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BELLERIVEPGA COVER STORY COUNTRY CLUB: A CLOSER LOOK RENOVATED ROBERT TRENT JONES SR. MASTERPIECE IS PRIMED TO HOST ANOTHER MAJOR, CHALLENGE WORLD’S FINEST PLAYERS By Roger Graves, Senior Writer ong and strong. rough and tough. fast and firm. prim and proper. ever since Bellerive Country Club, once nicknamed the “Green Monster of Ladue,” opened L at its current location in suburban St. Louis on Memorial Day of 1960, each of the aforementioned descriptions were appropriate characterizations of its highly challenging golf course. For the Centennial PGA Championship on Aug. 6–12, the finest professionals in the world will encounter a modernized Bellerive that requires equal parts brain and brawn to be successful on the 7,317-yard, par-70 track. The Bellerive course designed by Robert Trent day masterpiece while preparing the acreage to Jones, Sr., that hosted the 1965 U.S. Open (won by host the 2013 Senior PGA Championship and the Gary Player in a playoff against Kel Nagle) and 2018 PGA Championship. the 1992 PGA Championship (won by Nick Price) Rees Jones, who gained acclaim for lengthening will still be in full flower for the 100th PGA Cham- and strengthening major championship courses such pionship. However, the course underwent a major as Winged Foot and Torrey Pines, handled the $9.5 renovation by Jones Sr.’s son, Rees Jones, in 2005- million renovation, realizing he was working with 2006 that transformed the course into a modern- one of his father’s finest course creations. 70 | July 2018 | www.pgamagazine.com (password: PGAmag007) Some players will be tempted to go for the green at the par-4 11th hole in two despite the water guarding the right side of the putting surface. NO. 11NO. Maintains Traditional Character PGA Director of Golf at Bellerive, who has served “This was not just another renovation for Rees the club for 26 years in various capacities. Jones in 2005-06. He was taking care of one of his Tucker notes that Jones “modernized” Bellerive father’s greatest works, so he had a level of personal in several ways. He relocated fairway bunkers and interest during which he was dedicated to maintain- hazards closer to landing areas based on today’s ing the traditional character of the course while high-tech equipment. Bunkers around the greens bringing it up to match the standards, speed and were enlarged, cut deeper and placed in strategic power of today’s game,” explains Michael Tucker, positions to catch errant approaches. Tees and GARY KELLNER/PGA OF AMERICA (password: PGAmag007) www.pgamagazine.com | July 2018 | 71 the green very important. Even though the greens are large, putting will be extremely challenging if you fail to hit the proper target on the green. To put the ball in the proper place on the large greens, you need to be playing out of the fairway. So the first step to success at Bellerive is driving the ball in the fairway. Then, you must be accurate with your approach to the green to set up a reasonable chance at making a putt.” To underscore Tucker’s point about hitting fair- ways to set up potential birdie putts, he points to the previous champions at Bellerive. Player won the 1965 U.S. Open, Price claimed the 1992 PGA Championship, St. Louis native Jim Holtgrieve was victorious in the 1981 USGA Mid-Amateur Championship, Peter Jacobsen won the 2004 U.S. NO. 14NO. Senior Open, Colombian Camilo Villegas won the greens were re-grassed. Today, greens are all bent- 2008 BMW Championship, and Japan’s Kohki grass and fairways are zoysia grass that is more Idoki won the 2013 KitchenAid Senior PGA resistant to heat and humidity, which Bellerive Championship at Bellerive. could see in quantity during PGA Championship Week in August. Champions’ Common Denominator “Rees (Jones) did a wonderful job of maintaining What do each of those players have in common? the integrity of the golf course while bringing it up “Historically, Bellerive is perceived as a long to modern standards,” claims Tucker. “The greens course, so you might think the long hitters would were 8,800 square feet on average before the reno- have success here,” says Tucker. “But the truth is, if vation, and now they are 8,200 square feet. Rees you look at the previous champions at Bellerive, stayed true to his green-within-a-green concept you see that it is the players who keep the ball in that requires a properly placed approach shot to play who have the greatest success. Who were the the green if you don’t