"IF YOU LIKE GOLF"
weekly online golf column
by
Chris Dortch

July 1, 2003

When the PGA Tour first introduced the concept of a developmental tour several years ago, no one could have predicted then how well it’s worked.

Today, 57 percent of all players on the tour played on the Hogan, Nike, Buy.com or Nationwide (its current incarnation) tours. Clearly, the junior circuit (don’t call it a minor league) has done its part in helping young professionals hone their games. But it’s also served a dual purpose—giving established pros who might have lost their tour cards another place to play. And the Nationwide is also a place where pros in their late 40s can keep their games sharp while biding time until their 50^th birthday and the Champions Tour.

When the Chattanooga Classic begins play at Black Creek on July 31, the field will feature a good mix of aspiring youngsters and seasoned pros. Already, the likes of Russ Cochran, Willie Wood and Dave Rummels, all former winners on the PGA Tour, have committed. Several touring pros have fond memories of Chattanooga, which last played host to the PGA Tour’s Chattanooga-Hamilton County Classic in 1992.

"I was talking to Dave Rummels the other day and he said he’d never forget Chattanooga," said Sam Woolwine, the former Times-Free Press sports editor who is the Classic’s executive director. "He shot a 61 at Valleybrook, which at the time was his low round on the tour."

Woolwine, speaking at a media day for the tournament on Monday, said he doesn’t have a complete list of the Chattanooga field, but he expects several of the Nationwide Tour’s top money winners to be here. Tour officials have raved about Black Creek, which has proven to be a worthy tournament venue in its short history.

"We look for a lot of birdies and some really low scores out here," said Black Creek general manager Rob Riddle. "But we think that’s a testament to our golf course. Because well-conditioned golf courses usually yield birdies."

And birdies are what the fans want to see.

"Anybody can make a double-bogey; I can do that easily," Woolwine said. "Golf fans want to see what they can’t do that easily. These players are good on this tour. A lot of people consider it the second-best tour in the world."

The level of play has elevated to the point that the PGA Tour has had to increase the number of players who can earn a promotion to the regular circuit by virtue of their finish on the money list. Previously, the top 15 money winners at the end of the Nationwide season earned their tour cards. Now, the top 20 money winners will advance.

Tickets for the tournament went on sale last month, and prices are reasonable. For just $25, a golf fan can buy a week-long pass that includes the pro-am. One-day tickets are $10. Tickets are available at all area Bi-Lo stores.

BEAR TRACE UPDATE: If you haven’t heard already, the Bear Trace at Harrison Bay will be closing next week (July 7) for some much-needed repair work on its greens. Actually, to call this a repair job doesn’t quite cover what’s going to happen, but neither will the project be a total reconstruction.

Instead, Bear Trace management decided the best solution for the greens, which have been plagued by summertime heat since the course opened, is to change the grass. Gone is the bent grass that couldn’t stand up to the conditions, and in comes Champions Bermuda, a grass that is growing in popularity, especially in climates like Chattanooga, the "transition zone" where extremes of winter and summer are possible.

Bear Trace’s problems with its greens are the result of many unfortunate circumstances, some dating back to the course’s construction. Some contend that the drainage systems below the greens were poorly constructed. Others believe that, because Bear Trace is surrounded by Harrison Bay, the high humidity plays havoc with bent grass. The course is also surrounded by trees that block air flow to the greens. The shape of the greens has also been blamed. Without much slope or contour, they simply don’t drain well.

Whatever the reason for the failure of bent grass as a putting surface at Bear Trace, Ron Bargatze says there is one important reason to forget the problem and concentrate on the solution.

"Our main focus is to give our players a good putting surface," Bargatze said.

Without a doubt, trying Champion Bermuda rather than totally rebuilding the greens makes good economic sense. But saving close to a million dollars wasn’t the primary reason behind the switch from bent. Bear Trace’s management company believes the new bermuda will make a great putting surface. Consulting greens superintendent Joe Kennedy, who oversees the Legends Club courses and the Little Course at Aspen Grove near Nashville, is sold on the concept. The Little Course also serves as a turfgrass laboratory, and Kennedy has seen Champion Bermuda thrive.

Other courses around the state have had tremendous success with the grass. Valleybrook is the notable example close to home. "We’ve been very happy with the greens," said club manager Wes Gilliland. "Very happy."

The greens at Valleybrook weren’t built with subsurface drainage systems, so if Champion worked there, it’ll work at Bear Trace. It has at several West Tennessee courses, including Memphis Country Club, Germantown Country Club and Shallow Falls.

"We think this is the solution," Bargatze said. "Harrison Bay is such a beautiful, terrific layout. The routing and beauty and setup of the holes are as good as anywhere. But people have got to have good greens to putt on."

The project will keep Bear Trace closed until Sept. 1, but golfers will return to a vastly improved course. Bunkers have been rebuilt, bermuda sprigged into the rough areas (where fescue failed miserably) and new irrigation and drainage systems have been put in place.

The result will be a much more playable course, winter or summer.

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