We have a collection of announcements from the USGA to catch everyone up on: awards, venues, and championship details.
First and foremost, storied and historic Pine Valley will host the 2044 Walker Cup. I know it’s 20 years in the future (well 19 to be exact…) but beg borrow or steal to get there. Fabled Pine Valley opening its doors to the general public is not to be missed. Neither is the annual late-September finals of the Crump Cup, the great amateur match play event held over Pine Valley. From the announcement:
“The venerable Pine Valley Golf Club, in Pine Hill, N.J., will host its fourth USGA championship, having previously hosted the 1936 and 1985 Walker Cup Matches. The renowned venue will also host the 2034 Curtis Cup Match. “We are committed to bringing our championships to the finest golf courses in the country,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer. “To have Pine Valley as the host site of this prestigious event will not only produce memorable competition but also reinforce the stature of amateur golf worldwide.” Pine Valley, which began construction in 1913 and was completed in 1922, was designed by George Arthur Crump, who died in 1918. For his one and only design, Crump consulted experienced architects such as Harry Colt, A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, Hugh Wilson, George C. Thomas Jr. and Walter Travis to conceptualize the course, which from the beginning has been widely considered some of the greatest golf course architecture in America. Captained by Francis Ouimet, the USA Team won the 1936 Walker Cup Match at Pine Valley in dominant fashion, blanking their Great Britain & Ireland opponents, 9-0. The USA claimed the 1985 Match by a narrow 13-11 margin, with a team featuring playing captain Jay Sigel and future PGA Tour winners Davis Love III, Scott Verplank and Duffy Waldorf. The 50th Match will be played later this year at the Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif., on Sept. 6-7. The Match is a 10-man amateur team competition contested over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches. The USA leads the overall series that began in 1922, 39-9-1, but it has been tremendously competitive over the last three decades, with the USA holding just an 11-7 advantage since 1989.”
Next, Sunriver Resort in Oregon will serve as the host site for four future USGA championships, beginning with the 2027 and 2028 U.S. Adaptive Opens. The 2031 U.S. Mid-Amateur and 2036 U.S. Junior Amateur will also be conducted at the glimmering central Oregon facility. From the press release:
The 2027 U.S. Adaptive Open at Sunriver will be the third USGA championship conducted at the property. The resort previously hosted the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, won by Annie Thurman, and the 2007 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, won by Anna Shultz. “We’re thrilled to have the USGA return to Sunriver Resort for multiple championships over the next 11 years,” said Josh Willis, VP of Operations at Sunriver Resort. “Set in a world-class setting, both the Meadows and Crosswater courses offer thrilling and challenging play that will make for dynamic championships. We look forward to welcoming these top competitors to our courses and resort.” Regarded as a top scenic golf destination in America, Sunriver Resort features four golf courses – Meadows, Crosswater, Woodlands and Caldera Links. The Adaptive Open will be played on the Meadows Course, designed by John Fought, while the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur will be conducted on the Crosswater Course, with Meadows serving as the stroke play co-host. Crosswater was designed by Bob Cupp.”
Crosswater is also regarded as one of the country’s hardest and most penal layouts, boasting a whopping 76.9 and a bloated 150 slope. Nearly every hole features a water hazard.
Finally for today, in a most well-deserved honor, Mike Kaiser, the developer behind Bandon Dunes Resort, Sand Valley, and now projects from Nova Scotia to Florida and beyond, will win the USGA’s highest annual honor, the Bob Jones Award. From the article:
He would build and open Bandon Dunes on the Oregon Coast, expanding that signature property into a world-renowned destination resort with seven distinct courses. Other golf properties in Wisconsin, Canada, the Caribbean and Australia followed. Keiser’s indelible mark on the American golf landscape changed the trajectory of modern course design and travel, driven by his love of links golf and a minimalist approach shaped by land, dunes and sea. An innovator, visionary, conservationist and philanthropist, he has channeled his love for golf into a legacy designed for the recreational golfer, intended to inspire and spark new ways of drawing people to the game. “There’s a need for great but accessible courses,” said Keiser, who partners with golf architects who bring his philosophy to life through golf experiences that are walkable, natural and open. “If you build something pretty special, you want the public to play it.”
Keiser even resurrected the Lido Golf Club, an Alister Mackenzie design on the shores of Long Island lost to the mists of time. His genius created legends.
