PGA at WS.. too early to start worrying?

[RJ_Daley]

Man, this weather pattern here in mid section of WI on shore of Lake Michigan is starting to look like the monsoon season.  Besides being very humid and gerernally hot, the rain systems just keep rolling in.  This article speculated about the challenge to the PGA and Kohler staff to deal with what we had up until a couple weeks ago:

http://www.golfdigest.co.za/features/2573/Whistling-Straits-Softened-By-Rain

Yes, WS does have enormous drainage, maybe the most I've ever seen on a golf course.   The in-play areas of the course may be soft, but I would guess they'll be playable.  Mayber not some low lying areas of deep rough that fans would normally be channeled into, however.  But, even those have large drainage grates.   If coming, I'd wear waterprrof golf shoes.  But, I imagine the superintendents are very much on their toes watching for diease outbreaks.   

However, the surrounding fields used in the past to park spectators cars are a different story.  If I were an enterprising young fellow, I'd lease a fleet of wreckers to pull cars from the mud of the hay fields that I believe Mr. Kohler subsidies the farmers to plant hay to be adequate parking ground.  The ground is totally saturated, standing waters, and the creek through the golf course is over capacity.  This is not shaping up good right now. 

Give all praise to Kohler's team if they can cope with this to the extent of pulling it off without too much spectator inconvenience. 

Oh, and did I mention this weather promoting mosquitos?  Better aerial spray this joint, wall to wall and bathe yourself in Deet!   

[John Moore II]

Maybe a real front will move in the week of the championship, drop the temps 15 degrees or so, let the winds pick up 15mph and pour rain all week. Now that would make for very fun golf on TV.

[RJ_Daley]

Really John, the wind and the cooler weather would be very welcome.  But please, no more rain.  As it is, we are predicted to get rain tomorrow into tues.  Then some drying weather.  But all 10 days out after this next rain ends, would be needed to dry out the parking fields, IMO. 

I don't have any insight into the golf course conditions beyond that week old article I linked.  The course had all its turf killed off with stripping-gassing two years ago, and converted to all bent, A-4 on greens and Memorial on FWs.  Roughs are all blue now.  So, it appears the long range relationship with fescue is finito.  I'd wish that Dan Lucas could see this and come on here and speak to what he knows of that decision, but I doubt he would or could based on not commenting on another supers work.  Our recent Wisc Golfer Magazine had a nice write-up on Dan Lee, the overall superintendent director at Kohler courses.  I'll bet that man is one busy and stressed out cat, despite the article's observation that he is cool under pressure. 

So, please don't wish for rain, just lots of dry wind. 

[Ronald Montesano]

On most days, John K. Moore is a mad man, pure and simple.

[John Moore II]

On most days, John K. Moore is a mad man, pure and simple.

Hey, hey, hey now, I might resemble that remark. Why am I a mad man?

I played probably the best tournament round I've ever played in conditions like that. 35 degree temps, 25+ mph wind, and driving rain (we really shouldn't have played the round). I shot 80 and was like 2 shots off the lead.

RJ: maybe not a big rain, how about just a misty rain, just enough to make the players miserable and the grips slick?

[Matt Kardash]

  So, it appears the long range relationship with fescue is finito. 

On www.pga2010.com they have weekly videos on behind the scenes of the PGA Championship. I am almost 100% sure the superintendant says in one of the videos that the grass in the fairway is fescue.

[RJ_Daley]

  So, it appears the long range relationship with fescue is finito. 

On www.pga2010.com they have weekly videos on behind the scenes of the PGA Championship. I am almost 100% sure the superintendant says in one of the videos that the grass in the fairway is fescue.

Matt, I haven't been on the course since the Senior Open.  But, here is my source of the new grassing program.  The author of the article is considered by many, 'the Dean of WiGCSs' and he was instrumental in training Dan Lee the current WS chief super.  He says that after a total turf kill of FWs and Greens, they seeded Memorial Bent on FWS, Blues in intermediate pre-native rough, and A-4 on the greens.  So, fescue is now only part of the native and really won't be a factor.  I just had a conversation with Jay Flemma that I'm thinking this course will play very soft if it doesn't quit raining soon, and get some dry windy weather in here from now until the toon-a-mint.
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http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=42769&pre=1

[PCCraig]

While it would be fun to watch the pros play the course as F&F as possible, I've begun to see that the course really isn't 100% meant to be played along the ground there. While the course is supposed to have the "look" of a links, it plays alot like other modern arial-style golf courses. (Even more so after recent changes IE the 6th). That's not a total knock on the course either, as I don't think it's totally needed that the course play firm?

If anything the course will play alot longer and harder as it will leave longer irons in the pros hands.

[Terry Lavin]

If the course is soft and the course plays longer, the course will be much, much easier for the pros, because they can bomb away with the driver without fear of bounding easily into the rough and because they can hit just about any kind of club into the greens without fear that it will go bounding into the rough or a hazard.  They'll just demolish it unless the sun comes out and stays out for a week.

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

Interesting to me (and one tournament is not a great sampling, but still...) was that at the '04 PGA at WS, two of the three players that made the playoff were short hitters -- DiMarco and Leonard. And a few others, notably Stephen Ames and Chris Riley, were serious contenders. (The leaderboard did also have its share of big gunners like Singh, Els, and Mickelson.) But the course, set up at 7,500+ that year, wasn't necessarily a long-hitter's paradise. (I also think it played faster and firmer in '04 than it might this year; in '04, it was actually quite cool -- temps in the mid-60s -- for one of the pratice rounds, and never really got hot and humid during the tournament. This year, Wisconsin as RJ mentioned, has been inundated with rain.)

[George Freeman]

If the course is soft and the course plays longer, the course will be much, much easier for the pros, because they can bomb away with the driver without fear of bounding easily into the rough and because they can hit just about any kind of club into the greens without fear that it will go bounding into the rough or a hazard.  They'll just demolish it unless the sun comes out and stays out for a week.

I would agree with Terry here.  IMO soft greens more than compensate for any lost yardage due to lack of roll off the tee.  Additionally, soft turf in the fairways makes them play MUCH wider than if they were firm and the ball was running.

Irrespective of the yardage, Professionals demolish soft, target-golf conditions.  Get it running like at Pebble and that's when you see them struggle (all the more reason to advocate F&F!).

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