TOUR Officially announces MPCC Shore

[Nick Church]

Link:  http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_12510947?nclick_check=1

Thoughts?

[Jay Flemma]

Woo hoo hoo!

[Mike Benham]

For the TV viewer, this is a non-issue.  Perhaps in the first year, CBS will make a to-do about it, maybe a few more hand held cameras but for the most part, we would never see action from Poppy Hills or Spyglass ...

The obvious winner is ATT as now Tiger must/will attend ...

[Peter Ferlicca]

The link doesn't work for me for some reason.  Is it stating that MPCC will be a part of the rota for the ATT, if it is which course.

[Pete_Pittock]

More news orgs are picking ir up. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/03/SP2C180BBO.DTL

The MPCC BofD approved a one year contract for 2010 on the Shiore Course and said a longer contract is desirable. Poppy Hills is out for 2010. There are some different opinions within the articles about future years courses, maybe even a Hope like approach with some courses sitting out a year.

I think we need to wait for the PGA Tour announcement.

In any event, the addition of MPCC Shore is a definite improvement.

[Tim Leahy]

I don't think they showed a single shot from Spyglass or Poppy this year, so other than patrons no one will probably get to see the course on the TV.

[Kalen Braley]

Just to speculate but is it possible MPCC shore would be the Sunday course as well?  Just for 2010 perhaps?

From a logistical standpoint, I wonder if they are going to shut down that stretch of 17 mile drive as much of the course and action can easily be seen from it.

[JohnV]

Kalen,

17-mile drive is closed to the public during the AT&T anyway so that won't be a big issue.

[Pete_Pittock]

Kalen,
Are you suggesting they cut back Pebble Beach from two to one round because of the 2010 US Open?
I'm guessing network TV says no way.

 

[Bob_Huntley]

For the record, let it be shown that there were 248 Nays, 343 Ayes and proxy votes numbering 99 that the Board voted Aye. That is a negative count of 33% of the Members who thought it a bad idea.

For those of you who have played the Shore, just imagine if you will, the scene at the fifth tee with Tiger Woods on the tee. Phil Mickelson holing out on the fourth green, Anthony Kim doing like wise on the sixteenth green and Bill Murray teeing off on seventeen. The crowd scene would be reminiscent of Times Square on VE Day.

I have seen a couple of GCA'ers hit the first green with mid-irons and they were not scratch players. If par is not reduced on certain holes we shall see scores seen only at Indian Wells.

I think the work of the Northern California Golf Association has been damaged by this move and I for one, voted against it.

Bob

[Jason McNamara]

For those wanting to read Nick's link, but who can't get it to load
(stupid MNG cookies)

try:  http://tinyurl.com/o4wxb5

...and click on the result which follows

Edit:  Bugger, that's not working either.  Gimme a sec.

OK, Google doesn't like the tinyurl links.  So, go here:

http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&um=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=%22MPCC+returns%22

And then you can click on the article.  Sorry that's so kludgy, but it works.

[Kalen Braley]

Bob,

Thanks for the update, and yes your very right about the potential nightmare congestion areas.  Hopefully the impact will not be too much of a burden on the club and your playing time. 

JVB,

Thanks for that piece of info, I didn't realize 17 Mile drive was shut for the event. But it makes sense to have shuttle buses.....alll those cars on that skinny two land road would be nightmare city.

Pete,

I'm not suggesting Pebble Beach is dog meat, just saying if MPCC shore hosted the Sunday round too, the course would get a lot more exposure. But then again I always forget us GCA.com geeks are not the average tv watcher. 

[George Pazin]

The obvious winner is ATT as now Tiger must/will attend ...

Why?

[Bob_Huntley]

George,

Tiger is not in love with the Monterey Peninsula in February and has so stated.

Having swapped his allegience from Buick to A.T.& T.,  it would seem obvious that he has taken the King's shilling and is duty bound to play in their premier tournament.

The so-called charitable benefits accruing to the A.T.& T. by moving from Poppy Hills escapes me, although it provides a convenient smokescreen to make the change. To escape from the two years left on the Poppy Hills contract is going to cost the Foundation somewhere in the region of $190,000.00. That is no mean chunk of change to make up for the move. According to the information given to members it could be cancelled after one year. It would be interesting to see what the officials of the Foundation will do, should the membership elect not to renew the contract; possibly go back, cap in hand, to the NCGA.

