Several years ago, before DR was even a thought, I was out to SHGC to visit with the Super, Corey. Whilst riding around the course he mentioned that Tom Watson was recently out with a group of Stanford friends sampling wines between rounds of golf, and maybe it was in advance of "The Open" and was accostomising his game to the ground firmness, wind, and randomness of the terrain.
We recently heard that prior to the USGA Open, Gary Woodland was out at DR and shot a course record and presumably was using the experience to get used to the similar kind of playing surfaces and conditions that he might find at Chambers Bay.
Obviously, we know that Tom Watson is a cerebral golfer, and has seen it all. I don't know if TW is a member, or just drops in by invite of Mr. Youngscapp, and if he had made it a regular 'tune-up' venue to prep for 'An Open'. But it makes perfect sense to me. Particularly now that the Super of SHGC has worked diligently with Coore and Crenshaw and Mr. Peterson to recapture and respond to the effects of years of erosion that had excessively deepened bunkers and more significantly, reclaim the areas of turf that converted from fescue, to once again present a predominant fescue playing surface.
Doak DR is also sustaining the effort to fescue. Thus, we can see the logic (at least logical to me) that either in advance of Chambers, and "an Open", or even to a lesser extent, Whistling Straits, cerebral pros, and professionals who have seen a great deal of the wide world of different golf venues, would seek SHGC, or DR for purposes of either calibrating their game to those condtions in preparation, or just for the joy and exileration of that one gets as the diversity from standard fare, to play the courses out there in the Sand Hills.
So, having taken the long way around the barn, I'd wonder if some of these professionals, who are apt to seek more than standard preparation and actually enjoy extra rounds golfing fare, seek out DR or SHGC, and if so; have a favorite? Maybe only the principles and managers of the clubs out there can say. Or, maybe this professional era of regimented training and scheduling just isn't conducive to pros doing this sort of thing. I'd include the senior players in my inquiry.