 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| A bird's-eye view of Merion's East Course from the early days. (USGA Museum) |
By Wayne S. Morrison
Playing along the old golf grounds of Merion Golf Club's East Course, one cannot escape the sense that it is a uniquely enjoyable golf experience. Can one analyze the assembled components, which together manifest the overall experience? With the veil of mystery set aside, does the solution to the puzzle lessen the quality of the experience? In analyzing the architectural underpinnings of the Merion East golf course, it is the opposite which occurs. There is born of such an understanding a greater appreciation of the component parts assembled into a greater whole. So what are some of these component parts which add up to the architectural achievement we experience today?
Natural Aesthetic
Superintendents hope that golfers walk off the last green thinking to themselves that they've played the perfect golf course. For most players that means monochromatic greens and fairways with a lush green color and rough that is uniform and fair. Such uniformity is unheard of in nature and, of course, golf is not a game of fair. Matt Shaffer, director of golf course operations, shares his thoughts:
“American golf has moved dramatically away from what I like to call edginess. Perhaps it is because everyone is concerned with the way the course will look on TV. Merion is edgy and we will not look perfect on TV nor would we want to be perceived that way! Our roughs will be blotchy because we have 10 different varieties of grasses out there, not one perfectly homogenous variety that every single shot will play the same. We do have grain in our greens because we purposely chose the old stoleniferous varieties. Our bunkers are to be feared not because they are a better option than our rough, just because they are what they are A HAZARD! Will they be perfectly level—they better not be! Our tees aren’t level, our fairways have grain going in every single direction. Is this because Matt Shaffer made it this way? Of course not. GOD made Merion the way it is—less than perfect!”
Golf in America was firmly rooted in the last two decades of the 19th century. The theory and practice of golf architecture would probably surprise many golfers today. There were few, if any, strategic demands. It was hard enough for beginning golfers to get the ball airborne with hickory clubs and gutta percha golf balls.
Many golf clubs began as riding and polo clubs, so the resemblance of features on the courses to steeplechase obstacles is not surprising.
In an era without steam power or combustion engines, many early American golf courses utilized man-made features which were rather simple, often geometric in design. Consider the raised bunker within a green at Huntingdon Valley Country Club and the zigzag hazard at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Natural Green Sites
Hugh Wilson and his committee were determined to produce a different inland golf course. They selected green sites that lie naturally on the ground or permitted the manufactured greens to tie in naturally with their surroundings. The result is a sense of harmony with the surrounds not evidenced at other courses of that era. The original first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th and 18th greens all lie naturally on the ground. The third was placed on top of the foundation of a Pennsylvania bank barn, benched against a hillside. The original 10th green was a significant departure from the other natural green sites. The green itself was built several feet above the surrounding grade and a large 15-foot berm was built and tied into the back of the green.
The 15th green was built up at the back, but care was taken to blend in the green to its surrounds so that only a trained eye would detect the manufactured green site. The front of the 16th green had a ridge which was blasted to create the opening for the green, which is slightly built up in the back in order to accept long approach shots. The area encompassing the short fairway fronting the 17th green was altered long before the golf course was built to create an access road for removing rock from the quarry.
Bunkers
Prior to Merion's East Course, many American bunkers were flat bottoms of sand with grass-faced slopes bordering the greens. Wilson and Flynn designed bunkers with contoured floors with the sand flashed high on the slopes, especially fairway bunkers facing the golfers and on greenside faces. Golf architect Ron Prichard considers Merion's bunkers the iconic American bunker design with a variety of natural appearances tied into their surrounds and with sand high on the faces. Wilson and Flynn believed bunkers should be visible so as to register on the player's mind as he plays his shot. A concealed bunker loses such value, even though the golfer may play the course regularly.
Alan Wilson, Hugh Wilson's older brother, wrote about the enduring quality of Merion's bunkers in a 1926 review of the beginnings of Merion's East Course:
“I think the secret is that it is eternally sound; it is not bunkered to catch weak shots but to encourage fine ones, yet if a man indulges in bad play he is quite sure to find himself paying the penalty.”
Hugh Wilson and his committee had an alternative model for golf course design and development that allowed the bunkering scheme to be amended over time after observing play over the course. There were few fairway bunkers at the outset; however, the course was modified and improved upon over the next 22 years.
