Keith Mitchell 66/1 © Mizuno
The PGA Tour heads off to Charlotte North Carolina this week and pitches up at the Quail Hollow Club originally designed by George Cobb in 1961.
The course has undergone a series of improvements and redesigns, including modifications to several holes by Arnold Palmer in 1986 and a redesign by Tom Fazio in 1997. The course measures 7,442-yards, it’s very much a shot shapers course from the tee and around its tree-lined doglegs, the greens are very fast here during the tournament and a premium will be placed on that aspect of the game.
The changes to the course for last year’s PGA Championship were a new type of grass called Champion Ultradwarf Bermuda grass has been installed on the greens replacing the bent grass. Thousands of trees have been removed. Lastly there has been a new designed start to the course with the old first and second holes being made into a 540-yard par 4!! A new par 3 second hole and the 11th has seen extra bunkering added.
