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I feel like a seer after reading Tim Rosaforte's article "Take the Open and..." in the July 2, 2004, GolfWorld. He reports that Shinnecock's club championship last weekend would be played on greens that putted like "a bumpy dirt road." He also asserts that aerial photos "show brown greens and parched fairways. The seventh and 13 greens look dead...and there is severe damage to the rest of the putting surfaces." He describes the rest of the property as a "beaten and bedraggled landscape."

The course super denies that anything is "dead" and says that the course is in "decent" shape for the club championship. The rest of the article suggests that Shinnecock members may not be eager to host another Open and that other prominent courses may be rethinking their involvement, considering the damage done by the USGA to Shinnecock. Members at Winged Foot, site of the 2006 Open, apparently asked for a meeting with the USGA after seeing what happened to Shinnecock to review plans for their site.

Two problems seem to be course preparation that may damage the course and ever-increasing attendance that tramples the life out of the site. Will our elite courses cease to be interested in hosting the Open?

valeogut - I read the same article. Was it worth the $5M the USGA gave to Shinnecock to host the US Open? It didn't need the "press," as it was already well-regarded. It probably didn't need the money either.

I think potential US Open course committees will think twice in the future before agreeing to host an Open.

I have personally witnessed the course damage caused by the growing number of "patrons" attending PGA Tournaments. Fortunately, I sometimes get to play at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, MI (site of the Buick Open). It's a beautiful, traditional style course that literally gets chewed to pieces by the fans. After the tournament, many areas not between the ropes are trampled to bare dirt, and the increasing number of bleachers and hospitality suites built around the greens severely damage those areas. All this does not take into account the damage the pros do to the course. Landing and lay up areas are divot filled mine fields and the greens are pock marked with hundreds of pitch marks.

I know all this is to be expected when hosting a Tour event, but when you take into account the added stress (i.e. damage) caused by the USGA demands for a US Open I can understand why historic venues may be having second thoughts about hosting an Open.

Maybe greeenguy could give us more insight on course damage and how long it takes a course to recover?

Obviously, the time of the recovery depends on the weather prior and during the tounament. If its dry (like the US Open), it really doesn't take that long - the turf at Shinecock was stressed beyond belief, but it wasn't dead. Fortunately, my one year experience on a course that held a Tour event it was dry, and quite honestly, I don't remember doing anything extraordinary to get the course back ready for regular member play - it recovered quickly. Some of stands were placed on some tees that weren't used for the tournament and it left some damage, but they were easy to repair. The crosswalks recovered without us doing anything until we aerated them later in the year, but they were playable in a very short time. We didn't do anything special for the rough either; it came back in no time at all - turf is tougher than you think! But again, the time leading up to and during the tournament was relatively dry.

If it rains hard like it seems to every year at the Buick, then I really don't know, but its a mess. Corporate sponsors also bring in their semi trailers. I would go nuts over the ruts caused by the trucks, even if they are in the rough. That's when I thank the golf gods that I'm not a supt a one of these courses. No question rain prior and during the play would prolong recovery because of the maush pit created by the fans and trailors. The stands themselves cause little damage, but if its wet, I would bet a bigger mess is created by the trucks hauling the stands in and out more than the stands themselves.

One year when I attended the Buick, the rains made the crosswalks a quagmire. I was crossing the fairway just in front of the 18 green and out of instinct I started walking further up the fairway and around the mud - figured I would stay out of an area so beat up when a marshall, correctly, pointed me back in the crosswalk. Since the traffic is limited to the crosswalks to only certain areas on the fairways, I imagine they either resod the crosswalks or let them dry out and aerate/overseed them. Courses have a fairway sod nursery on site that can be used to quickly repair damage on the fairways. The rough usually perks up on its own but they still may aerate them to get them back to normal.

There is a divot crew to replace divots and reseed them to at least the landing areas on the fairways nightly, and divots on the tees are filled either at the end of play or perhaps as soon as the group leaves the tee. I actually had a crew of caddies replacing the divots on the par 3's right after the pros hit. They would grab a broken tee and say this is so and so's tee and try to sell them for a couple bucks. And people bought them! Free market capitalism at its best!

GenErr, if you're a subscriber to GolfWorld, do you find your issues showing up a week late most of the time? I just received the July 2 issue on Tuesday, featuring Adam Scott's win at the Booz Allen Classic.