want to face a 40-, 50-, or 60- guys near the top of the leaderboard at the 1992 foot putt. You must be on the correct side of the PGA Championship? It was Nick Price, John ridges on the greens, making your approach shot to Cook, Nick Faldo, Jeff Maggert and Gene Sauers – NO. 15NO. 72 | July 2018 | www.pgamagazine.com (password: PGAmag007) NO. 17NO. guys who hit fairways and keep their ball in play. At mind, acknowledging that most holes would yield a the U.S. Senior Open, it was Peter Jacobsen and “difficult par but a comfortable bogey” – so tough, Tom Kite. When you go down the list of winners but not unfair. Rees Jones stayed true to that here, they are all good ball strikers and shotmakers. philosophy during his renovations in 2005-2006 You have to drive the ball well, have a strong, while creating a couple of new risk-reward opportu- reliable iron game, and you need to have a good nities that will challenge the finest professional short game to get it up and down when you do miss shotmakers during the 100th PGA Championship a green. Gary Player, Nick Price, Peter Jacobsen, at Bellerive. Kohki Idoki ... they all hit a lot of fairways and The second hole at Bellerive was previously a had exceptional short games. They are all major tight, dogleg left par-4 around a group of trees and champions at Bellerive.” small lake with a large bunker guarding the right Bellerive was built around a large creek side. Jones removed the trees along the left and Bellerive C.C. that comes into play on nine holes, expanded the lake, which now stretches all the way while water hazards are prominently in to the green to create a devilish back-left pin posi- Hole Yards Par play on 11 holes. Tucker reveals that fair- tion. The second and 11th holes could be drivable 1 425 4 ways and contours leading to large par 4s if more forward tees are played in the PGA 2 410 4 fairway bunkers, water hazards and Championship. The renovation saw all tee boxes 3 148 3 greenside bunkers will be closely moved forward some 50 yards on the 11th hole, 4 521 4 mowed during the 100th PGA Champi- giving PGA Chief Championships Officer Kerry 5 471 4 onship to funnel any balls into the haz- Haigh many options when setting up the course for 6 213 3 ards on virtually every hole. the field of 156 in August. 7 394 4 “There will be no first cut of rough to The eighth hole, a double dogleg par 5 that tradi- 8 610 5 protect balls from rolling into bunkers, tionally played as one of the most difficult during 9 433 4 Out 3,625 35 creeks, ponds and other hazards,” cau- previous championships at Bellerive, was re- 10 508 4 tions Tucker. “The weather during designed to some extent by Rees Jones. All tee 8 11 355 4 Championship Week may dictate other- boxes for No. were on the left side of the creek 12 452 4 wise, but we’re planning to have a fast prior to Jones’ redesign, mandating a right-to-left 13 180 3 and firm golf course with closely mown tee shot that curved around the trees on the left 14 410 4 areas around all bunkers and hazards. while avoiding the creek on the right. Jones moved 15 495 4 Anything moving toward the water or the back tees to the right side of the creek, cut 16 237 3 bunkers will go in.” down the majority of trees lining the creek and 17 597 5 added a deep bunker on the inside left of the first 18 458 4 Course Designed for Majors dogleg. The bunker has since been removed and In 3,692 35 Robert Trent Jones Sr., the original the fairway widened, but the eighth hole will play a TOTAL 7,317 70 Bellerive golf course architect, designed massive 610 yards during the PGA Championship the course with major championships in as one of only two par-5s on the par-70 champi- 74 | July 2018 | www.pgamagazine.com (password: PGAmag007) NO. 18NO. onship course. if you’re in one of those bunkers, so it creates a “The eighth and 17th holes will be the only two tough up-and-down if you miss that green. If you par 5s during the PGA Championship, so both can play The Ridge holes in even par, you’ve always will present a reasonable opportunity for a birdie,” done very well.” observes Tucker, noting that the fourth and 10th Of course, The Ridge provides a bridge to the holes that play as par 5s for members have been pivotal par-5 17th hole and the challenging 458- reduced to par 4s for the 100th PGA Championship. yard, par-4 18th hole, where the 100th PGA Cham- “The 17th hole, especially, will be an interesting hole pionship will conclude.

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