East Lake

East Lake Golf - Atlanta - reopens 23rd September 2008 East Lake Golf Club reopens for The Tour Championship from Coca-Cola GCSAA Certified Golf Course Superintendent Ralph Kepple reopens East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for The Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola, Sept. 25-28. A year-long renovation began immediately after last year's event that is highlighted by replacing the bentgrass greens with MiniVerde bermudagrass. "This year the first week of June in Atlanta was miserable - upper 90s in the day, mid-70s at night," said Kepple, who has been the superintendent at East Lake for 16 years. "It was more of a July/August type week. A lot of golf courses were already seeing some suffering in their bentgrass greens. I almost felt guilty since I was growing in bermuda, and it was perfect weather for me. All of the construction went extremely well. The changes to the course are great. I think the greens are going to be a home run." In preparation for the 1963 Ryder Cup, East Lake became one of the first, if not the first, golf courses in Atlanta to install bentgrass putting greens. With the installation of bermudagrass greens, the club has come full circle. In addition to the greens renovation, the green on No. 7 was pushed back 43 yards and reconfigured, the fairway and green on No. 17 were moved left to be closer to East Lake's shoreline, new tees were added on No. 13 and 15 and the back tee on No. 6 was expanded to be used for all four rounds. Rees Jones served as architect for the renovation. New fairway bunkers were added on the left side of holes No. 3, 7 and 16, and to the right side of No. 15. Bunkers were reconfigured on the green at No. 16 and expanded on the right side of the green on No. 14, as well as the left side of No. 4 green. New hole locations were created on various greens and low-cut, roll-off areas were installed off of greens on holes No. 2, 3, 7, 8 and 10. For the Tour Championship, the golf course will be a par-70 layout of 7,300 yards. "I think the course looks and plays great," said PGA Tour player Stewart Cink, who is from the Atlanta area. "Golf course superintendent Ralph Kepple and architect Rees Jones have done a wonderful job on the renovations. The players should really enjoy the challenge. Last year, it was unfortunate that the extreme heat and drought hit the Atlanta region because the course was in perfect shape until Mother Nature's impact was felt about a month out. I thought Ralph and his staff did a remarkable job getting the course to the level of playability that we had. With the switch to bermudagrass on the greens, the heat should not be a factor. The greens roll great and will only get better as they mature." East Lake switched to MiniVerde, an ultradwarf bermudagrass, because it is better suited for Georgia's hot summers. It provides an excellent putting surface with fine leaf blades, short internodes and high shoot density. MiniVerde produces deep roots and is quick to recover from cultural practices, allowing a tight, fast and consistent putting surface. Kepple expects the greens to measure 12 feet on the stimpmeter for the championship. "This year with new greens and the bermudagrass, and just being new right now — they're going to be extremely firm," said Kepple, a 26-year GCSAA member who holds an agronomy degree from Ohio State. "I anticipate that not only is it going to be a big difference here this year, but all of the FedExCup events coming into this are being played on bentgrass greens in August and September. So I would expect those courses to have a certain level of softness, just because of a limited root system at that time of year. The same thing we ran into last year — not as bad I'm sure — but that's just typical this time of year. It's hard to maintain a good, dense root system in September. So they're going to come through those first three events on greens that will receive shots pretty well, and then they're going to come here and these greens are going to be very, very firm." In 2007, when the championship moved up almost two months in the Tour's schedule from late October or early November in years past to mid-September for the inaugural FedExCup finale, there was not enough time for the bentgrass greens to adequately recover from Atlanta's hottest summer on record and a drought as well. Twenty-eight of 31 days in August 2007 were above 90 degrees and 10 days were above 100 degrees. The average high for the month was 96.5, nearly 10 degrees higher than the normal average for August and the average low for the month was 75.2, more than five degrees higher than the normal average for August (which is what was the most challenging because soil temperatures are cumulative and without being able to cool off during the night, the soil temp just keeps building each day with that kind of heat). Only three days the entire month were cloudy and direct sunlight also increases soil temperatures. Georgia's drought continues today as the state has restricted East Lake's water use 35 percent. GCSAA's Georgia chapter has been working with state government to ease water restrictions for the golf industry and assist golf courses to employ best management practices for responsible water use. For more on Kepple's preparations, read GCM Senior Associate Editor Seth Jones' Q&A with Kepple, "Man on a mission," in the September 2008 edition of GCSAA's monthly magazine. The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America is a leading golf organization and has as its focus golf course management. Since 1926, GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the United States and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to more than 21,000 members in more than 72 countries. GCSAA's mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. The association's philanthropic organization, The Environmental Institute for Golf, works to strengthen the compatibility of golf with the natural environment through research grants, support for education programs and outreach efforts. From: Worldgolf

