TPC POTOMAC (A.K.A. TPC AT AVENEL)

THE NEW ELEVENTH AT TPC POTOMAC

I traveled out to the old TPC at Avenel last week to see the recent changes that have been made. They are now calling the place the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms. While it is a mouthful, the new name, when shortened to to TPC Potomac, is quite an improvement and so is the work that has been done to the course itself.

TPC at Avenel was a disaster. Tom Boswell, the Washington Post’s sports columnist, has over the years hammered the place for being ill conceived and poorly executed from the get go. Stories abound about the shoddy construction that left the place rife with drainage issues as well as other difficult to overcome problems. Designed by Deane Beman and Ed Sneed to be an homage to Augusta National, the place was panned by the pros from its inception. While DC supported its tour stop incredibly well, the old Kemper Open always attracted a weak field, as top pros opted out of playing a gimmicky course known for poor conditioning. (Review and slide show after the jump)

The $20 million renovation that occurred over the past two years is set to open on April 28th. (For a good review of the history of the project, see this Leonard Shapiro column from May of 2008.) As Shapiro Points out, the new design is a collaboration:

More than 20 years later, that’s pretty much what course co-designers Stephen Wenzloff and Jim Hardy have done, and not just at No. 9. Before construction began last summer, there was additional input from some of the country’s most acclaimed golf architects, including Tom Fazio, Pete Dye and bunker specialist Gil Hanse. As many as 50 players also were consulted, including budding course architect Davis Love III and Maryland native Fred Funk. Some players offered general ideas for improvement; others, such as Funk, made detailed suggestions on the architectural plans for every hole.

The end result is something to be proud of. It is very difficult to appraise a renovation of a course where  many of the issues were functional. The old course was constantly flooded by spring and summer thunderstorms. The expansion of the small stream that runs through the course into a wide, and meandering water course has been artfully done. It is aesthetically pleasing and should provide great habitat for wildlife. I assume it can handle the copious amounts of water that flow onto the course from the surrounding development. In this regard, the renovation is a considerable success.

BUNKER DETAIL

As for the rest of the renovation, I was impressed by the old school look of the place and some of the strategy that has been introduced to the course. The bunkers have jagged edges, a look made popular by the Tom Doak and Coore/Crenshaw. When done well, this style can really give a course some visual pop. When done poorly, the style just makes the course look busy and like it is trying too hard. These bunkers pretty well done with movement along both the lip and top line of the bunkers. The fescue grasses along the faces and backside of the bunkers will further give the bunkers a visual appeal.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the greens. The small to medium sized greens were filled with lots of small scale movement that should make putting challenging and fun. They did not go crazy, but the greens could not be described as boring. With that said, there is little in the way of contour that would affect strategy going back to tee.

THE MONSTER SIXTH

The changes to the actual design of the holes is more of a mixed bag. The controversial sixth, originally designed to mirror Augusta’s 13th, is now more of a straight away, monster par four.  The green is bunkered in a way that makes it so that there is no benefit for driving the ball close to the creek. This hole is flat out hard. They eliminated the gimmicky nature of the hole and created a brute that requires two good shots.

THE NEW NINTH

The new ninth is a great improvement. What was once an over-the-top, drop shot par three over water, despised by the likes of Greg Norman, is now a decent par tree playing over a valley to a green benched into the side of a hill. The changes made to hole 10-13 work well both functionally and golf wise. Ten and eleven are both very strong holes that play along and over the expanded stream. These are tough holes. I am not crazy about the new twelfth, a par three playing from ridge to ridge, although I suspect it will play better than it looks.

THE REWORKED THIRTEENTH

The new thirteenth, a short par four is big improvement over the old par five that featured a blind drive with a lurking water hazard. While reachable for long hitters, there is little chance of hitting this well protected green. I suspect most players will lay up on this hole and let it fly on the next, another drivable par four.

My main beef with the renovation is that I believe too much was done to attract a big time event and not enough attention was paid to building a course that will be enjoyable for the 800 members who call TPC Potomac their home course. While I am sure the PGA Tour hopes that Tiger will bring his event to the course in the future, there is no guarantee that this will happen and all signs are that Tiger wants to keep it at Congressional long term. There have been rumors of a Senior Major coming to TPC Potomac, but nothing definite. In the meantime, the members have a very difficult new course that has been shaped to host large galleries, often leading to features that look unnatural.

THE MONSTER SEVENTEENTH

I was most shocked by the width of the fairways. I stepped a number of them off in the landing areas and they consistently are in the 26 to 28 yard range, wide for U.S. Open play but pretty darn tight on an otherwise exacting member course. The small greens and narrow fairways should make this course very challenging for the average golfer. The seventeenth is a another monster playing 200 yards downhill, over water to a 5,000 foot green with little or no bailout. The TPC Potomac is not for the faint of heart. While I will reserve final judgment until after I play it, the course appears to be harder than its neighbor Congressional.

Overall, I was really pleased with the project. I could hardly recognize the place from when I used to tromp around it at the Kemper Open. It has a much more classic look and a much improved set of greens. The drainage issues have been addressed in an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sensitive manner. Whether the $20 million was money well spent will be determined by whether the course attracts a top notch event and whether the members like the changes. Only time will tell.

I have attached a number of other photos of the course. They were taken in early March while the course was still closed and, as you can see, they were in the process of aerifying the fairways.

[Show as slideshow]

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