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Opinion & Analysis

5 Tour Stops the PGA Tour is Missing

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Over the course of one season, the PGA Tour and World Golf Championships host 40 events across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. Of those 40 events, 32 happen within 21 states during the span of 12 months. See the map below for reference (click to zoom):

PGA Tour Site MapAs you can see, the majority of Tour events take place in major golf markets located in states with warmer climates (the West Coast and the South). There are a few cities across the country that the PGA Tour may want to consider when scheduling future events, however. Here’s my list of these five cities, which includes three courses in each city within a 100-mile radius of a major media market that could make sense for a Tour event.

Seattle

As golf fans saw last season, the city of Seattle loves the game of golf. The 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay provided the golfing world with a glimpse into golf in the Pacific Northwest, and local fans sold out the event months before in anticipation. Seattle houses the 12th largest TV market in the country, and is home to players such as Fred Couples and Ryan Moore.

Top Courses in Seattle Area

  • Sahalee CC (Host of 1998 PGA Championship, 2010 U.S. Senior Open, 2016 Women’s PGA Championship)
  • Chambers Bay (Host of 2015 U.S. Open)
  • Aldarra Golf Club (Fazio Design, Ranked No. 3 in Washington by Golf Digest)

Detroit 

From 1958 to 2009, Detroit hosted the Buick Open as an annual Tour stop. Winners of the event ranged from Billy Casper and Hale Irwin to Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods. For long-time golf fans, this was the home to a wonderful tournament atmosphere and one of the rowdiest holes in golf (known as the 2nd largest cocktail party outside of the Florida-Georgia football game). Home to the 11th largest TV market, Detroit would make a GREAT Tour stop during the summer months of the schedule. 

Top Courses in Detroit

  • Oakland Hills CC (Hosted 6 U.S. Opens, 3 PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup)
  • Warwick Hills CC (Former Home of the Buick Open)
  • Barton Hills CC (Donald Ross Design, Hosted U.S. Women’s Amateur)

Chicago

While the Windy City has hosted some recent majors and an occasional FedExCup Playoffs event, Chicago really does deserve to have a yearly Tour stop once again. The 3rd largest TV market in the U.S. hosted the Western Open from 1899 to 2006 (the 3rd longest active Tour event behind the British Open, and the U.S. Open), and has also hosted 14 U.S. Opens, 6 PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup. While the playoffs are a nice visit now and then, Chicago is certainly worthy of a yearly event. 

Top Courses in Chicago

  • Medinah No. 3 (Hosted 3 U.S. Opens, 2 PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup)
  • Butler National GC (Host of Western Open from 1974-1990, Ranked in the Top-25 nationally)
  • Kemper Lakes GC (Host of 1989 PGA Championship, Grand Slam of Golf)

Denver

Another city that has seen an occasional FedExCup Playoffs event, Denver hosts the 17th largest TV market in the U.S. “The International” was held in the Denver area from 1986-2006, and was the only stableford event hosted on Tour during that time. Denver has also seen 3 U.S. Opens and 3 PGA Championships come through town, so it certainly has the history to back its bid for a potential event location. 

Top Courses in Denver

  • Castle Pines GC (Former Home of “The International” event)
  • Cherry Hills CC (Hosted 3 U.S. Opens and 2 PGA Championships)
  • Colorado GC (Host of 2010 Senior PGA Championship & 2013 Solheim Cup)

Tulsa/Oklahoma City

Combined, Tulsa and Oklahoma City create the 21st largest TV market. It’s not just the TV market that makes these cities an attractive stop for the PGA Tour, however; it’s the quality of golf in the area. The golf teams at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University have developed more than 50 PGA Tour players, and continue to field nationally-ranked teams year after year. Add in some major championship history, and you’re looking at a solid site for a yearly Tour stop.

Top Courses in Tulsa/Oklahoma City

  • Southern Hills CC (Host of 4 PGA Championships and 3 U.S. Opens)
  • Oak Tree National (Host of the 1988 PGA Championship and 2014 US Senior Open)
  • The Patriot Golf Club (Folds of Honor Home Course, Host of Patriot Cup Invitational)

Where do you think the PGA Tour should consider adding a stop? Let us know in the comment section below. 

