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Merion’s East Course has consistently offered a unique blend of challenges for the golfer as well as a unique mixture of characteristics for the golf course architect. As a result, it has stood the test of time, and remains one of America’s treasured golf venues.

Golf Digest Chairman and Editor Jerry Tarde once described the East Course as a “three-act play,” consisting of the Drama (holes 1-6), the Comedy (holes 7-13) and the Tragedy (holes 14-18).

The first six demanding holes are the first act; then comes a stretch of seven holes that average just over 300 yards each from the championship tees, and on which scores invariably exceed expectations; and then the long finish, the third act, where writer Michael Williams claims, “There are few more testing finishes than the last five holes.” It is this inspired, three-act play that gives the East Course its unique design and architectural wonder.

A review of any hole on Merion’s East Course can only be done as part of an understanding of the entire golf course. For throughout the design of Merion, Hugh Wilson deceptively used many lines

and angles that significantly impact distance and direction. The player who “gets it” at Merion is one who appreciates the importance of the subtleties, for a slight miscalculation or poor execution

of a shot results in a ball landing one foot in the rough, in a deep bunker or even in a baffling brook. Adding to these unique architectural features is Mother Nature, who offers her own consistent,

swirling breeze that the golfer cannot see, since Merion’s trademark wicker baskets offer no help.

The Drama

Looking at the “first act” more carefully, the only two par 5s on the course are played here, and they cover almost 1,200 of the less than 6,900 yards of the course’s total yardage.

In addition, the No. 1 (fifth hole), No. 3 (second hole) and No. 5 (sixth hole) handicap holes also fall in the first act. As a result, the player faces early in the round a demanding task of playing some of the most challenging holes on the course. Merion’s architectural wonder is also evident in the variety and sequence of holes. As William H. Davis wrote in his book “100 Greatest Golf Courses and Then Some,” there is “an artful mixture of long and short holes that gives Merion a pace – or change of pace – unmatched among the great courses.” The first three holes reinforce this “artful mixture” as the player faces a deceptively short opening hole, followed by a long and narrow par 5, and then a challenging middle- to long-iron par 3 that inevitably is impacted by a swirling wind.

The fourth, fifth and sixth holes are the three consecutively most demanding holes on the front nine, as the length of each tests the patience and strategy of the golfer. A solid tee shot on each of these holes must be delivered in the fairway for the player to have any reasonable chance of reaching the green in regulation. Golf columnist Nick Seitz once wrote about Merion, “The golfer must have it off the tee to set himself up for a reasonable approach shot, and indeed he must have it in his iron-play to hit and hold an unrivaled variety of greens.” Enough of the preamble. We’re next on the tee, so off we go to the opening hole!

Let the Drama unfold.

Hole No. 1

“An Elusive Touch of Poetry”

The opening hole at Merion gives a player a complete sense of awe, because as Dan Jenkins said, “Standing on the first tee, you have to feel a moving sense of privilege. You are exactly where just about every great in the game of golf has been before starting a major championship.” It is this sense of history, of tradition, that sets the tone for a round of golf on our East Course. However, the fear for most players is the intimidation of many watchful eyes of people dining on the Upper Terrace where “you can almost feel the searing heat piercing through your back as you tee off.”

While much has been written about Merion’s first hole, Charles Price may have described the opening hole the best in his book “The New World Atlas of Golf” when he referred to it as “an elusive touch of poetry…It takes a touch of a poet to lay out a short par 4 like the first at Merion.” The hole presents risk-reward and deception. While the fairway appears to be wide open, only the last 30 yards offer a generous landing area. This risk-reward challenge with the tee shot is also evident in that the more the golfer drives the ball to the right side of the fairway, the further the player plays into the width of the green, but the more the large bunkers on the right side make the task even more difficult.

The approach shot, one of the few the player will hit off a level lie, is likely to be deceptive due to the presence of the large cross-bunker. As Desmond Tolhurst wrote, “As you look over the cross-bunker to the flagstick, the back of the deep bunker masks from view a depression between the bunker and

the green, which distorts the player’s perception of the length of his approach shot.” But stay below the hole on the putting surface, as anything deep into the green leaves the player a menacing downhill, slippery putt.

Hole No. 2

“An Intimidating Gauntlet”

The second hole may be the most underrated and least talked about on the course. While it appears to be a straight-forward, medium-length par 5, it actually offers a multitude of deceptions and angles that confront the player. The best place to hit the ball is closest to the awaiting trouble.