I'm a GW subscriber, valeogut, and today (July 8) I received my July 9 issue (Meg Mallon on cover). Got the July 2 issue (Adam Scott on cover) sometime last week. Seems about normal for me, here in Minnesota. I do remember getting surveys from GW a few years ago, asking me when I was getting my issues, so perhaps this is a problem for them, at least in some regions.

I read the Rosaforte article, too, and share your concerns, v-man. (And greenguy: Thanks for your characteristically great insights and clear writing. So glad you're here.) Possibly you saw the article in the 6/25/04 issue of GW about the possibility that the 2013 US Open might go to Merion (East Course) in the Philly area. After seeing how the USGA displayed Shinnecock (and I'm a USGA member), I'd hate to see Merion get similar attention, not to mention the damage, even if temporary.

Merion, of course, is where Hogan hit one of the most famous shots in golf.
http://www.golfsartgallery.com/ben_h...lk__1950_u.htm
It was in 1950, back in the time when the US Open's last 36 holes were played in one day. Hogan had been in his well-known near-fatal car wreck about 16 months earlier, and under his pants had his legs wrapped in a kind of Ace bandage, ankles to hips, to help him do all the walking. I think it was after 30 holes (i.e., after No. 12 on his second 18), he stumbled and didn't think he could continue, but he found a way. On his last hole, he knows he can get into a next-day playoff (when he'd be somewhat recovered) if he can just manage par somehow. His approach shot in the photo got him onto the green. Two putts later, he's in the playoff. Next day, he's the US Open Champion.

I want that to be what I think about when I think about Merion. Not what the USGA might do to the place if they go back there.

Man, that picture of Hogan is fascinating. Look how far folks are down the fairway... Have to be fairly confident that you're not going to clock someone with an errant drive. Neat picture, though.

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That's one of the best golf pictures ever taken, no doubt one of the classics. I have that pic hung on the wall right behind my desk in my office. Also I have a very nice painting of the clubhouse at St. Andrews, where someday I will have my picture taken right there on the first tee. That's after I retire tho, but still can't wait for that day.

JimSomebody, I read the Merion article too. If the USGA really wants to use some of the classic sites "for the good of the game," perhaps they should scale back the corporate tents and reduce attendance so that the facilities can comfortably handle the traffic and parking issues. I'm a long-time USGA member too, but I'm concerned that money has become a bigger factor than quality of and concern for the course in selecting and prepping sites for its major championships. I don't want the organization to go broke, but you'd think that every once in a while they could forego the huge profits of increased attendance figures and bigger corporate tent complexes, and return to sites like Merion.

I too would hate to see the incredible damage to Shinnecock inflicted on any course: Scale back attendance to reasonable levels, and prepare the course for play without causing undue damage.

I attended the past two US Senior Opens at nearby Saucon Valley Country Club, and by Friday afternoon on both occasions, I started to feel very bad about the damage that I was helping to inflict on the grounds of the course, especially so during one round after a heavy rain overnight. By the end of the tournament, I was ready to cry at the mess the masses had made and couldn't believe that the membership would allow this to happen to their club.

I bought that print and was going to hang it up as a poster in my boys room. My wife, also a golfer(she has no idea who Hogan is) liked the pic and had it framed. It hangs over the fireplace in our family room.

valeogut - I'll have to keep better track of dates on the magazine. I know last night I received the issue with Meg Mallon on the cover. Haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Make sure to smile......then stripe one down the middle. I've always thought a Hoganlike picture taken from behind me as I hit my approach shot into #18 at St. Andrews (from the fairway, even if I had to fake it ) would be my favorite.

Thanks for the response to course damage. More insightful information from the greenguy. I knew you'd come through!

I subscribe to about every golf magazine out there and it used to drive me crazy when they were delivered a week late. I have a running competition between GOLFWEEK & GOLFWORLD as to how many days late they'll be. I also find it a strange coincidence that the same exact picture will appear on the cover of both mags several times a year .

I've always "read'em when I got'em", but the last month or so my wife tells me there's something by my favorite chair that's never been there before....a growing pile of unread golf magazines. Let's see here, Golfrewind or golf magazines? That choice has been an easy one! You guys are a lot more interesting than old golf news ;)

victory: Now there's some validation for your efforts! (And a warm fuzzy for the rest of us; thanks. :) )

I feel the same way, folks. A big reason now why I try to keep current with my golf mags is so I'm not too far behind you guys.