Thursday, June 07, 2001
River's Bend par-5s await Tiger test
Palmer course could challenge the best
By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Rain washed out Arnold Palmer's chance Wednesday to play the Tournament Players Club at River's Bend, but it didn't stop usfrom getting a sneak preview of what the general public can see Aug.6 when the TPC plays host to the U.S. Amateur Qualifier.
Palmer, who designed River's Bend, is not engaging in self-serving hyperbole when he says, “The set of par-5s are ... (as) good as any par-5s on any golf course in the world.”
Having just toured Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village Golf Club outside Columbus during the Memorial Tournament last weekend, we can say that, as a group, River's Bend's par-5s are every bit as good as those at Muirfield, which Golf Digest last month rated as the country's 17th-best course.
The difference between the par-5s at River's Bend and Muirfield is, Tiger Woods hasn't yet hit a 2-iron 249 yards stiff to the pin for eagle to bury an opponent at River's Bend, as he did last weekend to Paul Azinger on No.5 at the 26th Memorial.
In golf, nothing shines a spotlight as brightly as a superstar on top of his game doing something spectacular. River's Bend's par-5s are a stage waiting for a performance. On a professional level, that will occur officially in 2002, when the Kroger Senior Classic moves to River's Bend from the Golf Center at Kings Island.
There also will be a pro-am at River's Bend the week of the Kroger Senior Classic in September.
“These holes offer the (risk-reward) challenge that par-5s can offer — although the way Tiger Woods is playing, I'm not sure I'm right,” said Palmer, noting that Woods was 14 under par on Memorial's four par-5s during the four-day tournament.
“But when you give players the opportunity to get home in two, and if they miss, the penalty is pretty severe,” that's a good test of what constitutes a potentially great par-5, Palmer said.
No.13 at Augusta National comes immediately to mind.
Here is a description of River's Bend's four par-5s:
• No.6 — 568 yards. Generous landing area, fairway bunker on right, leads to a second shot between bunkers on left and trees on right. Can go for it in two, but fairway narrows and slants left to right toward the creek and trees. If you get caught up in the grass mounds on left side of green, you can be stymied.
• No.8 — 503 yards. Many golfers' favorite hole here. Again, a spacious fairway, but woods along entire right side, bunkers on left. And left of those bunkers is a ravine that also crosses in front of the green. Bunkers on three sides of green.
• No.11 — 537 yards. Bunkers on right on drive. Challenging second shot over ravine. Golfers must be leery of rocks on right of fairway and trees that overhang and protect the fairway and green.
• No.18 — 544 yards. Great finishing hole. Uphill into prevailing wind. Must stay left. Drive must carry large ravine and stream that funnels into Little Miami River. Bunkers (and ravine) on right. Big hitter who's trailing could go for it in two and be putting for eagle but must be able to hit high, long, cut shot past oak tree protecting green. Come off that shot, and your ball is headed for death by double bogey in trees to right.
Of all the par-5s, No.18 would provide Woods the greatest test. But there is no way to Tiger-proof a par-5 against a player of Woods' length and accuracy without making it a par-6, Palmer said.
The only way to guarantee the sanctity of any of the par-5s, be they old or new, is to put some enforceable guidelines into place regarding the ball, Palmer said.
“If I were to issue a challenge, it would be for the rules' bodies to control the (length) of the ball a little bit better,” Palmer said.
Ed Seay, whom Palmer describes as his “boss” at Palmer Design Group, said the company's focus in designing any course or hole is to provide variety.
“Hopefully, whatever shot you're hitting, you haven't seen that target before,” Seay said. “We wanted to provide 18 different holes, 18 different looks. What's so difficult about par-5s is the perception of excitement that you can birdie or eagle it. But let me tell you: You could shut down 17 of the 18 holes at (the TPC at Sawgrass) and leave that No.17, the par-3 island hole, and you'll have just as many people coming out to watch that dude.
“Anything that visually gives you a challenge — that it's awesome, without its being intimidating — is what you're after. We have that here. The land worked in our favor.”
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River's Bend par-5s await Tiger test
