The golf course at the University Place, Wash. property was closed in October 2018 so its fine-fescue greens could be replaced with poa annua, after complaints about the “dirt-and-sandpaper” greens that were seen throughout the world when the course was the site of the 2015 U.S. Open.
Chambers Bay GC Closes to Replace Fescue With Poa
The golf course at the University Place, Wash. property will be closed beginning October 1st until March 2019, to redo all of its greens. Chambers Bay officials hope the change will help it attract another major golf championship, after complaints about its “dirt and sandpaper” greens when it hosted the 2015 U.S. Open. Chambers Bay…
Newly Branded Coos GC Celebrates Reopening
The former Watson Ranch golf course in Coos Bay, Ore. is under new ownership directed by Andre Liloc, a Seattle businessman with a technology and advertising background who most recently worked for ESPN. The 95-year-old golf course has been rerouted into a “new nine” and “original nine,” and other members of Liloc’s family are helping with graphics, apparel merchandising and restaurant management.
Barona Creek GC Equipment Manager Wins Top Technician Award
Blas Huezo of the Lakeside, Calif. club’s staff has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the Most Valuable Technician Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, after being nominated by Barona Creek’s Superintendent, Sandy Clark, CGCS. Kurt Lading from Indian Hills Country Club and Trent Manning from Ansley Golf Club were also finalists for 2017 recognition.
Broken Sound Club’s Shannon Easter Leads Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards
The maintenance director and environmental consultant at the Boca Raton, Fla. property has been selected as the Overall and National Private recipient of the annual awards that recognize superintendents and their golf courses for overall excellence and best management practices. Alex Stuedemann of TPC Deere Run (Public Course) and Ken Nice of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Resort Course) were also selected for national recognition.
Chambers Bay Resort Could Feature Tom Douglas Restaurant
Pierce County, Wash, has selected a team of local developers that includes Seattle’s top restaurateur for the $45 million resort-style project being developed around the University Place, Wash. golf course. The bar and grill being proposed would be Douglas’ first outside Seattle.
Watered Down
Superintendents nationwide have scaled back water usage while showing that the playability and conditioning of their golf courses can still thrive.
County Seeks Partner for Chambers Bay Development
The planned development, which would be adjacent to the University Place, Wash., property that hosted the 2015 US Open, could include short-term lodging, restaurants, a golf course clubhouse, banquet and meeting space, golf teaching and practice facilities, parking, trail connections, and access to Puget Sound.
Chambers Bay Reports Shift in Golfer Demographics
The public golf course in University Place, Wash., hosted the 2015 U.S. Open in June, and is reporting a significant shift in the geographic origin of its golfers since hosting the event, with 41% of rounds played by golfers from outside the state, more than double the historical average.
Chicago Percolates With Talk of New Championship Public Course
Mark Rolfing, an NBC/Golf Channel analyst who grew up outside of the city, is spearheading a plan to combine two current public courses on the South Side into a standout 18- or 27-hole facility that could possibly attract a regular tour stop or even a major championship.
Lancaster CC Breaks U.S. Women’s Open Attendance Record
After more than 135,000 spectators viewed the tournament in the bucolic setting of central Pennsylvania, work began, even with a few hours left in the competition, to return the course to members in two days.
Windham CC Throws Send-Off Party for Assistant Pro’s Trip to U.S. Open
The New Hampshire club turned Rich Berberian, Jr.’s success in the PGA Sectional to qualify for his first professional tournament into a special event that garnered local publicity.
KemperSports Launches Chambers Bay Challenge
The challenge will give an all-expensed trip for two to the University Place, Wash., property to players at participating KemperSports courses who score a hole-in-one on the pre-determined hole.
The Country Club of Brookline Reported Close to Landing 2022 U.S. Open
The Brookline Board of Selectment voted to execute a letter of intent for the 2022 event and appointed a town administrator to form a team to negotiate with the USGA, with a deadline of October 31. The storied Massachusetts course has hosted 16 national championships in its 122-year history, but hasn’t had a U.S. Open since 1988.
Touring Pros Start to Express Concerns About Chambers Bay as U.S. Open Venue
With just seven weeks until the 2015 Open is held at the unique public facility outside of Tacoma, Wash., pros are making public statements suggesting its setup may be a “farce” and its greens may not be championship-caliber.