Folks at John’s Island spent more than $600,000 to bring the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship to Vero Beach this week with the intent of using the prestigious golf tournament to showcase its under-appreciated West Course.
Mission accomplished.
Not only did United States Golf Association Championship Director Bill McCarthy rate the charming-but-challenging layout among the best in Florida, but the course also drew rave reviews from the players.
“Great test of golf” … “Beautiful course” … “I love it.”
Those were among the general remarks heard after the field of 264 golfers – ages 25 and over, with handicaps of 3.4 and lower – competed on the West Course last weekend, when the first USGA major championship played on Florida’s Treasure Coast began with two days of stroke play.
Some of the players were so impressed with the course that, when asked for their impressions, they seemed to be gushing.
“Some courses you can play every day; some you wouldn’t want to,” said Charlie Blanchard of Warwick, RI. “I could definitely play here every day.”
Four-time Mid-Am winner Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh, PA, went even further with his praise, telling Tournament Director Mark Mulvoy that the West Course was “as good a set-up as I’ve ever seen at a USGA championship.”
“He wanted to know if they could play it here again next year,” said Mulvoy, the former Sports Illustrated editor and publisher who has wintered at John’s Island for more than 20 years.
Then there was Endel Liius, who returned home to Washington, DC, on Monday, after failing to get to the 64-player, match-play field. He took with him fond memories of the West Course.
“When you’re out there playing your practice rounds, you’re so focused on the course, strategically, that you don’t fully appreciate everything about it,” Liius said. “But I pretty much played my way out of the tournament Saturday on the North Course, so when I was playing here (Sunday), I was able to take a step back, look around and soak it all in. And it’s absolute heaven out there.
“It really is a great golf course,” he added. “It’s a real pleasure to play, too, even though I didn’t play was well as I hoped I would.”
After two days of stroke play on John’ Island’s North and West courses, the field was cut from 264 to 64 for four rounds of match play, culminating with today’s 36-hole final.
The big winner, though, might be John’s Island – particularly its West Course.
“To play host to a USGA major championship certainly raises our visibility in the golfing world,” John’s Island General Manager Brian Kroh said. “And the overwhelmingly positive response we’re getting from the players and USGA officials can only increase our recognition and boost our brand as they go home and tell people about their experiences here.”
“That’s the hope, anyway,” said Charlie Thomas, who was the John’s Island president when Mulvoy embarked on his pursuit of a USGA major. “The competition among private-club communities is intense, and there are a lot of them in Florida.
“It’s not that we have a membership problem, but we all get older,” he added. “This was an opportunity to enhance the reputation of the club in one of the areas we’re most proud of – our golf courses. It can only help to have the stamp of approval from the USGA.”
McCarthy, in fact, might turn out to be one of John’s Island’s best ambassadors, especially when it comes to the West Course.
In addition to getting nothing but compliments from the players – he described their collective assessment of the course in one word: “Wow” – McCarthy said the layout was perfect for the Mid-Am’s match-play format.
“When we evaluate potential championship sites, we consider a number of factors, but No. 1 is the golf course,” he said. “The quality of this course is the reason we brought this championship here.”
What makes the 6,850-yard course so good, other than its natural elevations, a variety of indigenous sands in the bunkers and picturesque setting?
Course architect Tom Fazio’s design provides numerous challenges that offer multiple options in how holes may be played.
“It’s a shot-makers course,” McCarthy said. “Birdies can be had – there are reachable par-5s and a couple of drivable par-4s – but the penalties can be severe if you miss. So you have to think out there. You have to weigh the risks and rewards.
“Also, the par-3s are varied, requiring different shots on each of them,” he added. There’s a lot of variety in the course, which makes it very challenging, even at less than 7,000 yards.”
For the Mid-Am, the USGA narrowed a few fairways, added a new tee on No. 2, grew the rough to two inches and kept the speed of the greens at 12 on the Stimpmeter.
While McCarthy said the North and West courses “complement each other,” they offer different challenges – especially the West Course’s back nine.
“The back nine here is unique,” said Mid-Am rookie Mike Smith of Ponte Vedra Beach, outside Jacksonville. “Every hole has some characteristic that stands out.”
That’s exactly what folks at John’s Island wanted to hear.
They wanted their West Course to leave a lasting impression, so much so that the players and officials will not only remember this Mid-Am but also tell their friends about it.
They seem to be getting their money’s worth.
“I have no doubt they’re accomplishing their goal,” McCarthy said. “I haven’t seen all the great courses in Florida, but I’d be very surprised if this one isn’t in the top five.”