An early look at U.S. Open site Merion
Yet for those tasked with transforming Merion Golf Club’s hallowed East Course from a winter wonderland to a championship test, the cold morning breeze was only a temporary delay.
It’s been more than three decades since the national championship was played at the old cricket club, and many believe that 30-something years of technological advancements have relegated the once-mighty East Course to relic status.
When the golf world descends on the East Course the week of June 13-16 they will find a course that will play to a par of 70 and just under 7,000 yards, which is nearly 500 yards longer than it was when Merion last hosted the national championship in 1981.
Only one tee on the course, the “terrace tee” at the first, has not been extended, and one of the final pieces of the extension was added in the fall of 2011 a 300-square-foot spit of teeing ground that was carved out of a hill and has stretched the 18th hole to 527 yards.
Players will park and practice on the adjacent West Course, cross Ardmore Avenue (which will be closed during the championship) as they head to the second tee, and on Thursday and Friday half the field will begin their rounds on the 11th hole out of logistical convenience, but after touring the layout on Monday it doesn’t seem likely anyone will complain that the layout is too short.
Consider that the par-3 ninth hole will play to an estimated 236 yards, and closer to 255 yards when the pin is placed in the back left portion of the green, while the penultimate hole will range from 220 to 230 yards.
The 14th, which will utilize a makeshift teeing area that is actually a part of the members’ putting green, is a monstrous par 4 at 473 yards; while the 15th is shorter (411 yards) with a collection of ominous-looking bunkers down the right and out of bounds waiting 1 yard off the fairway on the left.
The intermediate cut, or graduated rough, has been a hallmark of Davis since he began setting up courses for the national championship in 2006 at Winged Foot, but at Merion those varying degrees of success will be limited.
“Merion is not a golf course that jumps out for the graduated rough like others because of the premium of short holes,” USGA Championship Committee chair Tom O’Toole recently said.