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A beloved golf course closes (temporarily), a historic one reopens (soon) and...a golf tornado? But first...
Variety is the spice of life. That includes golf courses in particular.
This July, Royal Troon is set to make Open Championship history on both ends of the yardage spectrum. As reported by Reuters, a new tee box has added up to 22 yards to the length of the Ayrshire links' par-5 6th hole.
At 623 yards, then, the second of Troon's three par 5s will be the longest hole on The Open rota, eclipsing the finishing hole at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, host of last year's Open, by 14 yards.
At 7,385 yards, Royal Troon will measure 192 yards longer than it did when it last hosted The Open, when Henrik Stenson outdueled Phil Mickelson in 2016 in one of the most exciting final-day two-horse races in the championship's history. Nine holes have been lengthened by more than 10 yards, with the par-5 4th hole swelling from 555 to 599 yards in 2024 and the long par-3 17th up from 220 yards to 242 yards. Changes have been overseen by the golf architecture firm of Mackenzie & Ebert, who have advised several Open rota courses in recent years.
One hole whose yardage remains unchanged, however, is the Postage Stamp: Royal Troon's nasty little par-3 8th hole. It remains at 123 yards. With a skinny green protected by five scary bunkers, including the championship-wrecking Coffin bunker middle-left, it doesn't need extra distance to be the type of hole players will think about well before they tee off.
One wrinkle that has appeared ahead of this year's championship is a note that the R&A could set the Postage Stamp up to play as short as 99 yards during one of the rounds, weather permitting. A front pin and a forward teeing area with a stiff cross-breeze could make it a must-watch shot, and likely more compelling than at last year's U.S. Open, when the U.S.G.A. shrunk Los Angeles Country Club's par-3 15th hole to just 81 yards for the third round. At such a tight yardage, most pros played well past the tiny front portion of the green where the hole was cut, opting to putt downhill from there.
The Postage Stamp's green is actually wider at the front, meaning players will likely take more chances, leading to the sort of trainwreck scores fans love to see, as well as an ace or handful of close-call birdies.
Using both the back tee on 6 and the front tee on 8 would mean competitors will play two holes in the space of three that vary by 524 yards. That would be fun to see.
More golf course news & notes: May 2024
SWEETENS CLOSED (FOR NOW...) - Sweetens Cove Golf Club, the King-Collins design south of Chattanooga that is America's most popular 9-hole golf course, will be closed through August 31 due to "unbelievably harsh" winter weather taking a heavy toll on Bermuda turf. [LINK: X/@SweetensCove]
MAJOR MYRTLE BEACH REDO - Sea Trail Golf Resort continues a large-scale overhaul with plans to fully renovate its Willard Byrd-designed course, one of three on property, this summer. Architect Tim Cate will direct the project. [LINK: Sea Trail]
HISTORIC REOPENING - Rock Island Arsenal Golf Course, which dates back to 1897 but closed in 2018, is expected to reopen as a nine-hole course sometime this summer. [LINK: WQAD]
TROUBLE IN PARADISE? - The Villages may bill itself as "Florida's Friendliest Hometown," but residents are upset about the condition the mega-community's executive golf courses. [LINK: Villages-News.com]
GOLF-ADJACENT - The Jigger Inn, a historic St. Andrews pub and one of golf's most beloved watering holes, has recently reopened after a renovation project. [LINK: Golf Business News]
Fore! A tornado sliced across Payne's Valley Golf Course in Missouri on Monday. pic.twitter.com/NsUbu0SyAW
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) May 14, 2024
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