Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Bucking the trend of increasingly long courses, Merion demands good tee shots and well placed approaches. The course has the interesting quirk of having no flags on the flag sticks; red baskets adorn the flag sticks of the front nine, while the second nine have orange baskets. Result – no indication of where the wind is coming from. White Faced bunkers were introduced here; a raised back lip announces the bunker to the approaching shot, giving the idea of a gaping mouth just waiting for your ball. Finding a signature hole at the course is as difficult as deciding on the worst – the course is just consistently excellent in its layout and design. The 17th epitomizes the requirement for accuracy at Merion. A long par 3 plays to a tiered green with a big slope on its front. With bunkers scattered around both sides and behind, there’s no place to go other than the green. The 16th confirms this; built alongside an old lime quarry, the hole doglegs left leaving two options. One – carry the quarry and put a perfect shot on the green or two – lay up with your ball close to the quarry’s edge. This may be the one time that you are actually pleased to have found the bunker.
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