Hugh Wilson’s brilliant use of the natural terrain challenges the player with several choices: gamble and hit a long drive toward the out of bounds on the right and draw the ball back into the top of the hill, shape the drive from left to right off the directional bunkers or lay back with a shorter drive to the flat area of the fairway where the golfer gains a level stance. Any misdirected tee shot into the rough brings into play on the next shot the cavernous bunker on the left side of the fairway. The approach shot is deceiving, because the player has difficulty in knowing exactly where the green is, especially since it is angled to the left and well protected by greenside bunkers. Furthermore, the contour of the fairway pushes the player toward menacing, deep rough lining the left side of the fairway. Long live the solitary Sycamore tree, for its white tree trunk serves as an excellent aiming point! Another defense that the hole offers against the low-handicap player is that the green on a hot summer day will not be receptive to a long-iron approach shot. In fact, the green is the flattest on the course.

The improvements in technology have impacted how this hole has played over the years. During the 1950 U.S. Open, only two players in the entire field, Jimmy Thompson and Sam Snead, were able to hit their second shots green high. Twenty-one years later in the 1971 U.S. Open, 10 players reached the green with their second shots. In the 1981 U.S. Open, the USGA stopped counting after 10 players reached the green on the first day alone. Consequently, the challenge is not the length, but finding the right line and direction to offer the best angle to the green.

Hole No. 3

“The ‘Redan’ Fortress”

Hugh Wilson’s design of the East Course was deeply influenced by his observations of many of the great courses of Great Britain. As one views the third hole, it looks like an old fortress perched on a hill, and it patterns itself after the famous “Redan” hole (15th hole) at North Berwick in Scotland with its sloping green from left to right.

Once again, Wilson injects deception into his design, as the player has difficulty from the tee determining the hole location. It can be hidden in so many places behind the large right bunker, or distorted due to the uphill shot and raised front portion of the green.

The length of the green, which is the deepest of all of the holes on the course, also requires the golfer to choose either to hit a high soft shot and fly the ball to the hole, or hit a low shot onto the front of the green and have the ball roll to the hole. As Merion’s Director of Golf Course Operations Matt Shaffer remarks, “The third green is very diabolical with many subtle breaks. It is the most distinctive green on the course.” Compounding this challenge is a teeing ground that points the golfer to the right of the hole, and a subtle, swirling breeze that is often underestimated.

The original hole routing in place for the 1916 U.S. Amateur Championship was the sequence of first, second, sixth, seventh, eighth, fifth, third, fourth and ninth. This sequence was later changed during the 1920s to their current order. Today’s first three holes account for fully one-third of all of the bunkers on the East Course, which further reflects the demands that the “first act” places on the golfer. In these three holes, the golfer receives a taste of all of Merion’s architectural features, and the challenges still left to be met during the remainder of the round.

During the 1971 U. S. Open playoff between Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, Nicklaus came to the third hole having birdied the first hole and bogeyed the second. His approach shot on the third hole landed in the left greenside bunker by the green, leaving him with an impossible sidehill lie. Nicklaus’ only play was to hit his second shot into the same bunker, and then hit his third shot onto the green. After a missed putt, Nicklaus settled for a double-bogey 5.

Hole No. 4

“Patience and Deception”

No hole at Merion, especially from the championship tee, better displays the beauty and artistic positioning of the “White Faces” than the fourth hole. Each bunker is masterfully painted onto the natural terrain. Their respective positioning urges the golfer to decide before he tees off how to play the entire hole. Measuring 597 yards from the back tee, the fourth hole is the longest on the course, and the second and last of the par 5s.

This contributes to the imbalance of the front nine compared to the back nine in both yardage (3,623 to 3,223) and par (36 to 34).

Seemingly a straightaway par 5, this hole should actually be played in the shape of a “Z,” as the tee shot should favor the flat fairway contour on the right side, and the second shot should favor the left side to provide the best approach to a green that sits at an angle to the fairway. The drive is hit to a partially blind landing area that severely slopes from right to left, which dramatically reduces the effective landing area and often redirects a straight drive into the left rough.

An experienced caddie is needed to help identify the right direction and distance on the second shot, since the cross-bunkers screen the golfer from seeing what is actually a downhill second shot to a fairway that both curls and slopes to the left. The aggressive player who takes advantage of a favorable drive may attack the green on his second shot, as Jack Nicklaus successfully did three times in the 1981 U.S. Open. However, the presence of Cobbs Creek and two guarding bunkers in front of the green present a demanding risk/reward challenge.

Surrounded by four additional deep bunkers, the green urges the player to leave his approach shot below the hole, or face a slippery downhill putt. Further, the slope of the green from back to front and left to right is not clearly evident from the fairway. The recently restored bunkers, originally added prior to the 1934 U.S. Open, protect the front of the green, and add another level of deception, as these “White Faces” give the player the impression that the green is closer than it really is. As a result, many approach shots end up long and right of the green.

