KDUORWWH·V )LUVW - Carolina Golf Journal

Golf Course news
The membership at the Quail
Hollow Club, headed by
President Johnny Harris had
discussed making changes for several
years, but now with the final two
contracted years of the Wells Fargo
Championship and the arrival of the
2017 PGA Championship in place,
it appears that work has begun.
President of Quail
hollow Johnny harris
visualizes the changes
underway to strengthen
the South Charlotte
championship course.
Two of the most notable
changes will be on the front side
at #4 and #8.
The tee on the par-4 fourth
hole is being shifted approximately
50 yards to the left and
the hole will be lengthened to
508 yards from the championship
tee. From the new tees, the hole
will play straightaway,
eliminating the gentle right to
left movement of its former
design. The move is to make
room for a new short game
practice area.
Included in this area will be
three new practice greens,
expanded practice tees and
sod-faced bunkers that you see
By Sam Smith
Improving on perfection at Quail hollow Club
Changes to be completed for 2013 Wells Fargo Championship
Photo Credit: Wells Fargo Championship
Photo Credit: Wells Fargo Championship
in the coverage of the British Open.
The current short-game area to the
right of the main practice range will
be converted into additional parking
inside the club.
The change at #8 should add
some excitement to the PGA events
with a new green being built to the
left of the existing green and the tee
being shifted slightly to set-up a 325
to 340 yard hole with an opening in
front of the green flanked by two
bunkers allowing the pros a “riskreward”
shot at driving the green.
Other changes underway include:
removing bushes behind #10 and
adjacent #13. This will allow the tee
at #13 to be lowered and shifted
slightly to the right giving a different
approach angle into a heavily
contoured green. The #14 tee will
be moved back to bring the fairway
bunker into play again.
Phil Mickleson and other pros
have been very critical of the severe
contour of the green at #12, may
now find a more friendly experience
when they return with the redesign
Geoff ogilvy tees off on #4 tee at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.
The hole will be straighten and stretched to 508-yards for future play.
of the green complex.
“We knew we had to do some
things,” Harris said according to the
Charlotte Observer. “The changes
will make it harder for the tournament
players but not for our members. We
don’t have an Alister Mackenzie or
Donald Ross heritage to worry about
as far as making changes. If the board
thinks it’s the right thing to do, we're
going to do it.”
Tournament spectators will also
find changes to help in their journey
to find their favorite golfer. Cart
paths behind the clubhouse and
around the putting green are being
replaced by a single path for better
crowd movement.
Quail Hollow will convert to
Bermuda greens in advance of the
2017 PGA Championship, but an
exact timetable for the transition is
still to be determined. There was
speculation that that work could
have started this summer according
to club president Johnny Harris.
But no official announcement has
been made by the club.
12 - www.CaRolinaGolfJouRnal.Com - SummeR 2012 _____________________________________________________________