East Lake, Atlanta Athletic Club, Cypress Point and Olympic Club - four different ways to make golf very special by Javier PIntos During the last two months I had the chance during two trips to the USA to experience four private and very exclusive golf courses. All four are steeped in golf history and have hosted major events in the past. On April 1st, my friend Gastón Morgan and I had the chance to play both Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands) and East Lake in one day after a 10-hour flight from Buenos Aires. It was one of the most special golf days I have ever had, playing two venues that are very special and also very different from each other. On May 19th, after two long flights from Buenos Aires to San Francisco, I drove directly to the first tee at Cypress Point to play it for the second time (first in 2011) with my friend Lucas Raznoznik and on May 20th we played the Olympic Club (Lake) which was a true test with an added bonus of playing the Cliffs course after lunch, which made for another very special golf day. The purpose of this article is not to review of each course, which I have done separately here at Top 100 Golf Courses (click the links above if you'd like to read my reviews), but to mark the differences between these venues and how each manages to make a visit unique in four very different ways. Of course there are aspects which are shared, but the experiences are all different. The Golf Courses The two features that mark the biggest difference between golf courses around the world come from the designer and the piece of land used to construct the golf course. Then you can put the grasses used to cover the surfaces, the landscaping and the climate in the region. Finally, but no less important, the maintenance, the type of sand, bunkers shaping and attention to detail where you will see the difference between very good venues and those you know are different from the rest. During these two trips I was able to see four very different courses and all of them have their own greatness. East Lake was the first I played in a 36-hole day during April. It is a true classic, a parkland with some great level chances and very challenging holes for an amateur. Greens are not big but they are firm and very fast, with the grain of the grass marking a huge difference... when it is in your direction (very fast putts) or against you (super slow ones). I had some situations where it was really impossible to leave it close to the hole... on the par five 15th I three putted from 8 feet without hitting a bad stroke. There are many tee shots which require power but there are also many where skill is much more important as you will need to fade or draw the ball to get a good angle to the pin. Missing greens often makes it very tough to have a chance of an up and down due to speed and slopes. But the course is fair and true, nothing is hidden and on a good day you can match your handicap. What's great about East Lake is that it's very playable for bogey golfers; the only forced carry is on the par three 6th, but it's a short iron even from the tips. As it's a regular PGA Tour venue (The Tour Championship) you visit familiar places and even try to replicate some shots. Unfortunately I could not try the Bill Haas recovery at the 17th because when they played the water level was 6 feet lower due to the dry summer that season. What is great about Bill's shot is that from where he was he could not see the higher part of the flag. After lunch we drove 20 miles to arrive just before our tee time at Atlanta Athletic Club and play the Highlands Course (host of the 2011 PGA Championship won by Keegan Bradley). So close to East Lake and yet so different. The Club has two courses, Riverside and Highlands, which despite being laid out over similar ground they are very different from each other. Even the front and back nines are very different on the Highlands course. The first nine is flatter and straighter with fewer doglegged tee shots and where almost always you see the green from the tee. But in my case I found it harder to score on the front side, finding holes 1, 8 and 9 the tougher holes. In my opinion, the back nine is better and more enjoyable to play, starting with two great par fours, with 11 a downhill dogleg left where the more you risk with the simpler the approach. Despite being tired on the back nine, I played really well hitting all nine GIRs but couldn’t score lower than even par as the greens were fast and with deep slopes, which sometimes made it very tough to get close with the first putt. We played the 6,900-yard tees and it was wet with drives only rolling a couple of