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.
USGA Contributes $50,000 to GCSAA Research Projects
The grant to the Environmental Institute for Golf will support the Cooperative Research Program, which focuses on local turfgrass issues.
World Golf Foundation Launches “Golf For Her” Website
In collaboration with multiple golf industry leaders, the website is designed to increase women’s participation in the game by detailing beginner programs, information on networking opportunities, and news updates.
GCSAA Set to Update Water Use and Conservation Survey
A nationwide survey of superintendents at nearly 15,000 U.S. facilities, sponsored by the U.S. Golf Association and the Environmental Institute for Golf, will compare golf’s current landscape to information collected in a 2006 study.
ASGCA Offers “Pace of Play Checklist & Tips”
The free document, created in cooperation with the United States Golf Association, provides golf course architects’ ideas for achieving faster and smoother play through “five basic ingredients”: player abilities, course management, set-up, maintenance and turf conditions, and course design.
Forbes Weighs In on State of Golf Industry as U.S. Open Begins
“There remain concerns about the long-term success of the golf industry among a class of Millennials who are gaining purchasing power and are largely the target of networks seeking to raise their floundering ratings,” wrote contributor Darren Heitner. “However, there exist many signs that the state of the golf industry remains strong, despite Tiger Woods’ prolonged absence from the sport.”
Salem CC Lands 2017 U.S. Senior Open
When the tournament was last held in 2001 on the Donald Ross course at the Peabody, Mass. club, history was made when the entire ticket allotment of 25,000 per day sold out one year in advance—something that has never happened since.
Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point Completes Construction
Though it will not be open to the public until spring 2015, the Bronx, N.Y., property, which is built over a former landfill, has finished construction 12 years after it was initially scheduled to open. Trump stepped into the project in 2011 with a 20-year lease following the departure of the original developer, and invested $850,000 in the golf course and $10 million in a yet-to-be-built 12,000-sq. ft. clubhouse and practice area.
“Fast Fridays” Help Propel Golfers at Olde Homestead GC
The New Tripoli, Pa., club began asking golfers to shave a half hour from the usual 4 ½-hour play time every Friday, and members are reportedly enjoying the change. Other area clubs are incorporating strategies to encourage a quicker pace, such as employing rangers, eliminating cart-path-only sections, and requiring golfers to sign a form saying they will finish in the course’s recommended time.
Bermuda Replaces Bentgrass for Suffolk GC Greens Renovation
The 18-hole public course in Portsmouth, Va., decided to do the regrassing to improve both maintenance and playability, after having two to three greens die each summer.
North Coast California Courses Address Pace-of-Play Issues
Management at Foxtail GC, Windsor GC and Santa Rose G&CC note that the amount of time to finish rounds is approaching five hours, whereas a four-hour play time used to be customary. To increase speed, the clubs are using techniques like giving golfers a ride to the green, making sure players keep their reserved tee time, and having marshals keep golfers moving.
Omaha (Neb.) CC, Dakota Dunes CC Test Buffalo Grass
The hardy, drought-tolerant grass has been bred through a partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the USGA. The Nebraska club plans to test the grass this fall, rounding out a slew of changes to the course, while the North Sioux City, S.D., club has a test underway on an acre of the course that was damaged in a 2011 flood.
Troon Launches Pace-of-Play Initiative
“Troon Values Your Time” communicates a pace-of-play standard to guests and members of Troon-managed facilities before the issue becomes a problem on the course. Some essential elements of the initiative include calculating a facility’s “Time Par” for comfortably playing a enjoying the course, and setting “Pacesetter Times,” which are designated morning tee times reserved for players committed to playing at least 20 minutes under the Time Par.
Having Fun
I realized why I had so much fun: The rules and boundaries were being adjusted so I could be competitive. At the end of May, I played in the Kemper Sports event at the Glen Club in Glenview, Ill. It’s one of the clubs Kemper owns or manages, and everything about it was done…