Flynn wrote a series of articles for the USGA Green Section in 1927 relating his views on golf design. Flynn wrote,
"The best looking bunkers are those that are gouged out of faces or slopes, particularly when the slope faces the player. They are much more effective in that they stand out like sentinels beckoning the player to come on or keep to the right or left.”
When considering Merion's bunkers and greens, take a look at the innovative ways surface drainage was employed throughout the course. Wrote Flynn,
“A very important consideration in the design of bunkers is to make each one surface drain. In flat country this consideration can be secured by building them above the surface of the surrounding terrain…
Bunkers: All mounds or bunkers adjacent to greens must be built in conjunction with green construction and be properly drained either by surface or tile.
Fairway bunkers other than those shown on the plan may be built or designated by the architect and drainage shall be taken care of by surface or tile.
Bunkers should be designed and built so as to keep surrounding surface water from running into them and to let what water falls in them drain off naturally. Nothing interferes more seriously with the game than water in a bunker, and tile drain, while correcting the condition to a certain extent, does not permit the water to drain off rapidly enough to overcome this situation. Outlining the bunkers emphasizes the architect’s ideas and gives the course the character which he has planned for.”
Sand is not naturally found in southeastern Pennsylvania, yet the East Course bunkers were made to appear sculpted by wind and water erosion. Hugh Wilson wrote an unpublished section for his article in the book “Turf for Golf Courses,” describing his preference on bunkers.
“The question of bunkers is a big one and we believe the very best school for study is along the seacoast among the sand dunes. Here one may study the different formations and obtain many ideas for bunkers. We have tried to make them natural and fit them into the landscape.”
Neither Wilson or Flynn believed in the penal placement of bunkers on a golf course. They were placed in locations to invoke strategy and decision making so that the golfer is tested in his decision making and physical execution while playing the course. Wrote Flynn:
“While bunkers are thought by many to be put in as penalizers they are primarily installed to present a problem or a mode of play. If bunkers were used merely to punish bad shots there would have to be a complete revision of them on most courses.
The worst shots in golf are generally bad tops and wide hooks or slices and the player generally has sufficient penalty in these weaknesses, particularly when greens are properly protected.”
Wilson and Flynn placed the bunkers on the East Course in such a manner as to direct strategy and test specific shot selections where topography or other natural features alone could not. While the bunker scheme remains unchanged since 1934, there have been a host of significant changes regarding balls, clubs and the power and skill of today's golfers. Yet no bunker is out of place or without meaning. Wilson and Flynn carefully considered the location of the bunkers while anticipating the future of golf. Some bunkers, like the cross bunker on the first hole, are more important today as they are in play if a driver is used and also for the second shot played from the rough. For many decades the bunker only came into play after a misplayed first or second shot. Modern redesign work often includes moving bunkers down the line of play because the existing bunker scheme had become obsolete. Recent redesign work at a number of championship courses include pinching fairways by moving fairway bunkers inward. The East Course did not have to resort to such remodels. The course continues to withstand the test of time, remaining the championship course it was intended to be.
Lay of the Land Holes
The East Course was constructed in 1911, an era when earth moving was difficult to accomplish, especially in the mid-body of the holes, between tee and green. As a result, a number of Merion's original holes had little-to-no construction between the tees and greens. Over time, additional fairway bunkers were put in place, increasing the amount of man-made features on the course. Half of the original holes, including the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, 13th, 14th and 18th holes, had few architectural features added to complement the natural lay of the land.
The fifth hole is one of the finest natural landform holes in golf as the topography itself presents significant strategic demands. The 504-yard par 4 generally plays into the wind and slightly uphill from landing area to green. Yet there is a slight depression in the fairway approximately 50 yards short of the green, which creates a perception that the green appears closer than the actual distance. The wise golfer takes proper care to consider how to play the hole and is sure to leave his approach below the hole.
The fairway cants right to left toward the stream, which runs the entire length of the hole. A tee shot challenging the left side of the fairway is rewarded with a level lie and a preferred approach shot angle into the severe right-to-left sloped green. A left-to-right shot is preferred from the left fairway, but a straight shot with the right trajectory hit to the right half of the green generally leaves a putt for birdie. Conservative drives which steer clear of the left hazard result in a stance with the ball significantly above one's feet with the green sloped away from the line of play. From the right side of the fairway or rough, the golfer must determine the proper approach angle and shot trajectory so as to feed the ball onto the green with just enough pace that it remains on the green. Due to the firm and fast maintenance practices, a precise approach shot is required to clear the bunker short and right of the green on a line which feeds the ball onto the green and not leave an approach above the green. An alternative shot test is one where the right-handed golfer executes a fade off of a draw lie in order to hold the green. Clearly there is much to consider along with difficult shot demands.
