[Jud_T]

Cog Hill not expecting 2017 U.S. Open
Comments

May 22, 2010
BY LEN ZIEHM lziehm@suntimes.com
From all accounts, the U.S. Golf Association will assign its next available U.S. Open to either Cog Hill or Erin Hills, a Wisconsin course. The announcement of the site for the 2017 championship will be made at next month's U.S. Open, and Cog Hill owner Frank Jemsek has doubts it will go his way.

''I was surprised, and pleased, to learn we're still in the running,'' Jemsek said in reaction to recent published reports in national golf publications. ''We haven't really been talking to [the USGA]. I don't have my lawyers talking to their lawyers, and that discourages me some.''

Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions, took an immediate liking to Erin Hills when it opened in 2007 and recently spent several days there. Since its opening, Erin Hills has undergone several course revisions and an ownership change in preparation for hosting the U.S. Amateur in 2011.

Cog Hill, meanwhile, underwent a $5.5 million renovation supervised by noted architect Rees Jones before the PGA Tour returned its BMW Championship to the course last fall. Jemsek long has wanted to host U.S. Open, which would fulfill the dream of his late father Joe -- a longtime trend-setter for public golf in Chicago and nationwide.

''I still think we have a slight chance,'' Jemsek said. ''We're still trying, but if we were really into it, we'd be talking to them more than we have been.''

[Phil McDade]

Jud:

Absent a disaster at next year's US Amateur, I think the Open at Erin Hills is a certainty. Everything I hear up here in Wisconsin certainly points that way.

The first competition look at Erin Hills since the current re-do there will be Sept. 1, when it hosts local qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Am. I hope to get up there for a look at the changes.

[Bill Seitz]

While I'm interested in seeing the changes (having played it twice in the original configuration), I'm actually more interested to see how the hell they plan on getting however many thousand spectators there every day.  There's obviously more than enough room for press logistics, corporate tents, and all of the support staff (though the same could be said for Cog Hill).  And there's probably enough empty land to use for parking.  Still, it's a good 10-11 miles to the nearest highway, and it's all two lane road from there.  You're either going to have a heck of a time getting to and from the course from the highway, or they'll need to park people off of 41 and shuttle them in.  I guess that would work, but that's kind of a long shuttle ride. 

I'm sure they'll figure out a way, and I'm sure they've thought about this, but like I said, I'm just curious to see how they go about actually doing it.  I imagine it will be a more appealing venue for television.  I have a soft spot for Dubs since I've played it so many times, so I'd rather see it come to Chicago, but it should make an interesting event. 

[Phil McDade]

Bill:

They do shuttles for the PGA at Whistling Straits, which has a similar two-lane, sort-of nowhere feel to it (and has no access from the east, save for a boat). I'm not sure it will be that big of a deal in terms of getting folks there. The good thing about Erin Hills' location is that you can come at it from all directions (e.g., I can see folks from Madison getting to the course a different way than folks from Milwaukee, with folks from the Fox Valley and Green Bay arriving a third different way). If the operational folks are smart, they will have three or four park-and-ride lots that sort of encircle the course so you don't have a bottle-neck develop in terms of traffic.

[Matthew Petersen]

While I'm interested in seeing the changes (having played it twice in the original configuration), I'm actually more interested to see how the hell they plan on getting however many thousand spectators there every day.  There's obviously more than enough room for press logistics, corporate tents, and all of the support staff (though the same could be said for Cog Hill).  And there's probably enough empty land to use for parking.  Still, it's a good 10-11 miles to the nearest highway, and it's all two lane road from there.  You're either going to have a heck of a time getting to and from the course from the highway, or they'll need to park people off of 41 and shuttle them in.  I guess that would work, but that's kind of a long shuttle ride. 

I'm sure they'll figure out a way, and I'm sure they've thought about this, but like I said, I'm just curious to see how they go about actually doing it.  I imagine it will be a more appealing venue for television.  I have a soft spot for Dubs since I've played it so many times, so I'd rather see it come to Chicago, but it should make an interesting event. 

Considering public parking for the 2008 Open at Torrey Pines was at the football stadium and everyone had to ride buses from there, I don't think the USGA has any qualms about long shuttle rides. That was a 30-40m ride some mornings.

[Bill Seitz]

Considering public parking for the 2008 Open at Torrey Pines was at the football stadium and everyone had to ride buses from there, I don't think the USGA has any qualms about long shuttle rides. That was a 30-40m ride some mornings.

Interesting.  For a June event, I would have figured they would have used a bunch of the lots at UCSD.  Then again, they're on quarters in the UC system (except for Berkeley) and the school year ends late, so maybe they weren't available.

[Phil McDade]

I can see a system of shuttle park-and-ride lots at Erin Hills in which the ride would be 10-15 minutes max. If they close off County Highway O (the main road in and out of Erin Hills) to the public, it'd be pretty easy to do.

[Matthew Petersen]

Considering public parking for the 2008 Open at Torrey Pines was at the football stadium and everyone had to ride buses from there, I don't think the USGA has any qualms about long shuttle rides. That was a 30-40m ride some mornings.

Interesting.  For a June event, I would have figured they would have used a bunch of the lots at UCSD.  Then again, they're on quarters in the UC system (except for Berkeley) and the school year ends late, so maybe they weren't available.

They may have also had concerns about the amount of traffic that area could handle.

Up by the course, local traffic was allowed, plus media, players, and taxis as well as private pickup/dropoff. And just with that the roads were completely choked and crazy around the course. Can't imagine if you had people trying to park and leave, as well.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()