Behiind a great deal of manouvering on this deal, is a desire by some, to lenghen and make changes to Mike Strantz's work that they feel is less than desirable.


Bob

[Mike Tanner]

Bob,
Would you expand on your comment about some who want to change some of Stranz's "less than desirable" work? What the specific areas of concern?

[Tom Zeni]

Having played both the Shore and the Dunes course,  I don't think the Shore was ever meant for Pro Tournament play. And of the two, the Dunes at MPCC is a far stronger venue.

The only positive for CBS is to give Jimmy Nantz more to swoon over !

[Bob_Huntley]

Mike,

It is felt by some that the First and Sixteenth holes, which are par fives , are far too short and should become par fours. Others feel that if the Sixteenth was shortened to make it a Par 4, then the Fifth tee could be moved back to lengthen that hole and remove some of the cows gut effect that converges at the Fifteenth and Seventeenth tees.

There has also been a suggestion to move the tee at the Par 3 Ninth hole some forty or fifty yards back toward the Seventeen Mile Drive and west of the Eighth green and to make it Par 4.

I am sure there are some other ideas floating about.

Bob

[Bob_Huntley]

Having played both the Shore and the Dunes course,  I don't think the Shore was ever meant for Pro Tournament play. And of the two, the Dunes at MPCC is a far stronger venue.

The only positive for CBS is to give Jimmy Nantz more to swoon over !

Tom,

There will be no fixed cameras on the Shore. The beauty shots will be made by hand-held equipment and from the Blimp.

Bob

[Kalen Braley]

Bob,

Is it possible the composite could be rolled out for this tourney.   

[Tom Zeni]

As for changes, I recall some of those we played with thought the 18th at the Shore needed to be bolstered for a stronger finishing hole.

[Mike Benham]

I'm not suggesting Pebble Beach is dog meat, just saying if MPCC shore hosted the Sunday round too, the course would get a lot more exposure. But then again I always forget us GCA.com geeks are not the average tv watcher. 

Let's jump back into reality for a second, I'm sure the CBS Execs would love to have a duel between Mickelson and Woods on Sunday afternoon, coming to down the stretch to finish on the 18th hole at MPCC Shore ...

Kalen, not one of your better suggestion but I will let it pass this time ... but one last question, what exporsure does MPCC need?

[Mike Benham]

I don't think they showed a single shot from Spyglass or Poppy this year, so other than patrons no one will probably get to see the course on the TV.

What a great comment, wish I would have said that ...

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,

With all due respect..   

1)  Tiger and Phil rarely duel.
2)  Tiger will still likely not show up even if PH is now out.
3)  Most importantly, 99% of viewing folks could careless what the course is when those two are dueling.

So I stand by my comment with the qualifier that it would be a one shot deal with Pebble resuming as host course from them on. It would be a welcome to the Rota kind of thing.

[Tom Huckaby]

This is a bad idea on so many levels I do not know where to begin.  Hell I stated as much when this first came up in here a few weeks ago - my reasons pretty much echoing what Bob Huntley has posted in this thread.  Just who in god's name is this going to benefit?  And gimme a break - Tiger was gonna come anyway now that he's an AT&T shill - this course change has nothing to do with his attendance.


The NCGA gets screwed out of some badly-needed income;

You won't see much if any of the course on TV;

It will be a gallery nightmare, with congestion such as stated by Bob, and so many roped-off areas covering the more sensitive dunesy areas, I just can't imagine how in the hell any gallery movement will be available;

the course will be butchered and scarred for weeks prior and months after;

and now they are saying it might lead to bastardization of the course?

Someone please explain to me - just who is this GOOD for?

TH

ps Kalen, I'm sorry my friend but I gotta go with Benham.. there's no way they switch the final round to MPCC - hell beyond other reasons stated or implied, the TV execs are rather enamored with Pebble.  That makes zero sense.

[PCCraig]

I don't understand members of any club who says they would not want a top notch PGA Tour/USGA event at their club. Yes the course gets beat up, but the exposure and the ability to watch the best players in the world play your course far outweighs the negatives IMO. And who cares if the Pros shoot a million under on your home club. Tiger shot a +/- 63 at Shoreacres...does that make it any less of a course? Nope.

Why don't they just limit the amount of tickets sold or weekly pass holders that are allowed to spectate on the course at a given time. It would be really cool if they limit the spectators to 2-3,000.