Donald Ross may be spinning in his grave up in Newton, Massachusetts. According to a quick blurb on Golf Channel's "Shag Bag" blog, writer Todd Lewis reports that players are saying that Sedgefield Country Club's Ross-designed course is "vulnerable," no doubt thanks to soaking thunderstoms over the past few days. Lewis added that there are "whispers of a possible 59 on the par 70 course."
On a Donald Ross course?
Heresy.
Were that to come to pass, one has to wonder how it would play at the next meeting of the Donald Ross Society, a group of more than 1,200 devotees that includes Ben Crenshaw, Rees Jones, and Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus and Rees both sometimes include design cues from Ross, for example, inverted bowl, domed green complexes that repel shots not aimed at a plateaued landing area. They are a Ross staple, and are featured prominently at Sedgefield. Those shots that ricochet off of the edges almost invariable land in a tight-lie greenside, leaving a difficult up and down. That's not the recipe for a 59, but still, if the pros think they can do it, perhaps it will happen.
Weather for the Greensboro area is calling for a front to push through with a good chance of storms until Sunday.
An "inverted dome" is a bowl.
ReplyDeleteA few of Ross's courses have raised greens with rounded tops, (Pinehurst #2 is the most famous, Country Club of Columbus here in Ga is another) but the greens at Pinehurst #2 weren't originally designed with that feature. They were flat greens that were built over and more grew into the dome shape than rounded by design.
I'm not going to hold my breath on a 59 happening. Just like a watched pot never boils, when you look for a 59, it never seems to happen. :-)
I thought you meant John Daly was going to shot a 59 for nine holes to go with his 51.
ReplyDeleteHe has not responded to me from when I twittered him and asked if I could buy a "Mr. 51" t-shirt and golf cap...
lol - now that's just mean !
ReplyDelete