:'( :'(
Just wrote for an hour and the internet ate it ...let's try again
The one thing about Pine Valley is that the more it changes the more it stays the same..there have only been five superintendents in the last 85 years and they have been great stewards of the golf course ...from Eb Steniger ...Craig Reinhardt...Dick Bator...Pat Gertner and for the last thirty Rick Christian PV has been blessed with great talented agronomists so important
Eb Steiniger retired after 50 years as boss, ultimately it was Dick Bator who arrived in the early 80's and made substantive changes to the scrub and overgrown vegetation. This impacted the golf course dramatically. In doing so he also made the underlying architecture all the better as the angles of play and greens were certainly enhanced. As good as his predecessor Steiniger and his protege Rick Christian is, I've a strong opinion that the work of one Richard Bator showed just how good this place is and could be.
Crump's creation flourished and it became the perennial #1 golf course in the world . While the rating process can always be questioned as to what is really "best" the hole after hole brilliance of the course is what is hard to beat.
There are lots of changes over time to a golf course, some so subtle no one notices. Some good , some great some not so good. Here are the ones that stick out to me.
#1) Little has changed here in fifty years , sure the rough is higher to the right of the driving area and the bunkers there have been tweaked a little but this hole is basically the same as I saw it first in 1976.
#2) Tons of small bunkers exposed on either side of the fairway and a new house was built in the left woods (good luck finding it
the huge bunker in front of the green was a wall of sand , lots of grass there now...Pat Mucci argued years ago that it wasn't
necessary or a good change but the super might argue that point. I'm thinking the only thing I miss was the two eyehole
bunkers just in front of the green that mimicked the DA in difficulty , they were definitely softened (
)
The green was flattened and softened also in the late 80's but unless you really know it intimately one would never even
notice the change.. a great great short par four
#3) perhaps the huge wasteland surrounding the green was cleaned up but this hole remains almost identical to the 1980 version
#4) A group of bunkers came first right of the fairway on the top shelf... they are seamless integrated but I hate them
It was so much fun cutting the corner and waiting for the caddie to give you the safe sign here, and the new bunkers may
reduced a lucky break but added an element of quirk that is missed the new tee that stretches the hole to over 500 yards
has no impact on us old guys as we would never play back there any more. It's fine
#5) I'm not sure if I like the vast bunker field that replace the trees and mountain to the right looking for help
the front of the green has been flattened a little but seems a necessary adjustment clearing behind the green is great
#6) Alec Ewings' house is gone and a new back tee replaced it . Given we can't bring him back ( :'( ) the new tee is fabulous . The fairway when firm is easy to hit thru..new tee makes it a tougher shot
The green was expanded a few times but not a lot different, just bigger
#7) Tiger tee to stretch the hole was a necessity as back in my youth it was a lay up off the tee, hole pretty much the same
if memory serves the trees up towards the green used to jut out a little further , just thinking
#8) A gem of a hole. Many Crump Cuppers might take a par here first if offered one get out of jail free card in qualifying...I don't
think many like the alternate green to the right that Tom Fazio built but they don't use it much
#9) Lots has changed here. At about the same time they built bunkers on four number they removed hidden fairway to the right
The work is good but being a lousy driver I liked that you could flail one right and sometimes get lucky off the tee . I'm guessing Chairman Gordon Brewer might have been responsible as he could hit it so straight
... the big change that is awesome is taking out all the 100 year growth behind the green creating a skyline green , spectacular
back nine to come