There is a small ridge at the front of the green which feeds short approaches off the front left of the green. The internal features include subtle plateaus and contours on the severely canted green allowing multiple hole positions despite the percentage of slope. The numerous hole positions require a variety of approach angles and trajectories. Two bunkers were placed along the left edge of the fairway between 225 and 250 yards off the tee for the 1934 U.S. Open. A new 504-yard tee was constructed for the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championship, making a very difficult hole even more of a challenge.
Fairways
Five holes have significant fairway cants, requiring the golfer to shape his shot to hold the fairway or take a precise line off the tee to ensure that a second shot is not played from the difficult rough. On holes four through seven, there is a strong right-to-left slope. The 12th hole has a significant left-to-right slope. There are precious few flat lies found in the fairways of Merion’s East Course.
Several holes have fairways with significant rolls offering the chance of a forward kick on some shots smartly played off downslopes. Approach shots that are played off the back side of the ridge short of the 18th green may provide enough forward impetus to feed onto the green. Other holes with these sort of turbo-boost opportunities include the par-5 fourth on both the tee shot and second shot and the tee shots on the seventh, eighth and 11th holes.
Making the course seem to play longer than its card length are the number of tee shots that are played into upslopes, thus limiting roll and obscuring the playing ground beyond the upslopes. When the up-slopes precede a depression and then rise to a green or landing area there is a resulting misperception of distance and lack of visibility. Tee shot landing zones on up-slopes include the second, sixth, 10th, 12th, 14th and 15th holes.
Offset Fairways and Offset Greens
Early American golf architecture primarily consisted of straight fairways with lateral and central hazards. The principal requirement for the golfer was to hit the ball straight ahead an appropriate distance based on the hazards presented. Offset fairways, found on occasion in the United Kingdom (17th at Nairn; seventh and 10th at Royal Troon; the second shot on the third and the 10th at Prestwick; the 15th and 17th at Muirfield; the second and 11th at North Berwick; the eighth at Rye; the 11th at Sunningdale Old, etc.) were rarely seen in America. Merion East presented five fairways offset from the tee direction, including holes four, five, six, 15 and 16.
Not only is the golfer presented with a test of length, but of direction off the tee as well.
The famous Road Hole, the 17th on the Old Course at St. Andrews, has the most widely recognizable offset green. Offset greens combined with effective bunkering dictate ideal approach angles into greens, varying with different hole positions. Merion has 10 greens with varying degrees of offset, including, the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, ninth, 10th, 12th, 14th and 15th holes.
A back-left hole position on the 10th hole requires that the tee shot be played down the right side of the fairway, far enough to open the angle into the hole position. Tee shots that are short or to the left side of the fairway or rough result in a difficult approach angle over a deep bunker to a small target area.
Tee Misdirection
The prudent golfer will be sure to consider the orientation of teeing grounds at Merion East. A number of tees point in the least desirable direction. The first hole tee is oriented toward the left rough beyond the left fairway bunkers; the third tee toward the large and menacing right bunker well below the green surface; the fourth tee is oriented toward the right rough; the seventh tee points toward the out-of-bounds fence; the 11th tee is directed toward the right rough; the 14th tee aims the golfer toward the right fairway bunkers; the 15th tee is oriented to the out of bounds left of the fairway and the 18th tee directs the golfer toward the trees (and the parking lot) to the left of the fairway.
Routing
A glance at the scorecard shows the East Course with an unbalanced par of 70: 36 on the front nine (the only two par-5 holes on the course are the second and fourth) and a par of 34 on the back nine. Yet as unconventional as the routing progression may be, it is a procession of holes that create a marvelous rhythm and flow to the round.
The boundary of the course changes from the right side at the start, to the left side, and then a quarry intervenes on the final three holes.
