2020 U.S. Amateur: Old Mac (Stroke Play) & Bandon Trails (Stroke and Match Play)

[Benjamin Litman]

Per Golf Channel's Matt Ginella (via Twitter), the 2020 U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes will be contested over the Old Macdonald and Bandon Trails courses, with stroke play contested on both and match play on the latter.

[Jon Cavalier]

Thanks for the info. Seems backward to me - Old Mac just seems like such a damn near perfect modern match play course.

[Terry Lavin]

Trails will look better on TV. That's probably why they chose it.

[William_G]

Trails will look better on TV. That's probably why they chose it.

definitely better than Old Mac visually

could be the discovery of Trails for many viewers 5 years from now

[Connor Dougherty]

Trails will look better on TV. That's probably why they chose it.

definitely better than Old Mac visually

could be the discovery of Trails for many viewers 5 years from now

Although looking at the shots of Pacific this week, I can't help but think they'd get incredible shots of 7 and 15, those alone being worth taking Old Mac

[William_G]

the H₂O of the Pacific will be not be a huge feature at Trails, no doubt, more like PV

less of a resort course vibe at Trails, at the end of 36 holes at Trails, the winner and loser will still need to be hitting "golf shots" for sure

[Benjamin Litman]

I find it hard to believe that they won't show plenty of the Pacific (and coastline holes) anyway.

[Terry Lavin]

Trails has the benefit of the towering spruce trees off to the side of fairways and behind so many greens. The U.S. TV guys love the simple frame. Our viewers probably do, too. It will look very fetching on the tube. Let's just hope the final isn't decided on the Quirk Hole.

[Jud_T]

Trails has the benefit of the towering spruce trees off to the side of fairways and behind so many greens. The U.S. TV guys love the simple frame. Our viewers probably do, too. It will look very fetching on the tube. Let's just hope the final isn't decided on the Quirk Hole.

This is actually an excellent point.  It's not just about the Golf.

[PCCraig]

How many people even watch the U.S. Amateur on TV? 200,000 over the entire week? Course selection has to be about more than "trees look better on TV." Is Bandon Trails the only course there that hasn't hosted an event yet?

[Howard Riefs]

definitely better than Old Mac visually

could be the discovery of Trails for many viewers 5 years from now

Yet more challengers for the course record...

[Terry Lavin]

How many people even watch the U.S. Amateur on TV? 200,000 over the entire week? Course selection has to be about more than "trees look better on TV." Is Bandon Trails the only course there that hasn't hosted an event yet?

All courses have hosted at least one USGA event so far.  And I'm sure it's about more than the trees looking better on television, but I think it could be a factor.  I'll find out the rationale and report back.

[Will Lozier]

Let's just hope the final isn't decided on the Quirk Hole.

I hope there is some decisive action on #14! It is a great hole and an even better one in match play!!

[Terry Lavin]

I'm told by a very knowledgeable source that Matty G is correct on which courses will be used but that the USGA has not yet made its final decision on which of the two will be used for match play. 

[William_G]

definitely better than Old Mac visually

could be the discovery of Trails for many viewers 5 years from now

Yet more challengers for the course record...

good point Howard, LOL, yet the course has changed so much to make it easier in the last 5 years, with total rebuilds of #15 and #18 greens and every hole essentially widened with either bunker removal or tree removal, the case could be made, well....records are made to broken 

[Matt_Cohn]

I would think there's a desire not to have one course labeled as the "best" and the others labeled as the "rest". It seems beneficial to the resort if all of the courses have a strong pedigree as opposed to Pacific Dunes, for example, getting all of the attention.