USGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MIKE DAVIS, ON GOLF IN CHICAGO, OLYMPIA FIELDS, COG HILL AND MORE
MIKE DAVIS IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE USGA
RECENTLY THE GOG BLOG CAUGHT UP WITH USGA EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR MIKE DAVIS, FOR A ONE ON ONE INTERVIEW THAT
COVERED A VARIETY OF TOPICS.
The interview started with how Davis locked in on Erin Hills, and
believed in the property so quickly when many others did not. The
conversation moved to his new job, and up coming US Opens at
courses like Merion and Pinehurst.
Those parts and more are found on the audio version of this
story. From a local focus, Davis was asked about about the
USGA leaving the midwest in recent years in terms of the US
Open.
Followed by questions about the re-emerging Olympia Fields
Country Club on the USGA radar. Then Davis discussed Cog
Hill, and do the Jemseks ever have a chance for a US Open.
Might Cog Hill have a better chance at the big prize a Mens
US Open, if the Jemseks dumped the PGA Tour. The answer
might surprise you. What about the Chicago market from a
USGA view point. Read on or listen for all that and more.
QUESTION..Erin Hills will be the first midwest US Open in 14
years come 2017. The next two years after that are out east and
west, has the USGA just conceded the midwest to the PGA of
America that has so many events in the area.
DAVIS."That's a fair point. With all of our national championships
whether it's the US Open or the US Girls Junior Amateur we want
to move those events around geographically. Sometimes when it
comes to the US Open or any event, certain parts of the country
and they don't work so well at certain times of the year. Given
the weather or the agronomics, which is why it would be hard for
us to stage a US Open in South Florida in June. Could you do it.
Yeah maybe, maybe you could find a course big enough to hold
it. But we wouldn't get the best conditions that time of year. So
that's why we tended to gravitate over the years to the northeast,
the upper midwest, and the western coast. In June you get the
best weather and courses conditioned better. With respect to
the midwest, you are right. We have had a hiatus where in 2003
we had the US Open at Olympia Fields in Chicago and then it
just went dry on us. I can tell you that it's been talked about a lot
at our board meetings that we need to get back there. I suspect
the PGA of America has had the same thing, where they have
had a lot in the midwest but not much out in the northeast or out
west.
Contrary to what some people think. Our relationship with the
PGA of America is outstanding and we talk to them all the time,
about working together on venues so we are not stepping on
each other in a certain market. As an example the PGA is having
the 100th anniversary of it's founding in 2016. So early on they
came and said. We were founded in New York so we want to
get back there for our 100th birthday, so they are going to go
Baltusrol. We knew that years in advance so we purposely
didn't schedule anything close to New York around then, just
because of that. We are now going to Shinnecock in 2018,
but we talk to the PGA all the time about venues. I do think the
USGA is very cognisant about wanting to get back more in the
midwest. Erin Hills is the first US Open we have ever had in the
state of Wisconsin, so it will be nice to get here. In addition to
the fact that (Erin Hills) is a wonderful golf course. It's definitely
something on our minds, whether it's Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis,
or Toldeo Ohio where we have Inverness. We have received
some neat invitations so we will see where we head down the
road."
QUESTION..The US Amateur is coming to Olympia Fields in
2015. How much did the renovations on the South Course by
Steve Smyers and having two championship caliber courses,
plus that big clubhouse help them in getting that event.
DAVIS.."It helped a lot. Olympia Fields is for one a wonderful
club to work with. I had the pleasure in 1997 of working with
them for our Senior Open Championship, and then again when
the US Open in 2003 was played on the north course. Again
great to work with, storied past there at Olympia Fields. When
they re-did the south course, I think a lot of us looked at it and
went "wow" that is a dynamic duo with the north and south.
So when we got the invitation from the club it did not take us
long to jump on it. They have also turned out to be a great club
in supporting amateur golf too. A few weeks back they hosted
our US Junior Girls Amateur, and while I wasn't there. I hear
from everybody it got rave reviews from the players, our officials,
and the club was very welcoming to everybody. So we have
a nice relationship with them and they have done a very nice job."