In addition, Mother Nature plays her confusing wind game when the golfer navigates the fourth hole. Often, the wind can be in the player’s face on the second and third shots, and then again in the player’s face on the drive on the fifth hole. The golfer may anticipate a wind direction based on the second and third holes, only to find that the wind channels play a significant role in this area.

Hole No. 5

“An Unparalleled, Natural Hole”

The fifth hole is an “unparalleled” par 4, especially from the new championship tee. With many a perilous spot on the green to locate a difficult hole location, a birdie is a very rare score. Beyond that, Mother Nature often joins in the act as the prevailing wind is in the player’s face on the tee, and at his back on his approach shot.

This “shortest par 5 in the world is a great, natural hole that lays perfectly on the ground.” The gradual, uphill slope of the hole makes it play longer than its yardage. Once again, proper distance and direction, and the right angle and line, are essential. If the player favors the right side of the fairway with his drive, he avoids the creek. However, his conservative play results in the ball being above his feet, which urges a hook or draw downhill approach shot that brings the creek on the left side back into play. If the player successfully challenges the creek and the catch bunkers on the left side with the drive, the resulting uphill approach shot is from a level lie.

The approach shot requires further thought. As Desmond Tolhurst described, “From the level lie on the left, the better player should aim to cut or fade the ball so that it holds the green, which slopes severely from right-to-left. … However, for most golfers, the best thing to do is to aim at the right side of the green and let the slope bring the ball down to the hole.” As a result, many approach shots end up short and left of the green in thick rough, leaving a very demanding pitch that falls away from the player.

Even though there are no greenside bunkers, the golfer faces a most demanding green that Bill Kittlleman, professional emeritus at Merion, feels “has a slope beyond anything you would build today.” Numerous ledges on the green create menacing hole placements, where being below the hole is a requirement. Due to the slope of the green, most players read too little break on a left-to-right putt. A putt hit to “die in the hole must actually go past the hole, and fall in the back door.” Regardless of skill, any golfer will happily sprint to the sixth tee with a par 4 on this “shortest par 5 in the world.”

Hole No. 6

“Unappreciated”

The sixth hole may be the most unappreciated hole on the course. Superbly positioned in the course routing, the sixth is another example of an apparent straight par 4 that has subtle angles and lines. From the teeing ground, the hole’s direction appears to be directly to the green. However, the teeing ground slyly aligns the golfer to the right, creating a blind tee shot.

The more conservative player will drive his ball toward the left side of the fairway, which brings into play the two large bunkers. The contour of the fairway leaves the golfer with a sidehill lie and the ball below his feet.

In preparation for the 1924 U.S. Amateur Championship, the second bunker was added on the left side of the fairway to catch longer tee shots and lure the player into hitting the ball further right nearer the out of bounds. More recent changes included restoring the directional bunker off the right front of the tee and building a new championship tee to preserve the originally designed shot quality of a middle- to long-iron approach shot to

the green.

The challenge of the sixth hole is the many options that confront the golfer with his approach shot. Since the green is 20 feet higher than the fairway at 200 yards out, players often fail to accommodate this elevation change in the second shot that plays at least one club more. As a result, many approach shots stop short and right of the green. Due to the false front of the green, any missed approach shot will cause the player to contemplate his options on his third shot: bump and run; pitch or chip; or putt. For the longer hitter, any aggressive shot over the green leaves a very treacherous downhill chip shot.

The Comedy

As we start the second act of Merion’s three-act play, so labeled by Jerry Tarde, little has been written about the “Comedy,” holes seven to 13. However, as William H. Davis wrote in “The World’s Best Golf,” “The middle seven holes are the heart of Merion that distinguishes it from other U.S. Open venues. The holes average just over 300 yards each. They teach the player that might is not necessarily right.” Who knows that better than 1981 U.S. Open champion David Graham, who said, “Length is not a major criterion, shot placement is.” Merion produces the kind of golf that gives the course a greatness beyond its length.

Having been challenged by the “Drama” of the first six holes, the golfer at the start of the “Comedy” makes the turn from the furthest point from the clubhouse, “gears down” and welcomes the perceived relief of the next seven holes. The player’s supposition is that if he survived the first six holes, he will make his move on the next seven. Because one feels he should play better, these Comedy holes actually make more of a mental challenge for the golfer, which leads most often to bad shots. An offensive mindset quickly becomes a defensive strategy. In addition, the driver that was so needed for the length of the first six holes is now a possible hindrance on the next seven, as a fairway wood or iron is needed for accuracy and positioning.

