Senior Open Spotlight: The Broadmoor East Course
Story By: Jordan Mason
Source: KOAA
197 day(s) ago
We’re getting close. The U.S. Senior Open at the Broadmoor begins July 31.
We already know about the big names that will be there, like Greg Norman, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, and Hale Irwin. But what about the actual course? What's the appeal and what are the challenges?
In the fourth “Senior Open Spotlight,” we introduce you to the Broadmoor East Course.
This is the Broadmoor East Course. It’s one of the crown jewels of the West. This is how golf was meant to be played.
“The East kind of grows on you,” says Fred Dickman, Broadmoor Director of Golf Course Maintenance. “Especially with the greens, every time you play it, it's better.”
In fact, Golf Digest awarded only twelve five-star ratings to North American golf courses and the Broadmoor East Course was on the list.
It's a classic golf course, which means the architects have used the land they have to work with. That’s no surprise, considering it was originally designed in 1917 by the legend, Donald Ross.
“What makes the Broadmoor so unique is back then, very little mechanized equipment was used to take care of the course,” says Dickman.
In five weeks, the world's top senior golfers will take on some tough conditions. The rough is two-to-three inches higher than usual. The grass graduates to two-and-a-half, then, four inches. It’s tough, but not too tough.
“You don't want to make it a survival contest,” says Russ Miller, Broadmoor Director of Golf. “You can make rough so high it's impossible, and we don't want these guys to be embarrassed and walk away from here and say that was no fun at all. We want the best player of that week to be the champion.”
And then there's the greens, also known as a sheet of ice to some. Measured by what they call a stimpmeter, the East Course reads a 10.5 to eleven. Translation: really fast, but not impossible.
“If you get them much faster, then you lose hole locations,” says Miller, “and then it becomes unfair and not quite as fun and a good shot can be penalized too much.
And don't forget, the ball always breaks away from the mountain. And of course, because of the altitude, the course will play about eight-percent shorter and the ball won't get as much spin.
Look for the back nine to be the real challenge, especially holes ten through 13.
“If they're going to make birdies, they're going to have to make them on the front 9,” says Miller.
Finally, the majestic final hole, which comes right into the clubhouse.
“Coming up 18, which is a wonderful finishing hole, you have to hit the fairway off your tee shot,” says Miller. “And if it's a close race or gentleman's one shot up, you stand on that tee, it's a very visually tough shot and that's what you want. You want to test them on that last hole.”
“The guys finally feel like it will be a good golf course with good weather, a good solid test of golf without being brutal,” says 2007 U.S. Senior Open Champion Brad Bryant. “It'll be tough, which is exactly what's right for our tour.”
