Column by Anand Datla
August 12, 2015: The venue of this week’s PGA Championship is nestled deep in the countryside, tucked away in a corner of Wisconsin that is waiting to be discovered like a family jewel in a quiet corner of an ancestral home. The road to Whistling Straits is lined with corn fields on either side and as you progress through the narrow road, there is not enough you can do to prepare for the striking beauty that invades your senses.
It is a fitting stage in many ways, The PGA is an organisation that thrives on paternal instinct. And you would be hard pressed to find another venue that would celebrate golf in as inclusive a manner as Whistling Straits might. It is a course that thrives on the strength of familial bonds and its idyllic countryside location underlines the core values that make the PGA such a strong organisation.
A regal plaque, mounted on two stone pillars serves to invite visitors to this stupendous golf club. Just a few running metres beyond that post lay the course that is a strange mixture of traits. With the mighty lake Michigan in the background, it is easy to forget that this course does not tolerate any distraction.
The Bentgrass used for the fairways and greens is both lush and consistent, offering a path of steady progression for golfers that manage to remain within its narrow confines.
But a slight error and the hungry fescue and merciless sand lay in wait to crush egos in their not so tender embrace. Dangers line this beautiful course, making it certain that golfers will walk these Wisconsin woods with a degree of trepidation and respect.
Anirban Lahiri did a good job of explaining the challenges this week. “It is very important to stay on the fairways,” he said, “But unlike a links course where you could look to benefit from the bounce and roll, it is critical at these Straits to play a far more controlled game.”
“The undulating fairways could hurt golfers this week, if they cannot find the right spot to land,” he added. “If you do not control the spin on the ball, it could very quickly dissolve into the rough or sand traps that line the course. Just scoring a bogey from there could prove to be a tall order.”
The straits are indeed a sight for the eyes and soul. In reality though, the course is a beast wrapped in the skin of a beauty. Steady courage will be rewarded this week and a low double digit number could win the heavy Wanamaker trophy.
While many bunkers serve to decorate the battle field, the ones that matter are waiting to bite and bury golfers. Luck can play a part too – some of the bunkers might allow a simple rescue with a thinly wielded wedge, while other might render progress impossible, forcing the golfers to just bring it back in play with a wasted shot.
Just as well that we will have a milling crowd at every hole this week. We will need every extra eye to spot those errant drives and approaches as they sink into the vicious rough at the peripheral edges of the course. Expect more than a few golfers to look up and give the waters a longing look this week as they suffer punishment from these spectacular straits.
Two miles of uniterrupted shoreline along the Lake Michigan means that the only soothing sight on offer for errant golfers will be those serene waters that run beyond the eye can see.
Brave men though rarely lose time concerning themselves about the aesthetic nuances of this course. They will be out in force to slay it with their bare hands and a bag of golf clubs. Aided by the calm wisdom of their caddies, they will embrace rigour and discipline to walk the straight and narrow to inch closer to holding the big prize in their scarred palms.
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- In this article
- anand datla
- PGA Championships
- Whistling Straits