When one looks specifically at holes seven, eight, 10 and 11, this is evident. Each hole encourages the player to hit the ball toward the most trouble to gain the best advantage. Small landing areas, greens that seem bigger and flatter than they actually are and a swirling wind not always evident make these seven holes underrated, classic designs. While their position in the routing of the East Course may hide their importance and influence on a round, these holes offer as much drama, since the score on each of the 18 holes counts equally. Regardless of a player’s ability, the Comedy holes require precise shot-making, concentration and patience. As Tarde said, “Merion does not tolerate momentary lapses in concentration.” The player who is lured into a false sense of comfort will invariably find his score higher than expected.

Let the Comedy begin.

Hole No. 7

“Thread the Needle”

The seventh hole sets the tone for the second act of the East Course, as it demands two calculated shots to reach an elevated green. Essential to making a good score is hitting a good drive off the tee. Just ask Tom Weiskopf when, near the end of his second round of the 1971 U.S. Open (his round started on the 10th hole), he played a loose tee shot into heavy rough. Then left it there. Twice. A triple-bogey 7 put him out of the running. He shot 83 and missed the cut.

The tee shot, like so many at Merion, requires the player to carefully determine a strategy – long and aggressive or short and conservative – as distance and angles are critical to playing the hole. The first half of the fairway provides a generous and level landing area, while the second half is a more narrow, blind section that drops into a swale. The more conservative, shorter tee shot will result in the player hitting from a downhill lie to a green above, which is actually the highest point on the course. Only the top half of the basket is visible, and it is very difficult to determine on what level the hole is located. The longer tee shot may provide a more favorable lie in the fairway, but the player will face a more uphill approach shot to a putting surface that he cannot completely see.

Ben Crenshaw once said, “The idea is to treat the hole with respect and try and get your second shot close. A long-iron down the center, or right-center, would be ideal. And then at the plateau (in the fairway), the green opens up from the right.”

Another complicating factor to the approach shot is that the green is three-tiered, with the lowest level in the front and the highest level in the back. Crenshaw recognized this when he remarked, “The green is a little larger than people might expect for a pitch shot, but it also has so many undulations that you’ll see a lot of three-putts. It slopes back to front and it’s hard to putt.” In addition, the grain is deceiving and very subtle. A putt from the front to the back of the green is uphill and with the grain. More often, the player hits a firm putt to compensate for the uphill, only to find the grain carrying the ball well past the hole.

Hole No. 8

“Persistently Precise”

Despite the eighth hole being only 14 yards longer than the seventh hole, it offers the player a completely different challenge. As Nick Seitz once wrote, “No two holes at Merion are even remotely the same from the tee, or anywhere else. … This course requires every type of golf shot.”

The eighth appears to be a straightaway hole, but it is actually a dogleg left. A straight drive at the wicker basket will end up in the left rough which is not visible from the tee. The premium and more challenging drive is down the right side of the hole over the bunker where the ever-present out-of-bounds stakes are. The most conservative play is to hit a left-to-right fade that follows the shape of the fairway.

The approach shot may be only a wedge for most players, but the bunkers around the green leave no room for a wayward shot. In addition, the greatest challenge may be knowing how hard, high and far to hit the approach shot, because the lack of a backdrop behind the green causes a depth-perception problem, and a swirling wind not easily detected places a premium on accurately determining the distance.

Over the years, the lip on the large, deep front bunker has been built up by the thousands of sand shots hit by players in the bunker. This high lip has created an equally severe downslope on the other side that may rudely redirect an approach shot all the way over the green. In championship conditions, the best (and most aggressive) play is to hit the approach shot to the back of the green and spin it to the hole. However, as Ben Crenshaw observed, “Over the green is death. No matter what, don’t be long!”

The eighth green tends to be one of the firmer putting surfaces on the course. As expected during the 1950 U.S. Open, most players drove with a 3-wood or 1-iron, and then hit a high wedge with a lot of spin. Ben Hogan, instead, played the hole with a 3-iron and 8-iron. As he said, “You can’t spin a wedge as much as you can spin an 8-iron.” Who is to argue with the Hawk?

Two carefully and precisely hit shots will provide a birdie opportunity. Anything less will be trouble.

Hole No. 9

“A Very Elastic Par 3”

The ninth hole offers a multitude of challenges depending on the tee used, the hole location and the wind. It is a “very elastic par 3” that can be played so many different ways. Six bunkers, a pond, a meandering stream and an undulating green in a small valley make this anything but a simple par-3 hole.

Ben Crenshaw, co-record holder of the lowest score of 64 in a championship event on the East Course (1981 U.S. Open; Lee Mackay also shot 64 in the opening round of the 1950 U.S. Open) found the ninth hole “very tough to read in the wind because you have a bank of trees on the right that block the wind sometimes, and, of course, with the wicker basket down there, you really can’t gauge how it is blowing. It has to be a well thought-out shot.” As a result, knowing the right yardage by factoring in the downhill slope of the hole and the teasing wind are critical. The ninth hole is typical of many Scottish and English courses in that it does not bring the player back to the clubhouse. It also reinforces the design feature in which Hugh Wilson laid out the sequence of holes to take best advantage of the contour of the land rather than create a nine-hole routing that returns to the start.

