An Open Act

Championship At Winged Foot Will Showcase Varying Rough Heights
March 31, 2006

Far Hills, N.J. -

Far Hills, N.J. -- For anyone who attended or competed in the 2004 U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck , N.Y. , the West Course might appear to be unchanged. And, in a sense, A.W. Tillinghast 's masterpiece won't play all that different for the 2006 U.S. Open (June 15-18).

At 7,264 yards (par 70), the West Course will actually play 2 yards shorter than it did two years ago. The green speeds will be virtually the same as will many of the fairway widths. Essentially, the Amateur was every bit the challenge USGA officials wanted in preparation for the '06 Open.

USGA officials envision the first cut of the primary rough at Winged Foot to be between 3 to 4 inches, with the secondary cut growing at least as high as 6 inches. (John Mummert/USGA)

But there will be one fundamental aesthetic difference when the 156 competitors arrive on site: the primary rough heights won't be consistent. In a break from past practice, the USGA has decided to employ varying primary rough heights, depending on the hole and its yardage.

For instance, the short par-4 sixth hole (321 yards), which is drivable by some of today's longest hitters, likely will have thicker rough in the drive zone and around the green than, say, the 514-yard ninth hole, the longest par 4 on the course.

Longer par 4s are likely to possess less penal rough than shorter par 4s or par 5s.

Each hole also will have two distinct cuts for the primary rough. In layman's terms, a shot that barely trickles into the primary rough won't be as severely punish as one that misses the fairway by 15 yards. Essentially, the USGA is matching the penalty with the crime. The farther offline a player goes, the more severe the penalty.

To accomplish this, the spectator ropes will be widened just a bit to permit offline shots to find the thicker rough instead of areas that have been trampled down by foot traffic.

Fairways will average 26 yards in width, followed by a 6-foot area for the intermediate cut (1½ inches in height). The first primary cut will be some 24 feet before the secondary primary cut comes into play. Look for the first primary cut to be between 3-4 inches, with the secondary cut growing at least 6 inches.

"Within 44 or so yards you have a chance to hit the ball or have a shot to the green," said Mike Davis , the USGA's senior director of Rules and competition. "If you can't keep it within that area, you won't, and shouldn't, have much of a shot.

If all goes according to plan, look for this philosophy to be used at the U.S. Women's Open at Newport (R.I.) Country Club (June 29-July 2) and at future U.S. Opens, U.S. Women's Opens and U.S. Senior Opens, if course conditions favor such a setup.

One other change to this year's setup is the use of multiple teeing grounds. These will be used at two holes, the par-3 third and the par-5 12th. Winged Foot constructed a new teeing ground following the 2004 Amateur that can extend the hole to 243 yards. The USGA will use that tee once, probably in Saturday's third round. Normally, the hole plays 216 yards. In the 1959 Open, eventual champion Billy Casper laid up all four days and still managed to make four pars.

The 12th hole, the second-longest par 5 in Open history at 640 yards, will be shortened for at least one round. USGA officials plan to move the tee up to 560-570 yards to see if some of the longer hitters might gamble and try to reach the green in two shots over a large stand of trees.

"I really don't think we are going to make [the hole] any easier," says Davis . "It's going to make them think more and add a little excitement."

David Shefter is a staff writer for the USGA. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.