yards. It was a monster. The pros played it from 7,600 yards in 2011, they play a totally different game. The par three 15th was where Dufner found the water and tripled, I managed to hit a 210-yard 4 iron to 25 feet but had a very hard job to get down in two putts. It is one of the toughest par threes I have ever played, but the forced carry needed on the 17th is also hard as a mishit shot will always end wet. We played the 18th as a 520-yard par five... from the same tee the pros played it as a par four. If I have to compare these first two courses, I have to say that for a scratch golfer they are both resistant to scoring, but for a bogey golfer East Lake is much more playable and enjoyable. At AAC a bad round for a bogey golfer can turn into really high numbers and common to both is that you need to be really good with the short game around the green. It's maybe the biggest challenge. Cypress Point… evokes the Wow! It was my second visit here and my only regret was not being able to enjoy more pre-game time as I arrived just in time to tee off after only hitting a couple of putts. This 6,700-yard classic course is a design jewel, as it has been untouched since it was created and remains just as it was. There are many aspects that make it unique: the quality and challenge of the greens, the variety in the design of the holes, the challenge and risk/reward situations (5, 8, 9, 16 being the more remarkable ones). It's true that if you look back down the hole from the greens, you won't see a single bunker (this camouflage technique was learned by MacKenzie during the war). I don’t wish to describe every single hole but I'll just mention some shots that are worthy. The second shot at the par five 5th hole is maybe one of the most engaging, but if you don't have a good lie you can’t go for it. The tee shot on 8th is where you can attempt to cut the dogleg - it's one of the most clear risk/reward situations I have played. Then on the 9th tee you feel that you have to go for it but a miss can be a disaster. Finally the 16th needs a carry of 220 yards to remain dry. Some people, including Tom Doak, think the 18th is a bad hole. In my opinion it's one of the greatest closing holes where you need two solid shots and a hot putter not to card a bogey. It is true that if they decide to change it and play it close to the 16th it could be a better hole, but as it is I love it! The course will never change, it is the playground of its members, it is a place where you play fast and where walking is one of the most enjoyable parts of the round. But if you can’t putt you will not score because the greens are the toughest challenge on this course. Not only that, holes 15, 16 and 17 are maybe the best trio of consecutive golf holes in the world. For bogey golfers it's another course that they will enjoy (the member who hosted us couldn't drive it further than 200 yards and his only lay up was at the 16th where he couldn’t carry the water and he made a very easy bogey!). The Olympic Club Lake Course is markedly different from the first three. From the opening hole to the last it shows it's a US Open venue. The rough wasn't as long as for the Open, but it was tough enough and the greens were running at 12 feet on the stimpmeter. A round of golf here is a true scoring challenge and every missed shot will be punished. But with no water and no forced carries, it is another course where a bogey player who can putt will have a very enjoyable day. It was not the best of the four courses, but there are some elements that are really charming. From the elevated tee on the par three 3rd hole you can see the Golden Gate in the distance, then there's the uphill par three 8th hole which heads to the clubhouse... it's one of the loveliest spots on the course. The par five 16th is a monster and the tee shot on the 18th is maybe the nicest shot you will hit on the course. The greens are big, very tough to read, fast and sloping, but they are true. Some tee shots require skill to draw or fade the ball to flight it to the correct spot. I scored very similarly on the four courses, but some weeks later I feel that it was the Olympic Lake course that really tested me; every missed shot punished me - I missed 6 GIR and could not get up and down. I even doubled holes 1 and 12 from beside the green. If I was asked to select one of these four courses to play tomorrow there are two possible answers: If I want a nice enjoyable walk, I'd choose Cypress Point, but if I want to test my game the choice will always be the Olympic. There are reasons that would make me choose East Lake (the clubhouse and staff hospitality) or Atlanta (the back nine for match play is really great). But ultimately I'd always choose the No.1 course in the World! The Pro Shops The pro shop is the place where visitors get their souvenirs and memories from their visit to these venues. There's a very big difference between Cypress Point and the other three pro shops. Cypress has a very nice but small shop where you can buy the typical stuff (shirts, sweaters, hats, club covers, pitch markers, cap pins, etc.) but where the two things I like most (pin flags and bag tags) are not available. The other three courses have much larger shops, with a wider variety of souvenirs and memories you be purchased. It is not that Cypress has no stuff, the shop is smaller because the course sees