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When the Black Desert Championship tees off Thursday, Black Desert, the host course in Ivins, Utah, will join an exclusive club in America.
Within a year of its official opening, Black Desert, the last golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf before his passing, will have already hosted PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events, an impressive feat that only a handful of public golf courses across America have accomplished.
Six of the world’s top 10 female golfers will compete Thursday through Sunday in the Black Desert Championship, the first LPGA Tour event in the state since the 1964 Riverside Ladies Open at Riverside Country Club in Provo. This feat follows on the heels of the PGA Tour's Black Desert Championship last October, the first PGA Tour event in the state since the 1963 Utah Open Invitational. Matt McCarty shot an impressive 23-under-par to capture that crown.
Other than hosting a major, I can't think of a more notable achievement for a resort course than to be deemed good enough to host the best players in the world from both tours. Think about it.
The men play from monumental lengths (7,173 yards in Black Desert's case), so the routing needs to be long enough to keep them at bay. And yet, it needs to be strategic enough - full of interesting green surrounds, bunkering and carry hazards - to deliver a compelling test for the women who will more likely be hitting lower-lofted clubs, like hybrids and long irons, into greens on a number of holes instead of wedges and 9 irons like the men. It takes a variety of shotmaking challenges, strategic design and proper setup to pull off both tournaments without a hiccup.
Beyond the course, any venue that hosts both the guys and gals must be located in a market big enough to attract enough fans to make both tournaments a success. There needs to be space for infrastructure like corporate tents, grand stands and parking. Scenery for the TV cameras isn't a necessity although it sure does help.
As a resort destination, Black Desert is just getting started. Set for a grand opening this summer, the resort’s first phase will include nearly 800 rooms and suites, seven dining venues, a 15,000-square-foot spa, a heated outdoor pool and hot tub and 45,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting and event space. Future phases will include a water park, more rooms and suites and more dining, shopping and entertainment options. Spanning more than 600 acres, Black Desert Resort will also offer easy access to 200+ acres of preserved land and six miles of hiking trails.
I've played the course - the broadcast won't do the scenery justice - and can't wait to return to see how the resort has risen from the desert's black lava and red rock landscape.
Now let's look at the other notable U.S. public and resort courses that have pulled double duty hosting both the men and women for prominent tournaments and championships. Some of them have hosted LPGA and PGA TOUR events like Black Desert, while others have hosted one tour or the other, plus at least one major featuring the opposite sex:
Gold Course at Tiburon Golf Club
LPGA Tour: CME Group Titleholders (2013-present).
PGA Tour: QBE Shootout (i.e. "Shark Shootout" from 2001-22), Grant Thornton Invitational (2023-present).
Pebble Beach Golf Links
LPGA Tour and women's major: Pebble Beach Weathervane Transcontinental Women's Open (1950-51). 2023 U.S. Women's Open.
PGA Tour and men's majors: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (1947-present). U.S. Open (1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2019).
America's Top 100 Tournament Courses
Pinehurst No. 2
LPGA Tour women's major: 2014 U.S. Women's Open.
PGA Tour and men's majors/events: 1936 PGA Championship, U.S. Open (1999, 2005, 2014, 2024), TOUR Championship (1991, 1992), North & South Open Championship (a professional tour stop from 1902-1951), World Golf Hall of Fame Classic (i.e. World Open and Colgate Hall of Fame Classic 1973-82), 1951 Ryder Cup Matches.
Shadow Creek
LPGA Tour: Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play (2021-present).
PGA Tour: 2020 C.J. Cup.
Torrey Pines South
LPGA Tour: 1983 Inamori Classic. 2009 Samsung World Championship.
PGA Tour and men's majors: San Diego Open (1968-present under various sponsors). U.S. Open (2008, 2021).
Copperhead at Innisbrook Resort
LPGA Tour: JCPenney Classic (1990-99).
PGA Tour: Valspar Championship (2000-present under various sponsors).
Blue Monster at Trump National Doral Miami
LPGA Tour: 1975 Colgate Triple Crown. 1976 Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Championship.
PGA Tour: Doral Open (1962-2006). World Golf Championship-Cadillac Championship (2007-16).
TPC Harding Park
LPGA Tour special event: 2023 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown
PGA Tour and men's major/events: 2020 PGA Championship, 2005 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship, 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play, San Francisco Open (1944-45, 1969), Lucky International (1961-66, 1968), 1959 Golden Gate Championship, 1925 Harding Inaugural Tournament, 2009 Presidents Cup.
CordeValle
LPGA Tour women's major: 2016 U.S. Women's Open.
PGA Tour: Frys.com Open (2010-13).
North Course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
LPGA Tour: Kia Classic (2010, 2012).
PGA Tour: Mercedes Championships (1969–1998). WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (1999-2005).
Memorial Park Golf Course
LPGA Tour: 1972 Lady Eve Open.
PGA Tour: Houston Open (1947, 1951-63, 2020-present under various sponsors).
Lake Course at Grand National Golf Club
LPGA Tour: 1998 Lifetime's AFLAC Tournament of Champions.
PGA Tour: Barbasol Championship (2015-17).
Plantation and Seaside Courses at Sea Island Resort
LPGA Tour: Sea Island Open (1954-58, 1960-61). Sea Island Women's Invitational (1962-63).
PGA Tour: McGladrey Classic/RSM Classic (2010-2020, 2022-present)
Dunes Golf & Beach Club
LGPA Tour women's major: 1962 U.S. Women's Open.
PGA Tour: Myrtle Beach Classic (2024-present).
Brickyard Crossing
LPGA Tour: LPGA Indy Women in Tech Championship by Group 1001 (2017-19), 1960 500 Ladies Classic.
PGA Tour: 500 Festival Open (1960-68).
Donald Ross Course at French Lick Resort
LPGA Tour and women's major: 1958 French Lick Open. LPGA Championship (1959-60).
PGA Tour men's major: 1924 PGA Championship.
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