Brad is a podcast host and writer that can squeeze in 18 holes during twilight rate hours. Manager of the office golf league, his closet consists mainly of polos and quarter zips. A PGA and LPGA Tour Standard Bearer and TV Spotter 13 years running, Brad can re-grip a club in 15 seconds.

46 Comments

46 Comments

  1. laremy tunsil

    May 6, 2016 at 7:08 pm

    Colorado Oregon Washington

  2. Richard Trickle

    May 6, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    I think a minimum of 3 events in West Virginia would be great. You could call it the West Virginia Swing and have a points race with free lifetime supply of skoal for the winner.

  3. Loki Smizzle

    May 3, 2016 at 5:16 pm

    The tour has to dodge where a high percentage of minoritys live. Decent people won’t support anything after they take it over. I know everyone will hate this comment but just think about the last restaurant you was in that was minority heavy: it was terrible, wasn’t it?

  4. farmer

    May 3, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    Surprising the hole in the NW. Microsoft could sponsor an event, commercial free telecast, free food, and have a blip on their quarterly earnings report. All they need is a date, and for Bill Gates to stop carelessly trying to make life better for folks in underdeveloped countries.

  5. Steven

    May 3, 2016 at 2:00 pm

    Since I live in OKC, I would love this. I do think the Tour would have to look past Southern Hills and Oak Tree National because both those courses want to host majors. However, we have 1-2 others (like Patriot Club) that could definitely host an event. Gaillardia Country Club hosted the Senior Tour Championship a few times, and our golf season is longer than most.

  6. MP-4

    May 3, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    You would think that Microsoft or Amazon could sponsor an event in the Seattle area.
    Don’t forget: TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, Salish Cliffs, White Horse, Gold Mountain, Suncadia, and Gamble Sands!

    • Brad

      May 3, 2016 at 2:52 pm

      Was in Seattle last summer and stopped by the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge clubhouse for a scorecard and a Boeing Classic polo…beautiful part of the country!

  7. prime21

    May 3, 2016 at 7:23 am

    Gotta vote for Philly w/ Aronimink being the venue. While there are many great golf courses in the general vicinity, Aronomink is not only the best test of golf in the area, it also is a great layout for spectators. The array of local universities makes transportation easier to accommodate and I’m sure Pat’s & Gino’s would make it one of the favorite stops for food on tour (outside of New Orleans of course). Saucon Valley would also be great, but being a good 45 minutes outside of Philly, I don’t think it can really be considered “within the city limits”.

  8. Evan

    May 2, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    I’ve been thinking a bit about this. Seattle is inconvenient for the tour schedule even though it has some of the most predictable and best weather in the summer. But US Opens and PGA championships should be held much more frequently in the pacific northwest and upper midwest to really capture larger golf audiences. The US Open at Chambers was a very big deal around here.

    I can’t think of a better market/weather for the PGA championship than Seattle/PNW.

    Another thought, the weather has been amazing around here lately. Why doesn’t the zurich classic move to Seattle?

  9. B Clizzle

    May 2, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    Seattle…terrible weather
    Detroit and Chicago…full of thugs and criminals
    Colorado…trying to do Matt Every a solid
    Tulsa/OKC…even the ppl living there don’t wanna be there

    • Andrew Beck

      May 3, 2016 at 11:44 am

      I’m not sure you’ve been to Seattle. From the end of June until the end of September there’s almost zero chance of rain. The skies will be blue. And at worst the temps will be in the 90’s, but more likely in the high 70’s to low 80’s. You can’t really ask for better weather than that.

    • Scott

      May 3, 2016 at 11:44 am

      wow, what a worldly view. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

  10. Art Williams

    May 2, 2016 at 4:06 pm

    Philly should have a tour stop with all the great courses in the area and a population that loves and supports golf from Southern NJ to the Lehigh Valley and everywhere in between.

  11. Mike Honcho

    May 2, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    Hands down, Chi-town. I don’t like the mid-West, mid-Westerners and Windy City sports team, the Blues Brothers can’t sing, could go on and on. But when it comes to golf courses, the town is not getting it’s deserved pro play.