less rounds played than the other three. However, one interesting thing I brought from Cypress was the book “The Match”, which is a mandatory read after you have played the course. The two courses, Atlanta and Olympic, used to have a lot of corporate play and outings, which is why I think they are bigger and offer wider variety. Naturally I bought many things from every one! The Clubhouse Again Cypress is different to the other three. The first thing is that if you're not with a member, you cannot use the bar, grill and clubhouse, just the locker room (in 2011 I had an unaccompanied foursome, we left immediately after the game and pro shop purchases). The member who hosted us this time had to leave quickly, so we had just a short opportunity to walk around the clubhouse. I have to say the terrace facing the 16th hole is the best I've seen, no argument. Olympic’s clubhouse is immense, maybe necessary to host its 1000+ members. There are lots of spots where you see memories, pictures, scorecards and more from past US Opens. Atlanta Athletic is like a mix between a resort course and private clubhouse, big and with places where memorabilia from past tournaments is kept. The clubhouse at East Lake is something really special where you will find the memories of Bobby Jones everywhere. One of the most special things I found is the scorecard of the final golf round of his life. As a guest of a member you are allowed everywhere and the club staff proudly tell stories about the history of the club. It is a tough choice, but my favourite is between the simplicity of Cypress Point and the museum style of East Lake, both are very enjoyable to visit after the round of golf. The Locker Rooms All four were nice but I would say the only one not reaching "special" was Atlanta Athletic. I will say that East Lake, where I used Rory McIlroy’s locker, was my favourite. Cypress is small but the pictures shown there are pure history and display how extraordinary the course is, whereas Olympic is huge, with memories of past events everywhere. My small suggestion is that if you are invited to any private club you always take a look at the locker room.. History and Past Events Cypress Point has hosted the AT&T National ProAm in the past, but unfortunately for those who don’t know the course it is not likely to return here. It is the member’s playground and they just like to share it with their friends and guests. Of course pros will be allowed during the week of the ProAm. Caddies here are excellent and always have a story, Andy Bean being -7 at the 11th tee and scoring 80 is my favourite! If you are lucky enough to play here, you simply have to buy and read “The Match”. It's one of the best golf books I've ever read. For the Olympic Club you have to study their US Open stories and you'll learn much. My caddie showed me a lot of spots where historic shots were played, but the bush that buried Jim Furyk’s chances in 2012 is the most notorious as the tee shot was akin to a 24 handicap golfer rather than a pro! East Lake will always be special and holds a deep history related to Bobby Jones, but hosting The Tour Championship for a number of years has provided a lot of background on the current Tour Players and being able to use their lockers is the nicest touch. When playing the course you have to go to the 17th where Bill Haas played that dramatic hazard shot. From where he was you won’t be able to see the top of the flag! Atlanta Athletic hosted a wonderful 2011 PGA Championship and there is a lot of information about it and also about Bobby Jones, along with other past events. There are rooms specially dedicated to history and I always like to spend some time finding out what happened there. But remember that this course plays really tough and from the very back tees it's a monster. By Javier Pintos javier@wegolf.com.ar www.wegolf.com.ar

All claws – no pause! Tiger Woods claims 1st win since 2013 by M. James Ward ATLANTA, GA. When the American squad was ready to battle against an International squad last September for the President's Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, NJ, the figure of Tiger Woods was present – in body. Not as a player but as an assistant captain. The future of Woods at that time went beyond whether Tiger was coming back as a competitor to if he was going to be able to do so. Keep in mind; this is the same person who was only given permission by his doctors to practice chips and putts in August 2017 after going through spinal fusion surgery earlier that same year. His own words stated that there might be a scenario in which he would never return to competitive golf. Woods emphasized how his quality of life – the wherewithal to play with his two children – was more important than anything else. Fast-forward to Sunday's thrilling win at The Tour Championship, his first in over 5 years, 1,857 days to be exact since winning the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. His 269 total provided a two-shot victory over runner-up Billy Horschel and garnered his 80th victory. It also marked a clear comeback from the series of surgeries – four in total – that Woods has endured over the years. The emotions of the moment were clearly out in force with large galleries shouting "Tiger, Tiger, Tiger." Woods was equally moved, admitting when walking towards the 18th green that tears welled up in his