No shortcuts to success on two host courses

Host PGA Director of Golf Bob O’Brian identifies and discussed the holes that he predicts will be pivotal during the 39th PGA Professional National Championship at Turning Stone Resort’s challenging Atunyote Golf Club.

By Roger Graves, PGA Magazine

When he won the Eastern Regional PGA Club Professional Championship at Turning Stone Resort's Atunyote Golf Club in October of 2004, New Yorker Craig Thomas took a little shortcut to the title.

Desperately needing a birdie on the 72nd hole to cement his position in a playoff, Thomas intentionally hit his drive on Atunyote's par-5 18th hole left onto the adjacent ninth fairway. From the middle of the parallel ninth fairway, Thomas hit a 5-iron 15 feet from the hole and two-putted for birdie. He repeated the "shortcut to birdie" a few minutes later to defeat Ron Philo Jr. in the playoff to win the CPC Eastern Regional and advance to the PGA Professional National Championship last June at The Ocean Course at Kiawah- Island, S.C.

When Thomas and 311 of the finest PGA Professionals in the country return to Turning Stone's Atunyote course June 22-25 to play three of four rounds in the 39th PGA Professional National Championship, that shortcut will no longer be an option due to new strategically placed trees. But the par-5 18th at Atunyote, which can stretch to 603 yards from the back tee, again promises to be a pivotal hole in identifying the Champion.

"There were quite a few players who took advantage of that shortcut opportunity on the 18th hole at Atunyote during the 2004 Eastern Regional CPC," reminds Thomas, PGA head professional at Muttontown Golf & Country Club in East Norwich, N.Y. "In 2004, they didn't play it all the way back on the 18th. It played about 549 yards, so if you hit it down the ninth fairway, you only had 215 or 220 yards into the green. Plus, you had a pretty good angle into the green. It was a natural shortcut.

"The 18th hole at Atunyote is a great finishing hole, but I noticed when we played the New York State PGA Championship at Turning Stone last May, they had planted trees along the left side of the tee box on No. 18. So the shortcut down No. 9 is gone. You can't visualize that path any more, and if the tees are back, it just isn't worth the gamble to play it that way. The 18th will pretty much be a three-shot hole for everyone now."

Indeed, no more shortcuts on the 18th hole of the Atunyote course. But since "Atunyote" is the Oneida Indian word for "eagle," don't be surprised if one or two players record an eagle at the finishing hole to bolster their position on the leaderboard -- or record a birdie or eagle to secure the National Championship and etch their name on the coveted Walter Hagen Cup.

According to Turning Stone Resort & Casino PGA Director of Golf Bob O'Brian, the 18th at Atunyote will have a significant say in determining who succeeds in the 2006 PGA Professional National Championship. The long, par-4 ninth and 17th holes at Atunyote also promise to be pivotal in identifying the eventual National Champion.

"If someone is coming into 17 and 18 trying to protect a one-shot lead in the final round, they will face two extremely challenging holes coming home," warns O'Brian. "A lot of things can happen on those final two holes, as well as on No. 9. If you play those holes too conservatively, you can get into trouble and make a big number. But if you're one shot behind coming into those last two holes, you have an opportunity to make up the difference if you execute, especially at the 18th hole. The 18th will provide a lot of excitement and its share of birdies. It will be a very interesting final hole for the PGA Professional National Championship."

The landing areas for the tee shot and second shot at Atunyote's par-5 18th hole are generous, but bunkers down the left side off the tee and water accenting the right side of the fairway for more than 250 yards into the green on the second shot can make it very difficult for a player who is out of position. A system of large greenside bunkers will convince even the longest hitters to lay up and hit a third shot from 100 yards or less to a tricky green with many undulations.

"Proper club selection on No. 18 is paramount, because you don't want to be on the green a long distance from the hole location," says O'Brian. "You need to put your approach in the proper position on the 18th green, or you can face a nightmarish putt -- or three."

