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Changes At Merion

• HooksMcGilligan 735 Posts

  Fri, Nov 30 2018 7:10 AM

  A while back Oakmont went away with the explanation from WGT that the agreement they had with Oakmont came to an end.

  Merion has recently done the unthinkable and closed for the better part of a year to make significant changes to the course. The reasoning was that with advancements in club and ball technology, many of the course hazards no longer came into play, and thus the course no longer presented the intended challenge. With the fixed total area constraints, they are unable to move any tees or greens, but bunkers have been moved and some new ones have been created, fairways have been reshaped. The newly configured course is set to reopen in the spring.

  My question is - is there any chance that Merion will go away considering that, come spring, what we have here will no longer be an accurate representation of Merion? My gut tells me the powers that be at Merion would not be too pleased with that fact.

     Scott

• DoctorLarry 4,311 Posts

  Fri, Nov 30 2018 11:14 AM

  I have no idea, but my gut tells me that Merion would rather keep getting the check from WGT, even if the virtual course differs from the revised one.  Could be wrong!

  After all, it does not rain or freeze or swelter on the virtual course while those might be happening at the real course!  ;)

• MrFunnyWobbl 894 Posts

  Mon, Dec 10 2018 1:09 PM

  why would merion change, the 2013 Open was won at +1. Great course. 

• twinponds169 3,042 Posts

  Mon, Dec 10 2018 2:42 PM

  A fellow WGT player and friend lives practically next door to the course and rides his bike around it. In a recent alt shot game on Skype he shared screens and showed us many pics he took early this past Fall, showing fairways completely dug up, some greens gone, looked pretty bizarre. It IS happening.

• TyMacni 1,573 Posts

  Sat, Dec 15 2018 1:03 AM

  Jack Nicklaus has given Merion the highest accolade, proclaiming, “Acre for acre, it may be the best test of golf in the world.”

  That’s some praise from a man who not only played on the finest courses during his Hall of Fame career, but built quite a few good ones, as well.

• fobby1980 310 Posts

  Fri, Feb 1 2019 9:00 AM

  HooksMcGilligan:

  A while back Oakmont went away with the explanation from WGT that the agreement they had with Oakmont came to an end.

  Merion has recently done the unthinkable and closed for the better part of a year to make significant changes to the course. The reasoning was that with advancements in club and ball technology, many of the course hazards no longer came into play, and thus the course no longer presented the intended challenge. With the fixed total area constraints, they are unable to move any tees or greens, but bunkers have been moved and some new ones have been created, fairways have been reshaped. The newly configured course is set to reopen in the spring.

  My question is - is there any chance that Merion will go away considering that, come spring, what we have here will no longer be an accurate representation of Merion? My gut tells me the powers that be at Merion would not be too pleased with that fact.

     Scott

  How to preserve the toughness of Merion? Make it a hickory-only tournament 🤔

• andwhy67 2,816 Posts

  Fri, Feb 1 2019 9:38 AM

  TyMacni:

  built quite a few good ones

  Either built or designed one very close to where I grew up in the south east of England, I know he had a very big input into either or both.

  The London Club, Just of the M20 motorway from London to Folkestone, actually a stones throw from Brand Hatch motor racing circuit, an awesome and impressive looking beast of a course indeed.

• DoctorLarry 4,311 Posts

  Fri, Feb 1 2019 12:09 PM

  andwhy67:

  The London Club, Just of the M20 motorway from London to Folkestone, actually a stones throw from Brand Hatch motor racing circuit, an awesome and impressive looking beast of a course indeed.

  A bit off-topic but that interested me.  Looks like a fun place to go.

  Can you hear the racing (especially the cars) at the Golf Course?  They are pretty close and folks close to major race tracks usually complain about the noise!

  I road-raced my car for about 15 years at some major tracks in the US and noise was always an isue for folks that built close to the track - long after the track existed!!  I don't remember any gold courses being close to any of them!

• andwhy67 2,816 Posts

  Fri, Feb 1 2019 8:49 PM

  DoctorLarry:

  andwhy67:

  The London Club, Just of the M20 motorway from London to Folkestone, actually a stones throw from Brand Hatch motor racing circuit, an awesome and impressive looking beast of a course indeed.

  A bit of topic yes, sorry talking about Merion and Jack Nicklaus, Big Jack designed the course I was refering to!