Connect with us

News

Rees Jones and The Tournament Course at Redstone

Published

17 years ago

on

Only a week before Augusta the PGA is playing the Tournament Course at Redstone Golf Club for this week’s Shell Huston Open. Opened in 2005, the Rees Jones designed course was built with intentions of hosting the world’s best. And this year it may well provide insight into the season’s first two majors as Jones is also responsible for the recently revamped South Course at Torrey Pines, which will host this year’s US Open in June.  

Jones practices a design methodology rooted in traditional strategy with the simple philosophy that ‘it has to be playable’. Son of Robert Trent Jones, Rees is now one of the masterful golf course architects of his time. He is a self-described ‘purist who adheres to the fundamentals of good design’. It is that value that transcends all of his designs. Good design boils down to the idea that a course should be able to be played and enjoyed by everyone. With that in mind, Redstone is one of less than a dozen PGA Tour courses open to the public for play. 

While staying true to his design roots, make no mistake that Jones’ courses are challenging for modern day tour players, as was evident when the US Open was held Bethpage Black in 2002. For Redstone, David Toms was brought on as an active consultant throughout the project. 

As the Shell Houston Open is looking to build its reputation as a perennial warm up to The Masters, the grounds crew at Redstone has been working hard to build on the precedent for course conditions they set last year and create a more ‘Augusta-like feel’ this year.  In an interview with John Bush, Adam Scott said "It’s a pleasure to play, and this may have been the best conditioned golf course of the year last year." This year faster greens with large short grass areas in close proximity should increase demands on players’ short games depending on the weather. 

The holes to watch this week are No. 5, 12 and 18. as noted by Roger Goettsch, Redstone GC Superintendent, in an article for the golf channel. A classic example of a risk/reward design No. 12 could provide players the spark they need in the back nine to make up strokes on Sunday. A lake running along the right side of the fairway up to the green creates a strategic hazard where the safer you play the ball the more difficult the approach shot becomes. 

No. 17 and 18 are a demanding closing two-hole combination that will test players’ abilities in the final stretch. Both par fours reach over 480 yards, requiring well hit drives off the tee and calling for accuracy on the long approach shots. No. 18 which usually plays as one of the hardest holes on the course, will be fun to watch players’ close out their rounds. Last year 18 helped decide the tournament in dramatic fashion when Adam Scott, with a one shot advantage over Stuart Appleby, put his tee shot into the water left. After driving into the bunker right, Appleby seemingly with the advantage wrenched his second shot in drink. Scott went on to hit a 48′ putt, saving par, for the win. "It was a very strange finish for a golf tournament. It’s not often you lead by 1 and hit in the water and lead by 3. You know, I think I was pretty lucky." Adam Scott said recounting last year’s events.  

Overall, the course uses expanses of forest as backdrops, fescue roughs, strategic water hazards on nine holes and beautifully carved bunkers to create a visually stunning course that aligns with Rees Jones’ philosophy of fair play. And for those who perform well at Redstone? We can expect the results to be a preview of what is to come next week in Georgia or in June when the US Open captures the world’s golf attention at Torrey Pines.

Related Topics:
4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Jenn van Kleef

    Apr 9, 2008 at 10:08 am

    Great article. Very interesting and informative to get the understanding of the course in this review for a very basic golfer like myself. Will keep a watch out for more articles by Brett Hitchins.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Floyd Fleming

    Apr 5, 2008 at 8:33 pm

    You are right about #12, everybody on the leader board have been shooting under par on it. From what your saying Redstone looks like it can compete with the big boys and actually take on the Masters. The greens are where it’s at and from watching play it is not just a runner up but a true yardstick for the boys from Augusta to note.
    Quality insight.

    Reply Report comment

  3. Dianne Baker

    Apr 5, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    Loved this article by Brett Hitchins, we are following the tournament and it is very interesting to read about the course that the PGA are playing. Mr. Hitchins has written a very informative piece about the course and Rees Jones. Hope to read some more articles by him in the future.

    Reply Report comment

  4. Pingback: Golf » Only a week before Augusta the PGA is playing the Tournament …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News

Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

1 month ago

on

Aug 4, 2025

By

I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear

OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.

LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break

Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.

Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.

On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.

On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.

On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home

Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.

On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?

Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.

Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?

PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates

Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.

Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.

Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.

Continue Reading

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

2 months ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

By

GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.

Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.

Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

 

Continue Reading

News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

2 months ago

on

Jul 28, 2025

By

Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.

Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag1 month ago

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.  Driver: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag1 month ago

Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship

Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Whats in the Bag1 month ago

Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)

Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
Whats in the Bag1 month ago

WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship

Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...

Facebook

Trending