eyes. To give this some perspective in December of 2017 Tiger was ranked 1,173 in the world. He has not won a major event since 2008 at the US Open at Torrey Pines or a PGA Tour event since 2013. This is the same person who was arrested for a DUI (driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol) in 2017 and upon deeper review the toxicology reports indicated Woods "had five different drugs in this system." The police photo showing a disheveled Woods led many to believe that his golf record would be linked to his past with no real future happening. The greater concern, which Woods articulated was being able to walk and function normally rather than playing world championship golf again. The victory in Atlanta moves Woods to 13th in the world rankings and his impact was clearly a tsunami on the golfing stage. Tiger was not his vintage self during the final round at East Lake, scoring a one-over-par 71, but he played solid enough golf for victory never to be in doubt. Whereas his two closest competitors, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy, both failed to do anything of note scoring 73 and 74 respectively. The lone bright spot was Rose claiming the FedEx Cup title with a final hole birdie and the $10 million prize. McIlroy's failure did not have a silver lining. Paired with Woods, his idol when growing up in Northern Ireland, Rory once again faded in a crucial final round. While not as disappointing as his meltdown this past April against Patrick Reed at The Masters, the question marks are starting to reach critical mass for Rory. For Woods, winning wire-to-wire over the 30 best players from the PGA Tour was a clear statement that he is rapidly moving back into the position he occupied for so many years prior to his personal issues and injury struggles. Returning to The Tour Championship for the first time since 2013, Woods played top tier golf in the first round with a five-under-par 65 capped by a 27-foot putt for eagle on the 18th hole. Unlike the earlier FedEx Cup Playoff venues were birdies were coming fast and furious, East Lake proved to be a formidable layout. The dense Bermuda rough made it imperative that tees shots consistently find the fairways. The demanding venue clearly aided Woods in building his lead to three shots entering the final round. Amazingly, as the year started, few could even remotely contemplate Woods would be a member of the USA Ryder Cup team and that his play would nearly result in a major championship title – both at The Open at Carnoustie where he held the outright lead after the 10th hole during the final round and at the PGA Championship at Bellerive where he finished outright 2nd and concluded play with a personal best major championship final round 64 before succumbing to eventual winner Brooks Koepka. In recent years the golf cognoscenti had weighed in opining Woods inability to control his driver and display his renowned putting prowess would likely never return to anything close to his prime playing days. While Woods still hits the occasional stray tee shot, the overwhelming percentage has improved dramatically. And his famed putting stroke was spot on during all the key moments at East Lake. Woods is now ranked 13th in the world and heading to next week's Ryder Cup Matches in Paris clearly provides a wave of positive momentum. There is no question Woods wants to have Team USA win for the first time on foreign soil since 1993. Keep in mind, Woods wishes to redeem himself from his hard to figure mediocre record of 13-17-3 in the event. Tiger turns 43 at the end of this year. After winning his last major at 32 when claiming his 3rd US Open, it appeared inevitable Woods would eventually surpass the gold standard record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus. While that record looks safe, it is now more than fair to say that barring serious injury Woods is clearly able to add to that total and that could happen as soon as the 2019 Masters. The golfer who won 14 majors by age 32 is no longer present. However, underestimating Woods has been something many have done. The future is never certain in golf but the Woods of today has shown real grit and deep down tenacity. The claws are sharp and the eye of the Tiger is once again keen for the competitive scene that he has long relished. Tiger has now stoked the public and media's appetite for the next chapter to happen. Given the journey he has faced, the road from Liberty National a year ago to where he is now is nothing short of brilliant. No one in the sport moves the needle like he does. The ending chapters, which seemed etched in stone with his golf obituary, can now be seen as utterly premature. Many of today's young stars had only heard of the Tiger who relentlessly stalks his prey. While the young stars acknowledged the greatness of Tiger it was more out of respect to the past than present. Clearly they are now turning their heads and looking back over their shoulders anxiously witnessing the kind of pressure Tiger can bring to bear when his game is on form. East Lake provided the launching pad – being satisfied is not within Tiger’s DNA. All claws – no pause. That is the Tiger mantra and he’s most certainly out of the "Woods." The world of golf has long missed such triumphs and wondered if they would ever be seen again. Welcome back indeed. Photos courtesy of the PGA TOUR