It's an owner's right, almost a duty, to play a championship on your own course. The PGA of America own Valhalla Golf Club and the staging of the 96th US PGA Championship is the third time – following on from 1996 and 2000 – that the event has returned to the club, which is located 16 miles from the city centre.
More recently, Valhalla – designed by Jack Nicklaus – played host to the 2008 Ryder Cup but for those players who competed then and who are back now in search of the final Major title of the season, there is a major difference: all 18 greens have been rebuilt as part of a multi-million dollar renovation programme that started in September 2011.
As part of the rebuild, the old subsurface drainage system was removed and upgraded to include running the Precision Air units with each green. Also included in the modernisation project was a new, state-of-the-art irrigation system.
Most of the work was concentrated around the green complexes but there were a few other changes made around the course, most notably on the ninth, where Nicklaus moved a new bunker into play some 290-300 yards off the tee.
Different tiers
The most notable change to a green came to the old eighth, where the numerous different tiers were removed to make the putting surface more in keeping with the rest of the course.
"While much has changed, one thing remains the same: a player has to hit the fairway and be a good iron player because, in general, the greens are not huge and with the way some of the contours are designed they will play a lot smaller," said Keith Reese, the PGA General Manager at Valhalla.
The heat and humidity of the central Ohio River Valley made it difficult traditionally to grow quality grasses but the renovations – with improved systems – have made for dense, consistent and firmer putting surfaces. The new greens feature a T1 bentgrass that is more heat and drought tolerant than the old surfaces.
“We made the golf course look better, play better,” said Nicklaus of the changes.
Everything works up to and off the dominant hill at the centre of the Valhall property on which the clubhouse sits, along with the first and 10th tees and ninth and 18th greens. A power line cuts across the site, but doesn’t intrude on play.
After getting his first impression of the course, Shane Lowry – fresh from a top-10 finish in the British Open – remarked: "It's not what I was expecting to be honest. I think scoring is going to be quite low actually. There's not that much rough, the greens were fairly soft. I don't know what they're going to do. There's thunderstorms forecast so they'll probably try and dry it out at the week goes on . . . it doesn't feel like a real tough Major golf course but, obviously, you have to treat it with respect. I like the look of it."
Par fours
The strength of the Valhalla course is in the par fours, two of which – the second and the 16th – measure over 500 yards.
One of the key sections of the front nine are the back-to-back fifth and sixth holes. The fifth, a dogleg right, has a deep bunker on the elbow and the green has run-offs which make it difficult for a player to hold the green with the approach shot.
The sixth is a par four of 495 yards which has a creek – known as Floyd’s Fork – coming into play around 300 yards off the tee. Most players will leave the drive in the bag, opting to lay up short of the hazard. The long approach is to a green which has a deep bunker guarding the left and a closely mown collection area to the right. It is likely to play as one of the toughest holes on the course.
The stretch of holes from the 15th to the 17th will also make for a demanding sequence. The 435 yards 15th has a narrow, tree-lined fairway and the Brush Run creek that runs right up to the side of the green. The landing area is framed by rough to the left and a large bunker down the right but the real challenge is the approach to the green, with the creek skirting the putting surface.
The 16th has traditionally proven to be one of the toughest holes. A par four of 508 yards, this slight dogleg also has the creek coming into play but the real difficulty is the approach to a green complex that features two deep bunkers to the front and a drop off to a closely mown area to the right.
The 17th – a par four of 472 – is appropriately named “No Mercy” for a reason. The tee shot is uphill to a fairway that features bunkers left and right and, again, the green is doubly protected by strategic bunkering and a run-off area.
