PARKER — For its major championships, the PGA of America, unlike the USGA, has avoided any temptation to “trick up” a golf course. After a site visit to Colorado Golf Club on Thursday, Kerry Haigh, the PGA’s managing director for championships and primary set-up scout, reported that none of the 18 greens — or the surrounding fringes and roughs — will have to be altered for the 2010 Senior PGA Championship from May 27-30.
That’s saying something, considering that Colorado Golf Club opened for play less than three years ago.
“We always try to work with what the course architect has set,” Haigh said.
Haigh, 50, has set up PGA of America championship courses for two decades. That includes layouts for PGA Championships, Ryder Cup matches and Senior PGA Championships, which are conducted by the PGA of America (not to be confused with the PGA Tour). While some tournament officials might be a bit nervous and apprehensive about awarding a major senior championship to a new course with no track record, Haigh said it gets his juices flowing.
“With this course being new, nobody knows how it’s going to play, and that’s very interesting, very exciting,” Haigh said.
Co-designed by Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, Colorado Golf Club now plays at a whopping 7,604 yards from the back tees and will be set at about 7,500 when the senior pros arrive. That will make this the longest course in the 71-year history of the Senior PGA Championship, but very playable at its elevation of 6,100 feet, Haigh said.
In fact, Haigh predicts that many of the 50-and-older set will be able to reach three of the four par-5 holes in two shots and some likely will try to drive the green on two par-4s: the 311-yard No. 8 and 329-yard 14th.
Once on the greens, the real fun begins, Haigh said, because Crenshaw, one of the sport’s greatest putters, injected some creative complexities into the putting surfaces. Colorado Golf Club covers a rollicking terrain featuring streams, wooded hillsides and natural ravines.
“It’s going to be a great test of golf and good for TV, but that’s the way Coore and Crenshaw intended it to be,” Haigh said.
That’s not to say Haigh’s work here is done. The size of some landing areas will be reduced. And he has been in discussions with course superintendent Tony Hartsock about the challenges of getting a Colorado course in top shape before June’s warming.
“There are certain things, like aeration and top dressing, that we won’t do as much, in case there is a cold spring like this one,” Haigh said.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
