quite a few of the guys at my club when they are in town for the Shell.

[TX Golf]

I know Phil has a penchant for stopping by for a round at SFGC when in the Bay Area. Sounds like he actually gets out and plays a few other courses while out on tour.

[Matthew Hunt]

A lot of guyys come to RCD before the Open and Tigr comes most years which is cool.

[Jim Nugent]

Tom Watson used to play Ballybunion before the British Open. 

[Tom_Doak]

I'm in Ireland and Northern Ireland this week and nearly every club we have visited has photos of visiting Tour pros on their walls.

However, I wouldn't say it is common at most PGA Tour stops.  There are players who do go out of their way to visit different courses ... Ben Crenshaw and George Burns used to go explore courses together sometimes, and I've bumped into Morris Hatalsky at Crystal Downs, Lee Janzen at Somerset Hills, and several different players at National during the week of the US Open.  But I wouldn't say it's common at all.  Most of the well-known guys play a pro-am on Wednesday and then four days of golf, and then they jet off for two days at home before the next event.

[Matt_Ward]

David P:

It might surprise you to know that many of the top tier players have not played a number of the upper echelon courses so often mentioned on this site.

Good example -- many had never played Shinnecock when it came back onto the scene for the '86 US Open. Ditto the lack of players who had ever played Bethpage Black prior to the '02 US Open.

I concur w Tom D's comments -- after you handle the pro-am and play four straight days the last thing you want to do is hang in town and play another layout -- even if it's a great one. There are exceptions to this as some have already noted.

[Mark Smolens]

As I recall Shackelford had a link to an article in a RI paper about Rich Beem having played in a local muni (maybe designed by Ross) while in the area for the Fed Up event at TPC of Boston.  He and his caddy played, and he tipped the waitress at the local coffee shop well. . . he sounds like a pretty cool guy.

[Sam Morrow]

Colonial week many players used to go practice at Shady Oaks and River Crest (due to the size of the range at Colonial) and many would get in a round at either one. Of course in the late 90's River Crest cracked down on letting the players use the facilities. I know that it irked Corey Pavin among others.

[David Panzarasa]

Matt W.
 I was thinking that, that the pros probably have not played most of these courses we talk about here.
I would think Brad Faxon has played every single top tier course in New England, but probably not around the country....Same goes for lets say David Love and the South East but probably not the rest of the country.
 Also, thinking or remember someone saying about Seminole and all the pros playing there during one week  of a tournament that is played in that area around that time? Just got me thinking, and had to ask.
 Maybe learning some of the favorite courses the pro's play that are not on the venue.

[Sébastien Dhaussy]

According to this article from John Hawkins in GolfWorld online, a pro choose to  play an other course during the Barclays week :

"Although the Barclays is scheduled to return to its old site in what amounts to a 2011 cameo, it won't be a year too late -- Ridgewood was as big a hit as you'll find among 144 guys with $10 million on the line. "Best golf course we've played all year," said Tom Pernice Jr., not the easiest man to please. The old-school look and imaginative medley of holes make this A.W. Tillinghast design a keeper, which doesn't explain why the tour will follow its commercial nose and flee to snazzy-but-raw Liberty National for the 2009 gathering.

"If this one's a 10, that one's a 2," said a veteran who played next year's site last week. " 

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Most clubs in Britain have photos of professional golfers playing on their courses because when there were far fewer tour events pros would turn up for exhibition matches or to play in pro-ams. Only this morning I was talking with someone who had recently played with Graham Macdowell at Mere - purely social. I can remember seeing the likes of Bob Charles, Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, Peter Alliss, Tony Jacklin, Max Faulkner and others visiting a course to play with the Captain,, President and Professional (for a decent fee in cash, no doubt).

[Alex_Wyatt]

Matt Kuchar on Golf Channel yesterday...asked his favorite course replied Friar's Head.  He must have made a pretty long trip when he was in the area to play a tournament. Nice to see that sort of effort.

[nandoal]

I used to work at Bel-Air CC and a few pros each year came over during the week of the Nissan.