'Open Doctor' Rees Jones first visits Cog Hill for eval in '05
By Phil Kosin Chicagoland Golf editor (From Oct. 15, 2005 issue) Rees Jones finally stopped by Cog Hill on Oct. 11 to make a preliminary evaluation of Dubsdread, the home course of the Western Open and – cross your fingers here – a future United States Open.
Known worldwide as “The Open Doctor,” for his thoughtful and skillful renovations of many past and current U.S. Open courses, Jones is one of the sons of legendary golf course architect Robert Trent Jones.
He came at the
invitation of Cog Hill president Frank Jemsek, who is exploring all
available options toward fulfilling his father’s lifelong dream of
bringing a National Open to the Lemont public golf facility.
During the Oct. 11, 2005 preliminary tour of Cog Hill’s No. 4 course by fabled golf course architect Rees Jones, the group looks at an aerial photograph to see if there is enough room to move the third green south (to the right). From right: Joe Jemsek (grandson of the late Joe Jemsek), Rees Jones, Inc. vice president Greg Muirhead, Cog Hill owner Frank Jemsek, Rees Jones, Katherine Jemsek and Cog Hill golf course superintendent Ken Lapp. (Chicagoland Golf/Phil Kosin)
The
late Joe Jemsek, the Patriarch of Public Golf, was an innovator in the
daily fee arena. In building No. 4 in 1964, he opened the nation’s
first true championship-quality course for public golfers.
Joe Jemsek died at the age of 89 in April, 2002. However, the former Cog Hill caddie did realize one of his dreams while still alive – hosting the Western Open, which raises monies for caddie scholarships based on need.
Frank Jemsek was told by the USGA during the 1997 U.S. Amateur at Cog Hill that the Dick Wilson/Joe Lee course needed some improvements to be considered for a U.S. Open. He also wants to make the course more challenging for PGA Tour players in the Western Open – while keeping it playable for the average customer. Doing so requires maintaining a delicate balance and requires an extremely skilled hand.
Enter the “Open Doctor.”
Rees Jones is responsible for successfully renovating and/or designing many major championship golf courses. The names read like a glittering litany familiar to all serious golfers: Congressional, Baltusrol, Olympia Fields, Torrey Pines, Atlanta Athletic Club, Bethpage Black Course, The Country Club, East Lake, Hazeltine, Medinah No. 3, Pinehurst No. 2 and Sahalee.
“I’ve been trying to get Rees to look at No. 4 course for a couple of years,” said Jemsek. “So today was a very big day for Cog Hill.”
Two months ago, Jones’ front man and vice president, architect Greg Muirhead, came to Cog Hill to do a preliminary evaluation. He reported back to Jones that the course “blew him away.”
So on a overcast, gray October afternoon, a group of seven piled into an eight-seat golf cart and toured the course. In the party was Jones, Muirhead, Frank Jemsek, his daughter Katherine (who manages the family’s award-winning Summer Grove GC in Newnan, Ga.), son Joe (who works as a golf course designer for Dye Designs), Cog Hill golf course superintendent Ken Lapp, and yours truly.
Rees Jones had never been to Cog Hill, but Muirhead spent his July day there making copious notes and gave him an excellent report. They spent about 15 minutes looking at each hole, asking questions, recording comments on a tape recorder and making suggestions.
One of the key tools they employed was a copy of the PGA Tour’s ShotLink report from the 2005 Western Open, which graphically shows where every ball landed on each hole for each of the four days. Colored “dots” mark where every ball landed – the color determined by what score the player recorded on that hole.
When the tour was finished, Jones gave his preliminary thoughts about the course.
“It has a championship aspect to it,” he said. “It has the ability to be lengthened, the bunkers have faces where they can move to, the green contours are superb, the hole locations make the holes different every day. It’s an examination of the skill of the golfer. In light of the fact that golfers are hitting it farther, Cog Hill has the elasticity to make the changes to keep up with the equipment of today.
“I like the change of pace of the holes,” he continued. “I like the ebb-and-flow of the golf course, and every hole sort of speaks to you. That’s what Tiger [Woods] says. It has definition, and that’s what makes it a wonderful golf course for the first-time player, and a wonderful golf course for the first-time Tour player. Unlike a lot of golf courses in America, this golf course has a great deal of definition.”
In 1990, when the Western Golf Association first announced the move to Cog Hill from Butler National, Mark McCumber and Tom Watson came out to play No. 4 and their reaction was “Why hasn’t this course hosted a U.S. Open?” Jones was asked to react to that comment.
“I think it is a major tournament golf course,” he said. “I think in my lifetime it should have a major. So that’s why I’m here with the Jemseks – to realize that dream, if possible.”
Frank Jemsek said he was a bit overwhelmed by Jones’ suggestions.
“I’ve always tried to do whatever I could to make the golf course much better,” said Frank Jemsek. “I’m out there every day, and after hearing what Rees had to say, it frightens me how much work there is out there. But if we don’t keep up, we’ll just fall behind.”
