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"IF YOU LIKE GOLF"
bi-weekly online golf column
by
Chris Dortch
September 20, 2005
Once again The Honors Course proved a worthy venue for a major
golf tournament.
Last week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur was an unqualified success, save the
championship match, which was neither exciting nor good for the
hometown hero, Carlton Forrester, who was sent packing early 10
and 9.
The Honors is a perfect match play venue, especially as matches
head toward the clubhouse. I made it a point to watch as many
matches as I could from No. 15 on, and I wasn’t disappointed.
On
15, the lake that surrounds the left side of the fairway and the
green always looms large, and provides scant margin of effort for
players who, at that stage of a match, are always looking to make
something happen. Get too aggressive and you’ll pay a steep price,
or you pull off a great shot and gain momentum to carry into the
home holes.
No. 16, the par-3 surrounded by water, is also a testing hole that
demands a precise tee shot—if you want to risk it. Far more often,
the Mid-Amateur players were aiming to the middle of the green and
taking their chances with a 40-foot putt.
I
love reachable par-5 holes, especially when they come late in a
round where they have a chance to make an impact. Such is the case
at No. 17 at The Honors. The hole didn’t yield many eagles, but it
did allow for some easy birdies, and it also proved it had some
bite when players got too aggressive trying to cut the left corner
on the drive, or forcing a lengthy second shot onto the putting
surface.
No. 18 isn’t the best hole at The Honors, but it’s a strong
finishing hole that last week demanded a perfect iron shot if the
players wanedt to hit the ball close. More times than not,
approaches that looked good in the air skipped to the back of the
green, leaving monstrous birdie putts.
The USGA obviously loves The Honors and vice versa. The Mid-Am was
the third significant USGA event played in Ooltewah, following the
1991 U.S. Amateur and the 1994 Curtis Cup.
I
remain puzzled that the USGA hasn’t honored long-time benefactor
Jack Lupton, The Honors Course chairman, by granting his
long-standing wish to bring the Walker Cup to Chattanooga.
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The course that co-hosted stroke-play qualifying with The Honors,
Black Creek, is also a USGA favorite. Look for it to stay on the
rotation for USGA Tournaments. It wouldn’t be surprising to see
Black Creek play host to the U.S. boys junior amateur, perhaps in
the latter part of the decade.
In
the meantime, Black Creek will continue to be a busy tournament
venue. In 2006, the club plays host for a fourth straight season
to the Nationwide Tour’s Chattanooga Classic. And the Tennessee
Amateur will make its first appearance in Chattanooga since 1999
(The Honors) when it comes to Black Creek.
Black Creek held up its end of the bargain as a worthy venue for
the Mid-Amateur. Save a 64 shot in qualifying by eventual winner,
a 66 by Brendan Hester and a 67 shot by qualifying medalist Darin
Newhouse, the course held its own. Obviously, Black Creek can play
tough when it needs to.
“We could set it up that way,” said greens superintendent Scott
Wicker last week, “but we want our members to have fun.”
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It
was good to see Andrew Black rewarded for his play in USGA events
this summer. He’ll represent Tennessee, along with its two best
amateurs of the last 15 years, Danny Green and Tim Jackson, in
next week’s USGA Men’s State Team Championships.
Green and Jackson, who have played in more than 20 USGA events
apiece and are former U.S. Mid-Amateur winners, led Team Tennessee
to a victory (along with former Vanderbilt All-American Brandt
Snedker) in 2003.
Black, who played in the U.S. Amateur, Public Links and
Mid-Amateur this summer, is fourth in the 2005 Tennessee Amateur
of the Year point standings, behind Jackson (328), Green (313) and
UTC player Bryce Ledford. Ledford’s duties with the Mocs, who play
in the Cardinal Intercollegiate in Louisville, Ky., next week,
would have kept him from playing with Team Tennessee, so Black,
who is still planning to turn pro this fall, steps into the slot.
Playing in a fourth USGA Tournament in a single season will be a
perfect capper for Black’s amateur career.
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