Jerry Tarde, Golf Digest editor, likened the hole progression at Merion to a three-act play. The first act, Drama, opens with a short, but difficult, dogleg right with 13 bunkers. For many years Merion, like most classic-era courses, did not have a practice range, so the opener was a bit of a relief, though trouble awaits wayward tee and approach shots. The next five holes are long and demanding. The middle act, Comedy, consists of seven short holes, averaging no more than 300 yards, where, according, to Merion member Steve Ryan, “scores invariably exceed expectations.” The third act, Tragedy, is arguably one of the most difficult, yet finest, finishing stretches in the world of golf.
Most club golf in Great Britain and Ireland is played as alternate-shot match play, or foursomes. Usually the stronger player plays the harder of the odd or even holes. The East Course does not afford such strategy. As nature would have it, all the par 3s are odd holes and most of the long, difficult driving holes are even holes. While all stroke-play tournament players can attest to the difficulty of the course, it is an ideal match-play course as well. The high-risk shots at Merion are associated with high rewards so the aggressive golfer who is able to execute the shot has a distinct advantage over an opponent playing safely. However, if the risky shot is not executed properly, the scoring spectrum expands greatly. There are many wrong places around Merion including some spots in the fairway and on the green. A lot of "others" are made when the golfer fails to figure out the ideal way to play the hole or is unable to meet the shot test required.
Angles and Diagonals
In order to understand the proper play at Merion, it is essential to grasp the concept of angles and diagonals. Merion's design asks the player to select a line of play on the tee shot to position himself for the best approach angle to the green and a chance at birdie or an avoidance of a three-putt. We discussed the offset fairways and greens, which dictate play from the tee as a chess grandmaster plots his strategy a number of moves in advance.
Scott Nye, Merion's golf professional, writes, “Merion has always proved to be a difficult challenge for championship golf and the Walker Cup will be much the same. In my opinion, the genius of the design lies in the premium on positioning your shots both off the tee and into the greens. As the saying goes “there are no straight lines at Merion” – the players must select the appropriate club (driver, fairway wood, long iron or hybrid) off the tee in order to gain the best possible angle for the approach. The players must then hit an approach to the green(s) that will give them a level or uphill putt. The downhill putts that are straight or have movement will always test a player at Merion.
The other factor that will provide a significant challenge for all players will be the short shots around the green. The rough will be up, and if the greens are fast the players will have to work extremely hard to chip or pitch the ball close to the hole.
Lastly, the player that has enough courage to hit close to the trouble off the tee will find the approach shots much easier to the greens. An example that comes to mind is the fifth hole. The closer one keeps it to hazard on the left, the easier the shot.”
Let us now consider the diagonals found on the greens and greenside bunkers. The use of diagonals on greens requires an understanding of the extra carry distance from the short end of the diagonal to the longer end. A bunker placed along the diagonal puts a high premium on proper club selection. When the top line of the bunker is manipulated in a way so as to appear perpendicular to the line of play and not on a diagonal, the designer asks the golfer to overcome the perceptual miscue and play the known shot value.
Merion East has eight greens that exhibit the design practice of play over a diagonal portion of a green. Four holes (third, 12th, 13th and 15th) have the diagonal along the right side of the green and four holes (second, sixth, ninth and 14th) have the diagonal on the left side. In the case of the 14th hole, a bunker constructed during the remodeling of the green for the 1934 U.S. Open was removed so the diagonal is no longer strengthened by an interceding bunker.
Consider the diagonal along the right side of the 12th green. A hole location in the back right of the green requires a carry of one or two additional clubs to avoid coming up short of the green. Additionally, the depth of the right greenside bunker makes for a difficult recovery shot.
The diagonal is not apparent from some approach positions, especially along the right side of the fairway.
False Fronts
Six greens at Merion East contain false fronts – steep fall-offs from back to front. The false fronts are found on the sixth, seventh, 10th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes. False fronts dictate that the approach shot carries all the way to the green above the false front or, where possible, a ground approach shot utilizing the runup over the false front onto the green.
The massive false fronts on the 16th and 17th greens are reminiscent of the Valley of Sin feature fronting the 18th green on the Old Course at St. Andrews.
The hash marks fronting the sixth green indicate the green was raised above the fairway grade. The hash marks in the bunkers show a steep face from bunker floor to topline. The front of the green is sloped down to the fairway. With the recent tee lengthening, the hole plays 487 yards, so that longer hitters can fly their approach shots onto the green while shorter hitters can run the ball early onto the green over the generous opening to the green.
