CordeValle to get Women’s Open in 2016

[Howard Riefs]

As reported by the SF Chronicle:

CordeValle officials confirmed the club extended an invitation to the USGA and acknowledged the two organizations have been talking about bringing the women’s Open to Northern California in ’16. But one source characterized it as “a done deal,” with an announcement expected in the coming months.

This would be the first time since 1982 that the U.S. Women’s Open has been held in California (and the first time ever in the Bay Area).

http://blog.sfgate.com/ongolf/2013/02/13/cordevalle-in-line-to-host-u-s-womens-open-in-2016/

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2013/2/13/cordevalle-to-get-2016-us-womens-open.html

[Pete_Pittock]

Maybe or probably, not definitely

[David_Tepper]

That would be good news for golf in the Bay Area. The Womens Open was played at Del Paso CC in Sacramento in 1982. Lake Merced (San Francisco) was scheduled to host the Womens Open about 10 years ago, but things did not go a planned.

[Tim Leahy]

With all the great potential courses to host a Women's Open in the Bay Area they give it to Cordevalle? That is a disgrace.
I guess the Bay Area privates didn't want golf fans trampling all over their courses. What a shame.
What about Pasatiempo? Cal Club, SFCC, Lake Merced, Green Hills, Meadow club, hell I'd even rather see the Presidio host it.

[Joel_Stewart]

With all the great potential courses to host a Women's Open in the Bay Area they give it to Cordevalle? That is a disgrace.
I guess the Bay Area privates didn't want golf fans trampling all over their courses. What a shame.
What about Pasatiempo? Cal Club, SFCC, Lake Merced, Green Hills, Meadow club, hell I'd even rather see the Presidio host it.

+1.

It's an odd choice?  An RTJ2 course in Gilroy?   Could be the club is promising some financial incentive to the USGA.  I haven't played it in a few years but they probably have the land for tents and parking. 

CordeValle has some heavyweight members from the technology world and I think their membership levels are pretty high.   There is a hotel on site but not enough rooms to host the TV crew, USGA and all the players?

[David_Tepper]

"With all the great potential courses to host a Women's Open in the Bay Area they give it to Cordevalle? That is a disgrace.
I guess the Bay Area privates didn't want golf fans trampling all over their courses. What a shame.
What about Pasatiempo? Cal Club, SFCC, Lake Merced, Green Hills, Meadow club, hell I'd even rather see the Presidio host it."

Tim L. & Joel S. -

You have forgotten one very important thing. The USGA can only award tournaments to those courses that are willing and offer to host the event (and are also willing to assume the financial commitment of doing so). Do you have any knowledge that any of the clubs/courses you cited expressed the slightest interest to the USGA in hosting the Womens Open? I rather doubt they did.

P.S. The Meadow Club? Can you imagine what a logistical nightmare hosting a tournament of that magnitude at that location would be?

DT  

[Sam Morrow]

I wonder if this will change anything with the 2016 Fry.com Open, isn't this the host course?

[Kevin_Reilly]

Cal Club?  I think a look at the membership demographics would answer that one.

Lake Merced?  That ship sailed, or rather sunk.

Green Hills, SF, Meadow...logistics/infrastructure problems.

[David_Tepper]

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/kroichick/article/Golf-tours-giving-region-plenty-of-love-4277147.php

[Tom_Doak]

There should at least be a ? mark in the title of the thread.

I haven't seen the course, but I remember that Jim Urbina said good things about it when he visited.  I didn't even have it on my list of courses to try and see before I finish The Confidential Guide, but maybe I should add it.

[astavrides]

I like the course.  I would play it 9-1 over the aforementioned Green Hills.

[Joel_Stewart]

I haven't seen the course, but I remember that Jim Urbina said good things about it when he visited.  I didn't even have it on my list of courses to try and see before I finish The Confidential Guide, but maybe I should add it.

I would be interested to see how you grade it.  It's in the 5-6-7 range.

It's basically cart golf but tee to green it's decent.  Has some elevation change but not much variety. It's consistent in that vein.  It is a 5 star resort and you have a typical water hazard on the 18th hole and big white bunkers all over the property.  What struck me was RTJ2 desire to hide the cart paths and you have the ugliest most ridiculous mounding lining the fairways especially on the front 9.