QUESTION..Across town there is Cog Hill, they have wanted a
US Open for a long time. They have done renovations and Frank
Jemsek has said that you were on the property while renovations
were on going what did you see there. Frank says he will make a
run at the 2022 US Open, when the USGA has indicated they
might back in the midwest. What stands out about Cog Hill now
and does it ever have a chance to land a US Open.
DAVIS..."Getting to Chicago would be a great thing. It's a storied
and wonderful golf town, not just the great courses around the city
but how Chicago supports golf. You look at things like the Evans
Scholar Program, and for us to not be in Chicago periodically
would be too bad.
With respect to Cog Hill, we did our 1997 US Amateur there when
Matt Kuchar won. I think one of things that came out of this current
renovation is that, agronomically they are far superior that what they
used to be. They have greens that really drain well, they have some
modern grasses on it. So when I looked at it, and I have been there
twice. Once during construction and once right after they opened,
and I am really impressed with all the upgrades in the agronomic
area. When I did walk the golf course, I came away thinking "wow"
that is really one heck of a test of golf. It is hard and for the world's
best players, it is all the test they would ever want. So I think that is
where are, they have had the invitation in. Plus the Jemsek family
is one of the great families in the United States when it comes to
golf. The whole family is just great and they are some of the nicest
people you will meet. So I have to think that the USGA Championship
Committee would like they do with all the invitations we get for US
Opens, will look at Cog Hill very seriously.
QUESTION...Another story that goes around is that the USGA likes
to stay away from courses that host PGA Tour events, inspite of
having US Opens at Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines is there any
truth to that.
DAVIS.."There is some truth to that. When we try to find US Open
venues we try to find special venues if you will, and venues that are
not used all the time for tournaments golf. When we pick a venue
for a US Open you want people to say, that's a neat experience.
So there is some truth to that. We just finished up with a US Open
at Congressional, and we signed up for that US Open they didn't
have the AT & T or Tigers event being played there. So for a number
of reasons it happened, like the renovations at Avenal.
So I will tell you, it did effect the US Open. Because all of a sudden
the world had seen Congressional on a regular basis, and we did
something from a setup basis to make it a little bit different.
Nonetheless, it took a little bit of the mystique out of Congressional
because you would see it every year. So absolutely there is some
truth to that. But then you say, "wait a minute USGA you go to Pebble
Beach every so often". But when you see Pebble beach in the winter
it has very wide fairways, it tends to be very wet that time of that year.
I don't think it is set up in championship condition because it is a
pro-am event, so they can't get the course very firm and fast. We got
it much faster. So some of us can rationalize saying that Pebble
Beach is a much different golf course in the summer vs the winter.
But when you go to a place whether it's Cog Hill or Congressional
or any place that has regular tour events, it is hard for us to get overly
excited about those venues because there is a drawback to them."
QUESTION..Can you talk about the Chicago market. People talk about
all the great courses there. But in recent years, the senior tour left and
did not return. The LPGA left and did not return in spite of a successful
Solheim Cup that was supposed to be a launching pad for them to return.
The Nationwide Tour left, now the PGA Tour is not there every year and
people wonder is Chicago not a good market for golf. How does the
USGA view Chicago.
DAVIS.."It's perplexing because of how many great courses are in
Chicago. I'm not sure I can answer why those tours left the market,
maybe tickets weren't going well, or corporate support wasn't there.
But I can't believe it has anything to do with the golf courses, because
there are to many great courses in Chicago. But having said that when
we look for venues for our US Womens Open Championship or our
US Senior Open Championship, I must say that when you look at the
really big markets like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Sometimes those events get lost because there is so much going on
in those markets in the summertime. We have found over the years
that when we go to some of the secondary or third market-tiers.
Whether it's Des Moines Iowa or markets like that, that it becomes
"thee event" in town and you get much more spectator attendance,
and people get more excited about it. I know for us, if we had a US
Open in Chicago it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. But we see that
with the womens open or senior open to some extent."
TO HEAR THE REST OF RORY'S INTERVIEW WITH MIKE DAVIS
CLICK HERE:
Download | Duration: 00:29:01
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