In 1930, the pond in front of the green was re-designed and built by the green superintendent, Joe Valentine. The pond did not alter the shot value of the hole, but endangered a short shot to a front hole location.

The green is narrow in the front and progressively wider in the back with a ridge that runs across the middle. At 39 yards in depth, it is the third-deepest green next to the seventh on the front nine and the 16th on the back nine. As a result, there are many opportunities for excellent hole placements, especially the back-left corner behind the protective bunker. This variety of hole locations can result in as much as a three-club difference in how long the ninth hole may play.

The ninth hole can be set up to play many different ways. The courageous player who can best finesse his shot among the swirling wind, protective stream and pond, surrounding bunkers and deceptive distance may close out the front nine with a well-earned score.

Hole No. 10

“Short and Sweet, Wee and Demanding”

Writer Nick Seitz once wrote, “At just over 300 yards and a par of 4, the 10th hole falls just short of being a joke – until played.” Big hitters have often driven nearly hole-high, only to find themselves with a pitch “as delicate as picking up a teacup filled to the brim.”

As the starting hole of the back nine, the golfer psychologically senses a “breather” with the short 10th hole, and may even expect to make birdie. In addition, the 10th is a truly great match-play hole, as the wise competitor must expect his opponent to make birdie. As a result, the golfer tends to press his own game in anticipation that he too must make birdie.

At the 10th hole, a subtle change also occurs that most players overlook – the color of the wicker baskets change from red to orange. (An easy way to remember orange on the back nine is that the back tees are orange). However, this is the least of the challenges facing the player as he starts the back nine.

The tee shot dictates how the golfer will approach the hole, since distance and direction off the tee impact the angle and line the player faces with his approach shot. The teeing ground is set up on the hill between sentinel poplar trees. The player faces a risk-reward decision, as the more aggressive line attracts the greater trouble but offers the easier and more rewarding approach shot to this green.

The player’s approach shot is a delicate pitch to a severely bunkered green that Robert Sommers described as “standing ready to swallow the timid shot that falls short.” The green slopes more than many players anticipate, as evidenced by Jack Nicklaus who three-putted in the 1971 U.S. Open playoff against Lee Trevino.

One note of historical significance is that both Bob Jones and Eugene Homans double-bogeyed the 10th hole in the final round of the 1930 U.S. Amateur Championship, which enabled the 11th hole to be the site of the completion of the “Grand Slam.”

Jerry Tarde claims the 10th hole is “a classic, short drive-and-pitch hole that should be mandatory viewing for all would-be architects. It is one of Merion’s unheralded holes, so simple yet so treacherous.” It is a very short and sweet, wee and demanding hole that can very quietly make or break a round.

Hole No. 11

“Sheer Reverence”

The 11th hole is the scene of Bob Jones’ historic consummation of his Grand Slam in 1930, where he closed out Eugene Homans, 8 and 7, to win the U.S. Amateur Championship. This was the last hole that Jones ever played in national competition, except for the first few Masters Tournaments, as he retired two months later at the age of 28.

The 11th hole is a combination of legend and trouble. The tee shot is blind and requires a controlled drive to a narrow fairway down the hill that appears from the tee to be wider than it is. Adding to the challenge are ever-present swirling winds that are not easily detected. Short and straight in the fairway is the best strategy, since any tee shot landing in the rough will make holding an approach shot to the green a stern test.

With the approach shot, the player must hit a “classic pitch to a touchy green” that is surrounded by peril. As Dan Jenkins wrote, “The green is far back in a shaded setting, and is embraced front, right and back by the Baffling Brook. The longer the golfer studies his club selection for a high, biting pitch that must carry the creek, the stones and the wall in front of the green, the wider and deeper the brook becomes. There is hardly any shot that will do except the perfect one.” A perfectly struck shot will prevail over one of the multiple hole locations often nestled in “nooks and crannies that could raise goose bumps in a submarine.”

Seitz described the 11th hole as having “concealed fangs.” Yes, it is a hole that can quickly jump up and bite you. At the same time, the 11th hole is one that deserves reverence, respect and accuracy. Everyone takes pleasure in making a par 4 on a such a historic hole.

Hole No. 12

“Short Treachery”

The 12th hole is most “interesting” in that it is another example of the direction-and-distance, risk-and-reward dilemma that faces the golfer. Another short par 4, the 12th hole yields a good score with a favorable drive and an accessible hole location. However, a poorly positioned tee shot and a challenging hole placement on the far right side of the green can easily result in a double-bogey 6. Adding to the challenge is that the green is not visible from the tee, one of such eight holes (first, second, fourth, eighth, 10th, 12th, 14th, and 18th) on the course.