[Jeff Goldman]

I believe Tom Gray is the course superintendent.

[Carl Nichols]

I haven't seen the course, but I remember that Jim Urbina said good things about it when he visited.  I didn't even have it on my list of courses to try and see before I finish The Confidential Guide, but maybe I should add it.

I would be interested to see how you grade it.  It's in the 5-6-7 range.

It's basically cart golf but tee to green it's decent.  Has some elevation change but not much variety. It's consistent in that vein.  It is a 5 star resort and you have a typical water hazard on the 18th hole and big white bunkers all over the property.  What struck me was RTJ2 desire to hide the cart paths and you have the ugliest most ridiculous mounding lining the fairways especially on the front 9.

I would think 5-6, and I like the place.  Interesting topography, some tricky greens, some strategic holes -- offset by the things Joel mentions above.  I walked it twice and thought it was completely walkable, but seemed like they did a lot to allow carts.

Can't see it being "7.An excellent course, worth checking out if you get anywhere within 100 miles. "

Very nice resort, beautiful weather, well-conditioned, etc., etc.

[Howard Riefs]

Ok, now it's official:

http://www.usga.org/news/2013/June/CordeValle-To-Host-2016-Women-s-Open/

http://blog.sfgate.com/ongolf/2013/06/25/usga-to-officially-award-2016-u-s-womens-open-to-cordevalle/

[Keith Doleshel]

Logistically, CordeValle would probably be one of the only logical places for the US Women's Open in the region.  The other venues mentioned might be better golf courses, but don't have the space, infrastructure, or desire to host the tournament.  I think Pasatiempo would be a great course for the ladies, but that would be a challenge getting people in and out of, and the membership probably doesn't have interest in it anyway.

Sam, John Fry is hoping to get the tournament moved to The Institute, his super-private golf course on the other side of Highway 101.  There have been permit issues regarding the clubhouse, and the golf course was essentially illegally built by Fry.  They had not even begun construction on the clubhouse as of late last year.  I know that they were hoping to have everything ready to go for the Fry's.com there by 2016 though.

Joel, I do agree that the mounding does look artificial, but not sure if it's worse than seeing cart paths everywhere.  And without those mounds, there would be cart paths visible everywhere.

I actually liked the course a lot better the second time I played it.  I walked it the second time, and didn't feel like it was an extreme challenge to do so.  It is a pretty good resort course, but certainly no marvel of architecture.  That being said, it could make for a solid, if not spectacular, tournament host.

[Evan_Green]

Can someone remind me what happened regarding the Lake Merced US Women's Open?

[Kevin_Reilly]

Can someone remind me what happened regarding the Lake Merced US Women's Open?

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/USGA-yanks-U-S-Women-s-Open-from-Lake-Merced-2884193.php

[Sam Morrow]

Logistically, CordeValle would probably be one of the only logical places for the US Women's Open in the region.  The other venues mentioned might be better golf courses, but don't have the space, infrastructure, or desire to host the tournament.  I think Pasatiempo would be a great course for the ladies, but that would be a challenge getting people in and out of, and the membership probably doesn't have interest in it anyway.

Sam, John Fry is hoping to get the tournament moved to The Institute, his super-private golf course on the other side of Highway 101.  There have been permit issues regarding the clubhouse, and the golf course was essentially illegally built by Fry.  They had not even begun construction on the clubhouse as of late last year.  I know that they were hoping to have everything ready to go for the Fry's.com there by 2016 though.

Joel, I do agree that the mounding does look artificial, but not sure if it's worse than seeing cart paths everywhere.  And without those mounds, there would be cart paths visible everywhere.

I actually liked the course a lot better the second time I played it.  I walked it the second time, and didn't feel like it was an extreme challenge to do so.  It is a pretty good resort course, but certainly no marvel of architecture.  That being said, it could make for a solid, if not spectacular, tournament host.

Thanks Keith, I had wondered what the latest was on The Institute.

[Anthony_Nysse]

I believe Tom Gray is the course superintendent.

Correct