Merion East post open rennovations work

[Ed Brzezowski]

Rated this course with another GCAer yesterday. Really amazed at the width of some of the fairways now. Number one is fifty yards wide in the members landing area. Two went from 23 yards to almost 40 yards.

Four the same thing, a ball that in the spring would be in the left rough is now very playable at fairway height. The changes are amazing and makes the course much more playable for the mid to high handicapper.

The greens are untouched and the rough a very playable three inches.  Green speed was another issue, just over 13. Chipping and putting were an adventure if you missed the green.

They seem to be using the right tee on 9.  We had a USGA rater with us and I think he was surprised at the hole. From that tee it racked up some serious numbers.

All in all a much more playable course.

[Stephen Northrup]

I played it last week, and agree with your observations in terms of playability. Further changes are in the works beyond the post-Open re-widening of the fairways, e.g., changing the fairway bunkering on 15 to make it an easier driving hole for the members. My host and I agreed that this perhaps was not a change for the better, as 15 is a great test of one's driver.

By the way, if you live across the street from 15 fairway and found a Bridgestone RX330-S with a green dot near your Adirondack chairs, can I have it back?

[Jon Cavalier]

Could not agree more.  Here's a visual of your point about the 2nd.

This photo was taken in last fall:



This photo was taken last month:


The changes back make a world of difference (for the better, in my opinion).

[Ed Brzezowski]

Steve I finally hit that fairway , but we did see a few of our guys over there. The USGA guy nailed the trash can and came back into play. We called Mike Davis about  it, so no trash cans will be visible in 2030.

[Jon Wiggett]

Can anyone explain to me what the function is of the 2 fairway bunkers on the left of the 2nd is? They would make sense if they protruded at least in part into the fairway. They look rather lost in the rough.

Jon

[Paul Gray]

Can anyone explain to me what the function is of the 2 fairway bunkers on the left of the 2nd is? They would make sense if they protruded at least in part into the fairway. They look rather lost in the rough.

Jon

Function?

But they look pretty. 

[Ed Brzezowski]

Well one of our guys entered the first one on his drive and the second one  from the shot from the first one.

So to an average golfer, drive 200-225, they are both sadly in play.

Remember there is OB down the entire right side.

[Greg Chambers]

Judging from the before and after of number two, they didn't take it out to the left as far as it was before.

[Jon Wiggett]

Well one of our guys entered the first one on his drive and the second one  from the shot from the first one.

So to an average golfer, drive 200-225, they are both sadly in play.

Remember there is OB down the entire right side.

I understand they could be hit but do not understand their role compared to just having rough. What is the strategic value?

Jon

[Jon Cavalier]

Well one of our guys entered the first one on his drive and the second one  from the shot from the first one.

So to an average golfer, drive 200-225, they are both sadly in play.

Remember there is OB down the entire right side.

I understand they could be hit but do not understand their role compared to just having rough. What is the strategic value?

Jon

I think that first, they provide a visual obstacle off the tee - it gives you something to think about and counterbalance the urge to just play left to avoid the OB. Second, those bunkers are pretty steep - the rough there is manageable, and you could still hit a second shot to ideal approach range. If you're in the bunker, that's a much tougher task. Depending on the lie and the spot in the bunker, the bunker can be almost a full shot worse than the rough.

Also, for what it's worth, I can't overemphasize how much that OB right dominates my mindset on the 2nd tee. Better players may be able to minimize its influence. But for me, with a left to right ball flight, that right side is very intimidating. The last thing I want to do is put one on the road and start the round with a 7 or worse. I'm usually pretty good at blocking the hazards out of my mind when I play, but I've never been able to do that on that hole. So I end up left on 2 - a lot. Maybe 75% of the time. So those bunkers are a problem for me when I can't carry them. And without them there, I expect you'd see a lot of players, especially those who hit it left to right, just playing for the left rough.

[Ed Brzezowski]

I think Jon has it correct. The bunkers versus the out of bounds gets into your head. You stand there and pray you  don't go OB but the bunkers limit your option of bailing out left. We all know the course is short in some areas and it places an early emphasis of accuracy.

Plus I think they look correct there, the entire White Faces of Merion thing.