Despite a generous landing area, the 12th hole does not encourage a driver to be hit for the tee shot. A shorter, more conservative drive may find the level landing area but challenges the golfer with a long, demanding approach shot; a longer tee shot that results in a shorter approach tests a player’s nerves, as it must come to rest below the hole. Anywhere else, the golfer risks three-putting a green that falls off sharply from rear to front, and is the fastest and most steeply sloped green on the course. The extremely deep front-right bunker guards two-thirds of the green, while a wayward shot into the left greenside bunker makes it virtually impossible to get up and down in two. The ideal play is a knuckleball shot with little spin to avoid rolling the ball back off the green or into the front bunker. Ben Hogan in 1950 actually hit a pitch-and-run 4-iron for his approach shot of 135 yards, and made a birdie 3 and par 4 in the first two rounds.

A sleeper hole, the 12th is a remarkable design that requires a well-positioned tee shot and an even more delicately placed approach shot to a green that will test the best of putters. Any lapse in concentration will surely frustrate the player who expects to play well in this section of Merion’s Comedy.

Hole No. 12

“Beguilingly Simple”

Due to its short length, the 13th is psychologically an easy hole. The approach shot is a wedge or maybe a 9-iron. That is part of the challenge at Merion – too often, the player faces a shot that is not only between clubs, but also between his ears. Any indecision over length leads to an uneasiness of the psyche.

The tee shot should be hit deep into the back of the green with spin to pull the ball back below the hole location. The shot must be precise, as bunkers surround the entire green. The front bunker is big, bold and menacing. However, the back bunker is worse for it is not visible from the tee, and any bunker shot must be delicately played to slide the ball down the slippery slope of the green. Hit it long on No. 13, and the player is dead – bogey or even double-bogey is likely.

The bowl-shaped green lures the player into thinking par is a given, and birdie is a real possibility. However, a subtle swale runs through the middle of the green, which makes reading putts very difficult. The putting surface offers virtually no flat putts. As a result, the number of birdies on this hole is far less than expected.

Over the years the most dramatic change has been a natural one – the increasing lip on the huge front bunker caused by sand being thrown up from bunker shots. Originally, the lip on the front bunker was only chest high (see the inset photo). Nowadays, it is over 10 feet high! This intimidating lip now conceals the majority of the green, which makes the hole location and depth of the green very difficult to determine. In addition, any approach that barely carries over the bunker may hit the downside of the lip and careen to the back or over the green.

What should be a simple pitch for many may become a guided and tentative swing for most. Since the 13th hole is set in its own small amphitheater, the wind causes havoc that may only be sensed by the leaves on the tops of the trees. A par 3 is an acceptable score. Anything worse, and the player feels he has let one get away, let alone put him in a bad frame of mind to confront the final five holes.

The Tragedy

There may not exist in golf a more demanding finish than the final five holes at Merion – The Tragedy! Robert Sommers understood this challenge when he wrote, “Merion’s finish is among the strongest anywhere.” A firmer warning came from Jerry Tarde when he noted, “The Final Five are long and arduous, often evoking incidents of tragic proportions.” One of Merion’s great features is the excellent routing of the holes that are so “skillfully and thoughtfully set into the natural terrain.” Their shape and length endlessly push the player to vary his shot from one hole to the next. That is one of the reasons why “each of its holes is an individual entity.”

This is so evident with holes 14 and 15. After playing seven relatively short, shot-making holes during the Comedy section of the course, the pace of the round dramatically changes. The golfer begins the famed “back five” by having to draw the ball off the tee on 14, and then fade the drive on 15, while being challenged with out of bounds along the left side on both holes. Advantage, Merion.

The “back five” finishes with three holes played over the quarry, which inflicts fear and anxiety on the player. One missed shot that finds the quarry floor can be disastrous. This added pressure, along with the demanding length of the holes and the natural fatigue late in the round, plays into Merion’s hands, as she demands that the player hit a strong tee shot most often toward her worst trouble to gain the best advantage and angle. “Hitting precise and accurate tee shots are essential,” wrote Sommers. “Placement of the first shot is essential in playing of the second. Iron play to the greens must be precise, for seldom is the player confronted by a more varied assortment of greens.” Advantage, Merion – game over!

As one makes the final walk along the 18th fairway, Merion reminds the player of her classic beauty, her subtle architectural design and the timeless tradition she offers. Let’s walk those “back five” holes in more detail, and appreciate why so many leave Merion humbled by ... The Tragedy!