  12. Greg Moore

    May 2, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    LPGA is playing their Championship at Sahalee this year. Most of the issues with a new event is finding a sponsor who is willing to put up millions of dollars to host an event. The sponsors at established events are happy with where they are holding their tournaments. They’re not going to be happy if their tournament is moved.

  13. reach4aheiney

    May 2, 2016 at 3:11 pm

    Wisconsin definitely needs to have a regular stop on the tour. Having a major every so often and the upcoming Ryder cup is nice but there are so many fans that I believe would agree. Whistling Straits could be reserved for majors and Ryder cups but the Irish course on the same complex could handle an event of that size without any issues and is a little easier to walk. Erin Hills, where the US Open is next year could host and event as well as The Bull, a Jack Nicklaus design, could also provide a challenging stop year after year. Having the Greater Milwaukee Open and then US Bank Championship was nice but the course that hosted it didn’t provide too much of a challenge and cannot be lengthened due to area restrictions.

  14. Wa

    May 2, 2016 at 1:47 pm

    Weather has a lot to do with it, they’d rather go to places where it’s mostly predictable and good. Most of those other places are way too unpredictable and tremendously thundering when it does hit, season by season, and to try to fit it into the global golf calendar these days would be very difficult with the WGC getting in the way of bringing top names to smaller events.

    • Double Mocha Man

      May 2, 2016 at 9:49 pm

      Did you notice New Orleans this past week, weather wise?

      • GO

        May 4, 2016 at 2:50 am

        He said MOSTLY. Duh. Do you understand the English language?

  15. Snowman9000

    May 2, 2016 at 1:36 pm

    All good candidates. Golf is big around Chicago. And certainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota too. The Quad Cities (John Deere) does give Iowa/Wisconsin/Minn/Illinois fans a tourney in the region. But it would be nice to have some kind of rotation involving the western great lake states.

  16. Nick

    May 2, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    What about Philadelphia?

    Merion
    Aronimink
    Pine Valley (though they would never host an event)
    Philly Cricket Club
    Lancaster Country Club
    Huntingdon Valley
    Saucon Valley

    • Brad

      May 2, 2016 at 2:14 pm

      Pennsylvania GENERALLY gets the US Open every year (although the west coast has been grabbing more and more bids). Personally, I associate Merion/Pine Valley/etc with the Open

      • Jim Reed

        May 2, 2016 at 4:06 pm

        GENERALLY???

        8 times in 60 years…that is occasionally, not GENERALLY. The point that was being made is Philadelphia could use a tour stop and it could. There are significantly more world class courses in the region than on Nick’s list….and the largest metropolitan area to not host an event.

  17. Tom

    May 2, 2016 at 11:35 am

    Too bad the PGA will never even consider Butler National for anything until they allow woman at the club.

  18. ben

    May 2, 2016 at 11:06 am

    I just don’t see a regular event coming to Tulsa/Okc. Southern Hills would never host a regular tournament. I was kinda shocked when they hosted the Tour Championship in the mid 90’s. The Patriot is too easy for a tour stop. It reminds everyone of a resort style course. Oak Tree National would be great but it could be a challenge finding a sponsor with the state’s economy in the dump.

    • Matt

      May 2, 2016 at 11:44 am

      I doubt Oak Tree National would even want a regular tour stop. Something tells me they’d hold out for a major just like Souther Hills.

      • John

        May 3, 2016 at 11:33 pm

        Oak Tree hosted a senior event and everyone hated it. The course is all gimmicks and wind.

    • Lynn

      May 3, 2016 at 11:02 pm

      Agree with both comments here. Southern and oak tree won’t host anything but majors. More likely to have a web.com event, and plenty of good courses for that since logistics are easier with smaller crowds. Karsten Creek 45 min north of OKC (but Mike Holder, OSU athletic director wouldnt let this happen) Golf club of OK or Cedar ridge in Tulsa (Patriot is a nice course but wouldn’t hold up to web.com players) Gaillardia, Twin Hills or OKC g&cc in OKC. To extend that circle Prarie Dunes or Flint hills in Kansas would be great spots too.

