Links Corner Forum

So far the PGA Tour has set tournaments up only through the end of 2020 year as I posted previously the tournaments, their venues and dates to be played. Seasons are a wrap around and other than the majors having dates set and now the Ryder Cup the rest of the tournaments are up in the air starting January 1, 2021 onward.

The Masters
April 8-11
Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia

PGA Championship
May 20-23
Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina

US Open
June 17-20
Torrey Pines Golf Course, California

The Open
July 15-18
Royal St George’s, England

Also of note tournaments up in the air, one thing has come about leaving more uncertainty--- The Greenbrier, the traditional season-opener, and the PGA Tour have agreed to end their 10-year relationship. The contract had been due to run until 2026.

milwsteve wrote: ↑July 8th, 2020, 5:13 pm Also you can add Torrey Pines North course to the list as they play the Farmers Insurance Group Open there and Torrey Pines South course

In response to milwsteve the Farmer's Tournament will most likely be played at some date early in 2021 seeing as tournaments are being played and San Diego is in a warm locale. Whatever date the Farmer's Tournament will be played the pros will again return to play the Torrey Pines South course June 17-20 for the US Open. Yes as milwsteve writes the North course has yet to be designed in Links, but for Fall schedule there are a couple of interesting courses in Asia that I believe have seen that have caught the interest of some Links designers also TPC Summerlin I have played as it was a part of EA Golf that merged with Tiger in 1999 until TW had his own game around 2003 has been mentioned by a poster thinking that this course would be good to have a designer make possible to play here in Links. Also John Brooks to mention has done a simplistic version of El Camaleón Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Sea Island Resort (Seaside and Plantation), Sea Island, Georgia has been redone recently here in Links by Steven Lucey. Some year end events are played on courses that they usually are played, but the Houston tournament seems to have gotten a new venue other than at the Redstone Golf Course and interestingly just as in Springtime the Houston tournament will again precede the playing of the Masters.

I would add a thanks to Sage for doing the Detroit Golf Club where tournament was played last week. I cannot believe the length and accuracy that Bryson DeChambeau has displayed so far this year. With his intentional weight gain he risks possible injury to himself as many golfers find themselves injured despite a regime of weight lifting to gain strength and stretching to maintain flexibility. Despite rough being grown high the course played easy for most of the players.

gene_golf wrote: ↑July 8th, 2020, 7:20 pm[...]the Houston tournament seems to have gotten a new venue other than at the Redstone Golf Course

I see that too now, thats a shame I really like Redstone or as it apparently has been renamed to - Golf Club of Houston. The one they replaced it with looks much less unique or interesting to me, at least at a quick first glance, hope they return the year after

GoBucks wrote: ↑June 17th, 2020, 3:36 pm From the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch:
"Other course changes include a handful of new fairway bunkers; part of a total renovation to begin the day after the Memorial ends that includes all new bunkers, rebuilt greens and re-grassed fairways and tees."

Is Jack gonna rake the bunkers in parallel lines to the greens again, with every second tine broken off the rake?

FOOOOORE! wrote: ↑July 9th, 2020, 7:37 am

GoBucks wrote: ↑June 17th, 2020, 3:36 pm From the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch:
"Other course changes include a handful of new fairway bunkers; part of a total renovation to begin the day after the Memorial ends that includes all new bunkers, rebuilt greens and re-grassed fairways and tees."

Is Jack gonna rake the bunkers in parallel lines to the greens again, with every second tine broken off the rake?

I don't think Jack has done that for several years, but I could be wrong. Someone will let me know if I am.

I had read possibly in Herbert Warren Wind's book The Story of golf that Oakmont when designed by the owner Fownes took a penal approach to design of his golf course by adding sand trap after sand trap as well as rolling the greens to where putting was impossible. Thinking of making the sand traps play tougher there during a US Open in 1935 rakes such as just described were used. This made it where players hitting a shot into a sand trap found themselves usually having a buried lie or fried egg lie where the ball settled to the bottom and only option for player was to blast out. Gene Sarazen had just introduced his new sand wedge in 1932. During a recent US Open played at Oakmont the sand was again an issue as sand traps had a lot of new sand added to them and sand was fluffy making for buried lies without doing the raking method.

When playing Links I understand how to play buried lies in sand traps around the greens as shot travels twice as far as would normally hit if not buried taking into account shot was on flat part of sand trap and if either downhill or uphill slight adjustments would have to be done. Hitting buried lies out of fairway sand traps confuses me and I am just happy to get ball back in play afterwards.

GoBucks wrote: ↑July 9th, 2020, 12:24 pm I don't think Jack has done that for several years, but I could be wrong. Someone will let me know if I am.

I don't think they'll ever do that again, I remember it mostly because of all the players howling about it. Every bunker shot was a fried egg, ball settled in a rake rut.