There was an early comment on whether the merits of MVGC should be listed among the top 50 courses in the world. I don't see the course as being among that upper pantheon but I still view what's presented as being very good on a number of fronts. It's important to point out that like Pete Dye was constantly fiddling with Crooked Stick in the Indianapolis area -- Jack Nicklaus has been doing similarly with MVGC.

David's comments are spot on - the nature of the golf is point-to-point precision. There are massive bunkers and the greens are both large at times and have a myriad of movements that require patience and precision with one's stroke.

MVGC represents the brawny style of modern architecture. Since The Memorial is played annually, Nicklaus has always wanted to make sure the course is up to whatever challenge comes its way. This can be seen by the various improvements made to the 18th preventing very long players from cutting the corner off at-will and thereby reducing the hole to a flip wedge approach. Now the back tee goes back to 484 yards.

Nicklaus has seen fit that every speck of turf is always at its best. There are few courses where one would swear, they cut the grass with tweezers -- MVGC is a strong candidate for consideration to be in the same rarified air as Augusta National in that regard.

If any course epitomizes the Golden Bear's design philosophy - look no further than MVGC. Hitting the ball high -- a Nicklaus trademark -- is rewarded for those who can do it again and again. The same can be said in working the ball left-to-right on a number of holes there.

To be fair -- the listing of winners of The Memorial has been a stellar listing -- with just a few notable exceptions of those who caught fire at the right moment. It's also important to stress how much television exposure has helped MVGC, and others that receive annual global viewership.

In conclusion -- I view MVGC as one of the top 100 courses in the USA but just into the second tier of 50 -- and not the lower half. The competition and range of courses vying for such inclusion has without question greatly intensified over the last 25 or so years and it's really a joy to see other courses of distinction be rightly recognized -- for example Camargo, to name just one -- that do not get any time on television and are rightly celebrated.

M. James Ward