Well, we almost made it. We were this close to finishing a season without a major conditioning problem at an important golf event. Augusta was perfect as always, the redo at TPC Sawgrass took perfectly, the nearly tree-free version of Oakmont was a hit, Southern Hills behaved itself, and Carnoustie was more “Carnice” than “Carnasty.”
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But, unfortunately, bentgrass – for all its wonderful traits – wasn’t really meant to thrive after weeks and weeks of atypical late season heat in Georgia. By all reports, the putting surfaces at Eastlake Golf Club in Atlanta are teetering on the brink as the Tour Championship – the conclusion of this silly Fed Ex Cup thingy – begins this week.
Bob Harig at ESPN.com reports that the Tour has taken the unprecedented step of barring spectators from the course until Thursday, canceling the pro-am and limiting shots to greens or even putting during practice rounds.
The surfaces at Eastlake are currently the relatively heat-resistant Crenshaw variety, but nothing short of a switch to hybrid Bermuda (or Astroturf) could have prevented this. The club will begin the transition to Bermuda later this year, but that won’t prevent Ralph Kepple, CGCS, and the Tour agronomy staff from literally taking the heat this week.
Predictably, the bitching has begun: “They’ve had all year to prepare for this tournament,” Robert Allenby said after the final round of the BMW Championship Sunday. “To say that it’s not ready is pretty disgusting. Especially for a major event. I mean, this is what it’s all about … the FedEx Cup. It’s coming down to the final event, and it’s going to be a nonevent because it could be Mickey Mouse golf.”
And so it begins. What should be a celebration for the grounds staff at Eastlake might feel more like a forced march by the end of the week. There’s not much any of us can do to help Kepple, but we can offer moral support. Let him know you feel his pain and wish him the best by clicking right here – rkepple@eastlakegolfclub.com – to send him an e-mail with your best wishes.
Pat Jones is president of Flagstick, LLC.