Hole No. 14

“An Underrated Test”

The 14th hole is classic Merion in that the more the player risks hitting toward trouble, the greater the reward. Standing on the tee, which points directly to the deep bunker on the front right of the fairway, the player faces a dogleg left, uphill par 4 with a fairway landing area that slopes to the right toward the string of fairway bunkers and the roadway boundary on the left that is “a strong psychological hazard.” This shape of the hole actually reduces in half the effective landing area of the fairway. As a result, 14 is a great driving hole, especially when the fairways are hard and running.

Like so often at Merion, a strategy must be chosen as to how to play the tee shot: be aggressive and hit a big drive up into the neck of the fairway; play a right-to-left draw with a short to medium iron to follow the shape of the hole; or play a shorter, more conservative tee shot to a fairway that slopes to the right and leaves a demanding long iron or fairway metal to the green.

The uphill approach shot is very deceptive, since the putting surface is partially obscured. The white sand in the right and back bunkers guarding the green are not visible from the fairway, there is no natural backdrop behind the green to help the player’s depth perception and only a portion of the wicker basket can be seen from the fairway. As a result, the player must rely on feel to execute the proper approach shot.

The green is big, deceptively undulating, well bunkered and treacherous, especially if the ball is above or even with the hole. Due to the subtle slope from back to front, the speed of the green is very difficult to judge, and the grain of the putting surface plays many unnoticed tricks on the ball. Beyond speed, the green also has a swale separating the majority of the surface, which compounds the difficulty of any long approach putt.

The 14th is an underrated test that is more often appreciated after someone has played Merion more than a few times. Because of its routing sequence, 14 is a critical swing hole, as it sets up the finish of the round. A bogey or worse makes the climb up the remaining holes even more demanding, while a par or better energizes the player onward.

Hole No. 15

“On the Edge”

The 15th hole is the last reasonable chance a player has to make a move on the course. As a relatively short par 4, the hole is a classic risk/reward temptation. It is a precise driving hole where the tee points the player toward out of bounds. The closer the player is willing to hit his ball up the left side of the fairway, the better the angle for the approach shot to the green. The best strategy is to shape a drive left to right that starts at the mailbox on Golf House Road and follows the natural lines of the hole. The alternative is a more aggressive tee shot over the directional bunker, and up toward the narrowing neck of the fairway. Distance and direction on such a shot are critical, as too long a drive may travel through the fairway. Worst yet, too far left may ruin your day, as Deane Beman in the 1966 U.S. Amateur and Tom Watson in the 1981 U.S. Open can both attest. A tee shot too far left winds up in the front lawn of a neighboring home across the road and out of bounds.

The hole location on the 15th hole dictates the approach shot, which is into a very diabolical green. Beyond anything else, the approach shot must end up below the hole. Any result equal to or beyond the hole leaves the player an extremely fast, downhill putt that tends to gain speed as it rolls. More disastrous is an aggressive approach shot over the green that leaves the player with an impossible downhill chip and a certain bogey or more. Today’s mowing techniques and equipment enable the speed of the greens to be much faster than Wilson had originally conceived possible. Whereas many years ago the slower greens allowed for numerous hole locations, the severe slope of the green with modern-day agronomy and conditioning limit the number of hole locations. While the high-handicapper prays for an accessible hole location, the experienced player agonizes over a far right hole location protected by the large and imposing greenside bunker. However, too cautious a play away from this deep bunker may find the very well positioned bunkers to the left of the green from which an up-and-down is virtually impossible.

The risk/reward challenge and the thoughtful strategy required at the 15th hole represent the brilliant architectural design features that make Merion great. Wilson designed everything on this hole, and at Merion, for a purpose. Advantage, Merion.

Hole No. 16

“The Quarry Hole”

The 16th hole is “the beginning of what may be the most exacting finish in golf.” Gary Galyean’s book “The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes,” which selected Merion’s 16th as the single-best 16th hole by number in the world, offered this image: “From a slim, elevated tee, the 428-yard 16th drops down into a valley.

Approximately 300 hundred yards from the tee, the broad fairway ends abruptly at an old limestone quarry. The terrain in the quarry is hellish: gaping maws of sand, waist-high broom, impenetrable rough. Fifty feet above the pit is the slippery lower shelf of the giant green…. A heroic hole with penal consequences for the foolhardy, Merion’s 16th invites attack but offers a detour around the quarry …Taking the direct route over requires skill and courage, not to mention a great drive.”

From the fairway an approach shot, one that must be “bold and true,” may be terrifying, as the quarry and the hill on the right present “bare ledges of rock that stare at the player with mocking eyes of stone. Between the ledges, the path of the straight player is over sand and mounds.” If a solid approach is hit, it must be precise to find the very small landing area on the green where a ball will stop. Any shot missing this small landing area will either roll back to the front of the green, or jump off the putting surface and roll to the heavy rough and mounds behind the green.