Jemsek reiterated that he’d like to do the renovation in stages because he doesn’t want to displace his customers and also needs four courses for some large outings. Jones was amenable to that idea.
“We did just that at Torrey Pines because they didn’t want to shut it down, either,” said Jones, adding that he realizes closing a public course for a lengthy renovation is different (as in zero revenue) than at a private club. Medinah was closed for the better part of a year while Jones worked his magic in anticipation of the 2006 PGA.
So the next move is Jones and Muirhead returning to their New Jersey headquarters and working out a master plan for Cog Hill. Once that is completed, the two parties will sit down and discuss and decide which changes will be implemented.
Understandably, Jemsek is concerned about the cost of such a project.
“I don’t want to have to raise green fees significantly,” he said. “My goal is to have the best course in the area at an affordable price.”
Since I thought that Chicagoland Golf readers would like to hear Jones’ initial thoughts, here are my rough, hole-by-hole notes on the improvements he and Muirhead are suggesting for Dubsdread. Remember – all of this is based on a relatively quick tour, and in finalizing a plan there will be many additions and subtractions. 1) Add length to the tee... cut width of fairway in the landing area at the elbow of the dogleg and bring the right fairway bunker inward... make all of the greenside bunkers on the course deeper. Also, most fairway bunkers will be set where they’re in play for longer-hitting Tour pros, which many are not today.
2) Elevate the rear of the green to reduce the slope and allow for increased green speeds... cut down high frame above the front bunkers and deepen bunkers.
3) Cut down the hillside on the right side of the landing area to tighten hole off tee... move green right to create a dogleg right... make green smaller, as it is much too large for the hole.
4) Move tee box left off elevated tee and cut down height of forward tee box to clear view... move right fairway bunker inwards... make furthest left fairway bunker (of the two) deeper... deepen bunkers in front of green... eliminate rough area mid-green on left and make it part of green so balls on front left can be putted to back left hole location.
5) Move fairway bunkers farther out, where they’re in play. Only four players landed in those bunkers during the 2005 Western Open... move green to the back and left, into the trees which would be a frame.
6) Move tee box about 40 yards right to change the angle of approach... “a great hole with great green contours.”
7) Consider replacing bunker in elbow of dogleg with a large pond extending up right side to greenside or move fairway bunker further out and make it a large cross-bunker... remove rough between tongues on green so all areas can be putted to from anywhere on green to create more cuppable areas... make left rear of green larger and raise to allow more hole locations.
8) Remove past-its-prime willow on left side of fairway and replace with deep bunker... take out willow on right and move green right... deepen front bunkers. Possibly turn chronically wet area right front of green (in woods) into pond or other water feature. Maybe even continue water across front of green.
9) Extend fairway bunker on right (75 yards from green) into fairway. Take green and flip-flop bunkers from left side to right (mirror image) to open up right front of green, tempting players to carry extended fairway bunker and reach green as a reward..
10) Add a fairway bunker on right side of landing area to tighten up driving area for Tour pros... replace fairway in front of green with rough to make it a solid risk/reward par-4 for those opting to reach green off tee... deepen all bunkers.
11) Move tee back about 20-25 yards... bring fairway bunker on the right in the secondary landing area inward to tighten up corner... remove rear bunker on green, which is a safety area for Tour pros but a problem for average players.
12) “Just a really good hole”... rework and deepen all bunkers.
13) Cut down hill on left side of fairway... either fill in barranca fronting green to bring up fairway area to green level or restore barranca all the way across fairway, as it originally was... maybe put dam and pond in existing barranca left of green... lower and deepen bunkers on right side... maybe add front bunker... add green tongues left front and back right to create a few more cuppable areas.
14) Deepen greenside bunkers.
15) Make it a par-4 for everyone, using current front tee at 420 yards for public play and back tees for Tour pros... add new tees on far side of hazard fronting current tees... elevate green surface so you can see it from fairway and move green left.... deepen bunkers.
16) Add new back tee on fill... drop right side fairway bunker down toward fairway to tighten up Tour pros’ landing area... create a “do-or-die” (penal dropoff) area on left side of green, a “no man’s land”... Change contours so back left of green can offer hole locations... deepen right greenside bunker and move closer to green to open up more spectator viewing area on hillside.
17) Drop right side of fairway in Tour pros’ landing area and add deep bunker below... green is much too large... rebuild and angle green and add bunkering to demand more accuracy on approaches. “Too easy for a 17th hole.”
18) Move tee back 20-25 yards (on fill)... create another “do-or-die” area along pond on left side of green, perhaps a short vertical wall along water... add tongue to green on the back left above the pond.
At 251 yards from the tips, the par-3 sixth at Cog Hill with its large bunkers and three-tiered green is always one of the toughest holes on the PGA Tour. (Chicagoland Golf/Phil Kosin)
