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October 2008
U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championship Preparations
By David Wienecke
Yes it's true, the world's best golfers are coming to Chambers Bay! This is the second installment in the series on the USGA Championship preparations for the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open to be held at Chambers Bay. On September 30, USGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions, Mike Davis, completed a two-day visit to finalize planning for course improvements expected to be finished prior to the U.S. Amateur Championship. Representatives from the Robert Trent Jones Jr. architectural firm joined KemperSports and Pierce Country delegates to implement the following improvments and establish objectives discussed during the visit.
~ Since links courses are traditionally built on sand dunes, one of the primary characteristic of these courses is the maintenance of firm and fast conditions on greens, approaches, fairways and tees. In Scotland, natural wind-blown sand coats the turf after every storm. Over centuries, Greenkeepers (i.e. golf course superintendents) have supplemented Mother Nature's sand topdressing with routine cultural topdressing. Since a true links course can never have enough sand, present day superintendents follow the words laid out by Old Tom Morris and other famous old-time Greenkeepers, "more sand lad die." As the healthiest fescue turf, and best playing conditions, are created by frequent sand topdressing, the fescue at Chambers Bay is literally swimming in sand. Topdressing done in conjunction with cultivation is a routine cultural program you can find taking place somewhere on the Chambers Bay golf course almost every week year round. It is no surprise that when Larry Gilhuly of the USGA measured the firmness of our greens they were the firmest ever measured at any golf course in the United States. After topdressing fairways, the turf color typically becomes greener in color. The fescue thrives in sand and so do golfers when they see their ball bounce and roll along the firm and fast turf. Chambers Bay has summer-like playing conditions 12 months a year, and maintaining these conditions is the USGA's number one priority for Chambers Bay.
~ The average fairway width at most U.S. Open Championships is between 40 and 50 yards. Chambers Bay will narrow fairways on holes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 14 and 16. The other fairways will remain at their current widths of up to 103 yards for the U.S. Amateur Championship. Starting next week, we will begin developing the new mowing lines for fairway, intermediate rough and full length rough.
~ A new practice range and fine fescue sod nursery will be built. Ground-breaking for these projects has already begun and planting will be finished by spring 2009.
~ New tees will be built on holes 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15 and 17. These new or expanded tees will add considerable area to the already huge 11 to 12 acre teeing ground at Chambers Bay. Course length based on current discussions will increase at least 221 yards from the tips to approximately 7,806 yards.
~ Chambers Bay has over 92 acres of sand dunes and 85 acres of bunkers. This is equal to the area of one or two golf courses. Winter 2008-09 will be spent removing weeds from the dunes and bunkers, and planting the dunes to fill in the sheep, hard and red fescue dune grass. Supplemental irrigation will be added to maintain dune grass year round.
~ Bunker rebuilding is needed for most of the bunkers to remove rocks, add drainage and complete edging of the bunkers. This process will take place from now until June 2010 to complete.
One thing is for certain based on all that is happening at Chambers Bay. Every time you play, you can expect to see changes that improve the already spectacular course. How is the course playing right now? Course conditions during the 2008 BMW NW Skins Game held on September 13 were incredible. Among PGA Tour Professionals Ryan Moore, Bubba Watson, Aaron Baddeley and Ben Crane, there were no birdies on the short par 4 12th hole, and Aaron Baddeley won the biggest skin of the day with a par 3 on the 17th. The golf course again showed that it is a great test of Championship caliber golf.
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