  19. Grant Janssen

    May 2, 2016 at 11:05 am

    St. Louis has a fantastic golf market and culture (we have one of only two Golf Galaxy superstores and a Club Champion for a reason), and with great courses like Bellerive CC (Senior PGA and PGA), Fox Run (LPGA, potential PGA stop if it gets in better shape), and others that could host an event for the Web.com Tour, the PGA tour is really missing out on a top market.

    • Chris

      May 2, 2016 at 4:07 pm

      St. Louis is a great place for golf. Spending four years in the city while playing collegiate golf I had the opportunity to play many courses. As stated above Fox Run could be a great test, it can tip out over 8000 yards. Only issue is its a bit far from downtown, otherwise great course. Dont forget about the like of Boone Valley, Old Warson, St Louis Country Club. Yes some may be easy as old school layouts, but hey who doesnt like seeing a birdie fest?

    • Lynn

      May 3, 2016 at 11:06 pm

      Fox Run is a BEAST! Caddied an open sectional qualifier there. From what I remember I enjoyed the course, a lot. And even in the qualifier we would get to a tee box and look back 80 yards and there would be another set of tees. All. Day. Long.

  20. Mark

    May 2, 2016 at 10:36 am

    You think this is bad? Try living in England. The PGA Championship at Wentworth and one other event scheduled for The Grove, also out London. 2 million plus players, 42 million population and nothing north of the Greater London Area. The European Tour would much rather brown nose the middle east or China where the crowds, minus the guests, are negligible.

    • Brad

      May 2, 2016 at 11:24 am

      I really would LOVE to see a map of where all the European Tour events take place (similar to the one above). Would be interesting to see how many European Tour events take place in Europe.

      • Wa

        May 2, 2016 at 1:44 pm

        Why? That’s the same as asking the LPGA to show where they play in the WORLD. What point would it prove? They play where they want to play by mutual contractual and sponsorship agreements. They don’t have to play every event in Europe. Or the LPGA only in the US.

        • Brad

          May 2, 2016 at 2:16 pm

          No point to prove…just curious to see where every event is played.
          I’d even take a Web.com/Champions/LPGA map

      • gmoney

        May 2, 2016 at 11:06 pm

        This would be great. Your next article??? It would be cool to see maps of European tour tour stops of the past 15 or so years to see how the events slowly move to asia

  21. Double Mocha Man

    May 2, 2016 at 10:24 am

    Now that the Cubs are winning, Chicago doesn’t need any other sports. 🙂

    And the photo looks like the City Park golf course in Denver, not one of the championship venues you listed.

    • QC

      May 4, 2016 at 4:25 am

      Lol Thats what I thought about the picture as well.

  22. Nicholas Pursel

    May 2, 2016 at 9:30 am

    They really need a new tournament in Detroit. The city loves the game and is in desparate need of some fun activites to bring people downtown. There have been numerous attempts to get something going at Detroit Golf Club (my home course) and every single one fails for the same reasons, funding and finding a date. The tour needs to get back to Detroit, but I feel it won’t happen until someone shells out the money. Gilbert always acts like he does everything possible for the city but sponsers a tour event outside Detroit. They even backed out on a great event that would have featured Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Rory McIlroy and Ricky Fowler playing under the lights in an alternate shot match. Its just a shame

  23. Denny Jones

    May 2, 2016 at 9:12 am

    The Buick Open was in Grand Blanc, about 45 minutes north of Detroit. It was a great event and enjoyed by all. It is greatly missed.

  24. Mike

    May 2, 2016 at 8:48 am

    Chicago has an event there every year virtually. Outside of 2008 I cannot think of a year where they didn’t have either the Ryder Cup or the BMW there?

    • Josh from Chicago

      May 2, 2016 at 10:44 am

      BMW Championship is only in Chicago every other year. So two years ago, 2014, there was no Chicago tour stop. Plus, the Champions Tour event up in the North Shore lost its sponsor depriving me of my chance to see John Daly tear it up with the old guys.

      • Brad

        May 2, 2016 at 11:26 am

        On the flip side, we did get a Web.com tour event this season as well as the LPGA’s UL Crown. Still miss the Western Open in July though…

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Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

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Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

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On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

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Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

 

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag

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