The two-tiered green, “full of challenging rolls,” is one of the toughest to read on the course. The result of blasting off the top of a hill, the green is large but plays smaller due to its design. The experienced player knows that the grain of the green runs from front to back.

Golf architect A. W. Tillinghast once wrote, “The old quarry, which is traversed by the last three holes, is a wonderfully effective natural hazard and makes these holes a fine finish. The 16th is a corker … it is a real gem … if your drive is a good one, before you stretches the old quarry, its clifflike sides frowning forbiddingly. Just beyond, and sparkling like an emerald, is the green, calling for a shot that is brave and true. It seems almost like a coy but flirtatious maiden with mocking eyes flashing at you from over her fan, and as you measure the distance between, you are fired with ambition to show off a bit … No one will ever play Merion without taking away the memory of No. 16.”

Hole No. 17

“Infernal Abyss”

As the longest and most difficult par 3, the 17th hole punishes transgressions. “Looking down at the green,” Jerry Tarde once wrote, “a golfer is supposed to realize what the abandoned soul feels in the hereafter.”

The 1916 U.S. Amateur Championship program offered this description: “The terraced green is not too large, and, being well trapped, presents a most difficult problem to the man who is not especially accurate with wood or long iron. … there is a mental hazard presented by the excavation yawning in front of the tee. To the nervous chap who is all even on this hole, with only two more to play, this great chasm gaping at his feet ought to strike him somewhat like the unfathomable abyss ….”

Club selection is dictated by the wind, which is very difficult to judge. The U.S. and Merion flags hanging on the flagpole by the 18th green may help, but the 17th hole is back in a chute that manipulates the breezes. The player can either hit a high, soft fade or a low draw that runs up the false front of the green. Unlike the majority of holes on the course, the player may be better long than short of the green, due to the easier chip shot from that position, which can take better advantage of the contour of the green that helps to funnel the ball to selected hole locations.

The green is surrounded by deep, protective bunkers that actually are a player’s friend in scooping up errant shots that may otherwise find the deep rough. As golf writer Mike Stachura noted, “Even the green isn’t a safe spot on the demanding 17th hole.” Due to the false front that swallows many a near-perfect shot, the ball must carry all the way to the green, as few balls will successfully roll up onto the putting surface. Once on the green, the player will have difficulty finding a straight and level putt, due to the creative design and contour of the green. By any measure, the 17th hole requires a precise tee shot over the “infernal abyss,” a creative pitch if the green is missed, a confident putter to master the slippery green, a level of imagination to triumph over Wilson’s design, and a little luck. Only that combination will yield a good score on a great hole.

Hole No. 18

“A Long Way Home”

On June 10, 1950, one shot and one photograph immortalized “one magical, mystical moment” in the history of the game of golf. That moment was the famous Ben Hogan 1-iron shot from the 18th fairway at Merion in the final round of the 1950 U.S. Open. (That photo, taken by Hy Peskin, can be found on page 40).

In 1916, an unknown writer crafted the following image of the 18th hole: “If the effect of the quarry was not sufficient to terrorize the player on the preceding hole, it ought to finish the job on the last one. … Any topped ball (from the tee) has less chance than a snowball at the equator. Down at the bottom of the gulf is picturesque rough, warranted to increase the superfluous character of the player’s language. The awfulness of this hazard is that it will come along just when the competitor’s nerves will be worn to a frazzle, for a match that goes to this hole is a nerve-strainer of the worst kind, especially when a national title hangs upon the play.”

Angles and lines are misleading on this closing hole. While the player believes the best line is at the green, a tee shot over the quarry to the right of the club’s flagpole to a blind landing area is the preferred play. The conservative or shorter hitter may drive his ball to the flatter landing area on the fairway where Hogan positioned himself. The aggressive player may strike a long right-to-left draw to catch the slope of the fairway that leaves a hanging downhill lie for a second shot into the green.

The roller-coaster green is very large and provides numerous hole locations. The great Byron Nelson considered the 18th one of the toughest holes he had ever played, and was in awe of Hogan’s ability to stop a 1-iron on such a challenging, hump-backed green. Since the contour of the green and its grain run from the front to the back, the surface is least receptive to long iron or fairway wood approach shots. Only a precisely hit shot to a small landing area just onto the front of the green will have any hope of remaining on the putting surface. Too short, and the ball will roll down the hill fronting the green; too long, and the ball will run off the green into the deep protective rough. Simply stated, par on the 18th hole is a great score.

Beyond its historic magnitude, the 18th hole, as Jerry Tarde once proclaimed, “is arguably the best finishing hole” in golf.