Torrey Pines, 18th Hole
Photo credit: Larry Lambrecht
Situated along the coastal bluffs of scenic La Jolla, Calif., Torrey Pines’ South Course will host the 2008 U.S. Open Championship held June 12-15. This marks only the second time in U.S. Open history that the championship will be played on a public course. Originally designed by William F. Bell in 1957, Torrey Pines underwent a successful $3.3 million renovation beginning in 2001 conducted by Rees Jones, ASGCA and Greg Muirhead, ASGCA. In addition to this year’s U.S. Open, Torrey Pines also serves as the home to the annual Buick Invitational.
ASGCA staff recently had the pleasure of talking to ASGCA Past President Rees Jones about the renovations his team made to the course and how the changes will impact the upcoming U.S. Open tournament.
ASGCA Staff:
What was your basic approach in preparing Torrey Pines for the 2008 U.S. Open Championship?
Rees Jones:
Our approach was to redesign Torrey Pines South to accommodate public play while creating a course of championship caliber, one challenging enough to host the U.S. Open. We redesigned the greens for multiple shot options, allowing golfers to go for the open entrances or to attack the harder hole locations, depending on their skill level. We added new back tees to accommodate the best players in the game, while leaving the existing public players’ tees in the same locations. The entire course was re-bunkered, taking into account the modern golf equipment.
ASGCA Staff:
You mention the need to tailor the course to the advanced skills of a TOUR player. Where are these changes most significant and what specifically was altered?
Rees Jones:
The strategy of playing Torrey Pines’ South Course has been dramatically changed. We repositioned greens to bring in the natural hazards of the ocean cliff and the canyons. Most greens have alternate approaches of attack to an open entrance or to a fortified hole location. We redesigned the greens with challenging transitions that allow for small targets within the larger surface. Green contours, terraces and small “tongues” that drift on a diagonal serve to protect hole locations. This puts a risk/reward option in the hands of the U.S. Open contestants. Being near the hole is almost essential for making birdies while playing to the fat of the green will almost surely end up in a two-putt and a par. Two of the par 5’s will play over 600 yards in length, which will require players to decide whether or not to go for the greens in 2 or to lay up. The 18th hole will play at 550 yards, giving most players the option of going over the pond and to the green in 2. This should create a lot of drama on this final hole! We also rebuilt the bunkers, repositioning them and making them deeper. Their shapes and slopes will render an unpredictable lie from a player’s errant shot.
ASGCA Staff:
Which one hole would you identify as “the one to watch” during the tournament and why?
Rees Jones:
The 14th hole will be the most interesting to watch because it will play differently every day of the championship. We relocated the green to a position where the canyon is behind it and to the left of it. Shots going over this green in the Buick Invitational have almost always resulted in a double bogey and have taken players out of contention. If the USGA decides to set up this hole to play from the forward tee at 280 yards, the fear of the canyon will definitely affect how the players think about the tee shot. As for the green, it is designed with a lower portion flanked by elevated terraces. The harder hole locations on each terrace will likely be utilized once each during the championship, but the easier center green location might be used also, changing the way a player approaches the second shot. It will change every day, and that’s why this will be the most interesting hole to watch.
ASGCA Staff:
Earlier you discussed morphing Torrey Pines into a championship-caliber course that can still accommodate the public. What are some of the nuances of Torrey Pines the tournament-ready course and Torrey Pines the public golf course?
Rees Jones:
The South Course at Torrey Pines was redesigned to accommodate public play as well as championship play. This was important because not only is Torrey Pines hosting the 2008 U.S. Open, but it annually hosts the Buick Invitational on the PGA TOUR. Even though we added 600 yards to the length of the course, we kept the forward tees the same for the public players who enjoy this course all the other days of the year. We pushed the location of the bunkers farther down the fairway; now the good player might be penalized, but the bunkers are out of play for most of the shorter hitters. The fairway widths were left pretty much the same, although the height of the rough will be increased for the U.S. Open. The greens speeds are considerably slower for public play than they will be for the U.S. Open, where they will be over 13 on the Stimpmeter. The day after the U.S. Open winner is crowned, superintendents Mark Woodward and John Maddern will be able to change the conditioning practices to accommodate all the various levels of players who come to enjoy Torrey Pines -- one of that select group of 50 golf venues that have ever hosted the U.S. Open Championship. |