[Matt Bielawa]

The OB on #2 was in my mind so much that I double crossed one onto #5!  Without those bunkers, it would be less intimidating off the tee.  After the first tee shot just off the patio, I'd argue the tee shots on #1 and #2 at Merion are the most intimidating back-to-back tee shots to start a round in golf.

[Jon Cavalier]

The OB on #2 was in my mind so much that I double crossed one onto #5!  Without those bunkers, it would be less intimidating off the tee.  After the first tee shot just off the patio, I'd argue the tee shots on #1 and #2 at Merion are the most intimidating back-to-back tee shots to start a round in golf.

You wouldn't get an argument from me. And it's not like the tee shot on 3 is a cakewalk either.

[Ronald Montesano]

What's funny is the high % of golfers for whom driver is the only play club. I would hit three metal if needed on #2. I'm a straight driver, so the ob/bunkers didn't phase me. It was the second shot that plagued me the two days I saw it. Made 6 and 7 because I couldn't play the 2nd shot properly.

[Jon Wiggett]

Thanks for the explanation Jon. Sounds logical. You really do not get any impression of OOB on the photo.

[Brian Hilko]

Here are some pictures of the work on number 4 from my visit

[Craig Disher]

Judging from the before and after of number two, they didn't take it out to the left as far as it was before.

This is from 2004. There is more fairway in front of the bunkers but the rough in the area behind is about the same. That appears to me to be the area that most needs widening.

[Nate Oxman]

I played today and hit the recently-sodded sections of fairway on 1, 2, 4, and 18. The return to their normal widths, especially on 11, even though of course you can't see it from the tee, definitely eases the tension on many tee shots. Although, the rough was super friendly today so I still would've been able to play to the green.

[Greg Chambers]

Thanks, Craig.....I was just going off of what looked like new sod lines.  I have no personal reference...so I shoulda just kept my keyboard to myself.

[Matthew Mollica]

Regarding the second hole -

What would be the disadvantage of extending the fairway cut to the front of the first series of fairway bunkers on the left?

And extending fairway cut to the base of the trees further up on the left?

MM

[Dave McCollum]

When I was there for the 2013 Open, I tried to imagine the fairways as wide as the grassing corridors (with the fairway bunkers as transitions to a possible cut of rough on some holes).  I thought it was a fantastic design/course.  The mowing lines and vast expanses of rough were so one dimensional, so opposed to the design intent, that I had to pull my son aside, when he asked about what made the hole so great, and explain how I imagined an ideal setup.  It was strange because most of the heavy rough covered areas that seemed to be less than desirable playing angles for the holes.  A sort of “hit it here or else” approach.  How much better would it be if those areas of rough were cut more at fairway height and forced the golfer to choose the best line of attack?  In my view it would be a much more interesting course for the members and 99% of golfers.  I felt wide fairways wouldn’t reduce the challenge at all, so much as temp golfers to play incorrect angles and suffer the consequences.

[Sean Leary]

I think that keeping the rough down is as big of a deal as the widening of the fairways....

[David Davis]

I too just played a few weeks ago for the first time. The course was amazing but my first thought would be why stop at just widening a little bit. Why not bring those bunkers back into play completely? If you look at the photos of the second hole, isn't it enough penalty to drive it over that first fairway bunker left and as a result of hitting your errand shot end up being blocked out of going for the green in two by that big tree? Same with the second bunker which is definitely in play given this is a par 5. Why not have fairway all the way around it so balls roll in easier.

I'm guessing in early renditions of the course that may have been the case as it's hard to imagine creating bunkers in rough with little to no intention for them to be in play.

I also think that the green surrounds and green complexes are amazing and that Merion as much as any course I've ever played puts emphasis on approaching from the correct angles and setting up the strategy from the tee shot.

I'd love to see it purely with short grass and nearly all rough eliminated, even if only for a month and then hear the members feedback.

Even as is it was one of my favorite courses. Amazing place.

[Carl Nichols]

How much wider is the 2nd fairway?  It doesn't look that much wider to me  . . . .

I agree with others about the bunkers on the left -- if you're in them, the second shot is much harder than from the rough, unless you draw a truly terrible lie in the grass.   

[Gary Sato]

I remember reading that Merion had planned to erase much of what Fazio did to the course in relation to the bunkers.  The depth of the bunkers was a big issue (Fazio and Marzoff made them much deeper) and many of the rebuilt bunkers had collapsed.  Does anyone know the status?