Best time to play a Tour setup Course

well the monday after is the best... problems is, most private CC are closed on mondays. AND THE ones who hold events are usually closed over 2-3 weeks prior and for a while after to "repair" the course. The let rough go long, and cut fairways short and the greens get all beat up b/c they are so short and fast. So it takes a while to recover.

At Firestone South, the course starts to get ready 2+ months before, the grandstands go up (platforms) and everything. Then the course limits south play a month prior then shuts it down completely. I theink a lot of clubs do this

Now Stonewater, Nationwide stop in Cleveland, is shut down a week before, the range is shut down over a month before (bullxxxx) but the course was open the monday after.... with the same pins, and it was very hard! I shoot in the mid 70's there and it was very hard after. The avg score was 72 something... pins were very hard to get to, greens were over 12, and the course was wet!

Interesting. Here in DC they always pay the members back for hosting a tournament and the downtime that ensues by leaving the course set up exactly as it was on Sunday and opening it for play to members only on Monday. There's definite competition for those monday tee times though. Congressional, RTJ, etc...

Monday after, def., the hole positions are usually the same and the course is hard and fast.

Sad thing is I can't play the Monday after, so do you think the Saturday before the tournament is better than the Saturday after?

I played Mystic Rock a couple days after it opened from the 84 Lumber Classic. It ate me alive! Of course, I dont think that had much to do with the tournament. It is very cool to play amongst all of the grandstands and bleachers. Makes you kind of feel like a big shot.

Never done that. Closest I came was actually getting to play a practice round with a Nationwide Tour player and his swing coach the day before a play in tournament at a local semi-private course. Playin was for a tourny elsewhere in Virginia.

Also got to play last year at River Course in Kingsmill about a month after the Michelob Open. It was so hard especially the greens I have no clue how difficult it was setup for the ladies during the tourny. The course I normally play has the greens usually around 11.5 - 12. The River course greens were a lot faster when I played. I swear they had to be 14.

That said try to play in the practice round on wednesday if you can afford the fee or for a nationwide tourney if a member or friends with starter see if they'll let you pair up.

Sad thing is I can't play the Monday after, so do you think the Saturday before the tournament is better than the Saturday after?

I would check to make sure they will allow play the Saturday before. Many stops will not because of prep time to get ready. It really depends on the course. Some courses will leave the setup relatively unchanged to allow members to see what it is like. One exception is usually the greens. The will start repairing them pretty quickly so they don't burn. Good luck.

I have played TPC-Sawgrass on a couple of occasions just prior to the Players. My vote is after the tournament. The rough around the greens was unbelievable. The guys at the course said they would cut the rough down for the pros, but grew it high so they could get an even, consistent cut. It seemed like it was 12" high, lol. Heck, we were finding balls a few feet off the green, only because we stepped on them.

I have played Pebble and Spyglass the day before the ATT practice rounds. That's the best time to play. Pin positions don't matter, the courses are already hard enough, the greens already so difficult you can put the pin in the center of ever green and you still won't score any better. The courses are in optimum condition and they have not been trampled on by all the fans. Because of the time of year there are is not as much play either. Tee boxes and fairways are pristine. It's great fun.

I played Harding right after the AMEX and it was probably harder than the pros played it with the rough completely out of control and the greens lightning fast. A ton of people wanted to play the same course so it was crowded and the round very slow.

I've played Quail Hollow the Monday following the Wachovia. They were already busy punching the greens so it was a drag. The only neat part was that all of the gradstands were still up. In general I like Quail, but I still think it's overrated.

The best time to play a tournament course is, sunday evening immediately after the last group finishes on 18!

This was one of the cooler events I ever played in. We used to have a Nike stop at the course I grew up on (Dakota Dunes C.C.) and there was a member who's house was the social hot spot during the week of the tournament. He always had a few pro's staying with him, and would recruit other pro's to participate in a 1 club tournament, starting immediately after the final putt of the tournament was held. About 40 members would show up on the 1st tee, would split up into groups, (group size depending on how many pro's played) and would play the front nine with one club each. All the pins were pulled, but we knew where they were after watching the tournament. There was a lot of alcohol invlolved, and it took until dark to play nine holes (4 hours or so). It was a real riot, so my vote is to play a tournament course the day of the tournament!

My home course in college was Philmont CC in Philadelphia and there used to be a Nike Tour stop there. We would always blow off classes the Monday after the tournament and play the course. At that time there was not a ton of active member play so getting out was not a problem. Course played at least 5 shots harder with the tournament set up.

We played Tanglewood (Clemmons, NC former Seniors Tour Stop) a few years in a row the week before the tournament. Course would be in great shape, scoreboards and grandstands would be in place, but it wasn't set up yet for the pros.

Really neat playing into the grandstands on 18 even without people there.

Played the TPC Deer Run a week after the John Deer Classic and the rough was still really long. The condition of the course was still nice but you could see where some of the rough was still layed over from people standing.

I'd say the best time to play a tour course would be on Sunday afternoon, the week of the tournament. :drinks:

Colonial in Fort Worth allows play all the way up until the Sunday before the tournament. In the past, the course was open the Monday after but that has changed in recent years. Now the course is closed until the following weekend to allow for recovery, particularly the greens.

I would say the course plays 3-5 strokes tougher in June than it does during the tournament in May. The PGA mandates the rough be cut which takes a great deal of the bite out of this relatively short course.

The rough is cut to about 3 inches during tournament play. In June, after typically heavy rains, the bermuda grows up very thick and can get up to 7 inches deep. Hitting one out of the fairway becomes a very stiff penalty.

The PGA likes low scores. With a USGA type set-up, I don't scoring would be much below par.

I've played Warwick Hills a couple days after the Buick Open and it was great. Granted this course isn't the most difficult course in the world, but you get to truly appreciate the scores these guys shoot when you play the course. The rough was around 6 in. high and the greens were even faster than they were than the last time i played it in the summer. The only "problem" with playing a course afterwards is the trampled grass areas from the spectators and walkways across the fairways. But other than that, it's fantastic.

Also got to play last year at River Course in Kingsmill about a month after the Michelob Open. It was so hard especially the greens I have no clue how difficult it was setup for the ladies during the tourny. The course I normally play has the greens usually around 11.5 - 12. The River course greens were a lot faster when I played. I swear they had to be 14.

I make it a point to play the River Course 1-2 weeks prior to the ladies every year. The rough isn't THAT long (they keep it shorter for the ladies than guys) and the greens and tee boxes are always in perfect shape. The greens are always fast, but I'm not sure they're 14. :-)