While birdie is a reasonable possibility at No. 18, par is a golden score at the par-4 ninth hole at Atunyote, which can stretch as long as 469 yards. The No. 1 handicap hole on the official Atunyote scorecard, No. 9 requires a long, accurate tee ball that avoids large bunkers down the left and right side of the fairway. The second shot with a mid- or long iron must avoid a deep bunker guarding the righthand side of the green. The ninth played as the most difficult hole statistically during the 2004 Eastern Regional CPC at Atunyote, and will be pivotal in the 2006 PPNC, since half of the field will play it as their 18th hole with players starting their rounds from the first and 10th tees.

The 17th at Atunyote is another monstrous par-4. From the back tees, it can stretch to 467 yards, but is not expected to play that long during the 2006 PPNC. The No. 2 handicap hole, 17 requires a long tee shot that avoids fairway bunkers down the right side. Just like the ninth hole, mid- or long-iron approaches must have some elevation on them to avoid a vast system of bunkers that guards the front and right side of the putting surface. Putts from above the hole can be devilishly fast, so keep approaches below the hole, if possible.

"Tom Fazio did a tremendous job of providing a variety of holes with different looks and different challenges," says Turning Stone's O'Brian. "Atunyote is a great mix of holes that requires all types of shots. It doesn't favor the long hitters or short hitters, but requires some thought and strategy in positioning your tee shots and approaches on the greens. One thing you need to do at Atunyote is putt well. It can be a long day for someone whose putter isn't cooperating."

When Thomas won the 2004 CPC Eastern Regional at Atunyote, he opened with an even-par 72 and then fashioned a course-record 63 in the windless second round after overnight rains softened the greens. But to underscore the overall difficulty of Atunyote, which will play just under 7,300 yards for the 2006 PPNC, Thomas bounced back up to a 74 in the third round before closing with a 2-under-par 70 en route to a 9-under-par 72-hole total of 279.

"The wind will be the biggest factor in determining how low anyone scores," says O'Brian. "The Atunyote course is less protected by trees than the Shenendoah course, and is more affected by wind. The greens will be quick, the rough will be three to three and a half inches long, and the fairways will be relatively firm and fast. So if we get some wind, I don't think you'll see the scores as low as you might see otherwise. There was some wind when we played the CPC Eastern Regional here in 2004, but that was played in early October. Traditionally, the wind and weather are pretty tame here in June."

The Rick Smith-designed Shenendoah course at Turning Stone Resort, an Audubon Society Signature Sanctuary course, will be utilized for one of the first two rounds by competitors in the 2006 PGA Professional National Championship. It has a bit of a links feel to the course, with deep, natural grasslands, mounded fairways and wide, contoured greens. It will play just over 7,000 yards for the PPNC, and features a variety of natural wetlands.

The final three holes at Shenendoah will separate contenders from pretenders in their quest to make the 36-hole cut, with the par-5 18th a beautiful risk-reward finishing hole that promises to produce its share of fireworks.

"The longer hitters can reach the 18th in two on the Shenendoah course," assures O'Brian, "but you have to be careful because if you get overly aggressive off the tee, there is a large wetlands area that crosses the middle of the fairway at about 275 or 280 yards off the tee. A real long hitter might try to knock it over that hazard off the tee, but it would require a carry of 300 yards or more. I think you'll see more players hit a 3-wood off the tee short of the wetlands. That's the high-percentage play. They can still go for the green in two or play to position themselves for a sand-wedge third shot. You'll see a lot of birdies, and even some eagles, made on the 18th at Shenendoah."

Generally speaking, O'Brian says the fairways are a bit wider on the Shenendoah course than the Atunyote layout, but the greens at Shenendoah are larger and can present putting problems if approaches are not positioned on the proper portion of the putting surface.

"The contour of the greens on the Shenendoah course provide a real challenge and, all in all, I think the two courses at Turning Stone will provide virtually every type of challenge you can imagine," summarizes O'Brian. "Together, Shenendoah and Atunyote will make the competitors hit every club in their bag and every shot in their arsenal."