ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT


>> MERION GOLF CLUB


Hole 17 One of the scariest par 3s anywhere


Hole 16 The fi rst of Merion’s three quarry holes


Hole 18 The fl at spot from where Ben Hogan hit his famed 1-iron is the best place for today’s player to land his tee shot


HOLE 11 367 YARDS, PAR 4


One of golf ’s most historic holes has a new look, a shift of the fairway to the left bringing a creek into play off a blind tee shot. T e fi rm green penalizes those who err in yardage or alignment by redirect- ing approach shots back or right into the same creek.


HOLE 12 403 YARDS, PAR 4


T is dogleg right favors the contestant who can fade the ball off the tee. Merion offi cials rebuilt the green to reduce a severe back-to- front slope, opening up more baffl ing hole locations. Out-of-bounds behind the green requires one’s full attention.


HOLE 13 115 YARDS, PAR 3


It’s possibly the easiest hole on the course, but it’s far from a breather. Five bunkers and a creek ring the green, including a deep bunker in front that contains fescue grass. T e bowl-shape green adds more of a challenge to reading putts correctly.


16


HOLE 14 464 YARDS, PAR 4


A new back tee encourages the use of the driver. A shorter club is more apt to result in a blind second shot to a green, with hidden ridges sure to perplex. T e out-of-bounds on the left is uncomfortably close to the fairway, but bunkers on the right are no picnic.


HOLE 15 411 YARDS, PAR 4


One of Merion’s tougher driving holes, 15 has out-of-bounds to the left and two bunkers to the right that require pinpoint accuracy. A large bunker guards the front of the green. T e back-to-front slope of the putting surface requires that approach shots remain below the hole.


HOLE 16 430 YARDS, PAR 4


T e fi rst of Merion’s three quarry holes pres- ents a blind tee shot that must avoid a left fairway bunker. While the quarry isn’t that hard to negotiate, a fat shot out of the rough could mean major trouble. T e deep green has slopes in the front worth avoiding.


HOLE 17 246 YARDS, PAR 3


It’s one of the scariest par 3s anywhere. Failure to hit the green results in a shot out of one of fi ve greenside bunkers, or a pitch out of deep rough. A green that runs from back to front and left to right chal- lenges a player’s read and pace.


HOLE 18 521 YARDS, PAR 4


T e relatively fl at spot from where Ben Hogan hit his famed 1-iron actually is the best place for today’s player to land his tee shot. Anything past that winds up on a sidehill or downhill lie, or rolls into the left rough. Imprecise shots to the green will run off the front, or release into the back rough.


Joe Juliano covered the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion during his time with United Press International, and has written about four other USGA competitions at Merion during his 28 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, where his beats are golf and college sports.


COURTESY USGA/JOHN MUMMERT


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36