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2023 PGA Championship: Tree management through memorialization

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1 year ago

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One place that 156 competitors at the 2023 PGA Championship won’t want to spend much time is among the trees at Oak Hill Country Club. For the perspicacious patrons and volunteers, however, not just shade and repose will be found beneath those canopies. A large part of the Oak Hill story is told on the stalwart trunks that frame the grounds.

Tree management programs have been in the news for the past three decades, since courses and clubs took steps to allow sun, wind, and moisture to more efficiently and naturally impact the turf and plantings that define golf course architecture.  The Oak Hill Country Club, near Rochester in Pittsford, New York, is sensitive to the work of its superintendents and grounds crew, and initiated a restorative program five years ago to return the course to its Donald Ross roots. Part of that restoration involved the assessment and culling of certain trees around the two courses and lawns. Members and fans wondered aloud how the removal of certain pines, elms and, yes, even oaks, would impact the club.

Trees at Oak Hill hold more than just their own history and legacy across the property. Many are designated with plaques, commemorating members and important staff, with a special space reserved for winners of major tournaments. The Hill of Fame alongside and above the 13th fairway is known as an august space, but there are many other, arboreal plantings that tell brief but important stories.

I sought the expertise of two gentlemen with vast knowledge of this commemorative program. Mr. Griffen Owen is the current member in charge of the continuation and cataloguing of the program, with an official title of Tree and Memorial Curator for the History and Archives committee. Mr. Fred Beltz is the Club Historian. My debt to each is vast, and their words help to create the following account.

The tree-naming program has existed since the decade of the 1920s. It was then that Dr. John Williams proposed the matter of landscaping the grounds to club president Clarence Wheeler. Armed with approval, the two embarked on a donation program, and raised enough seed money to purchase, well, seeds and saplings. Dr. Williams traveled near and far to collect enough live timber to dress up the club property in leafy luster. Three spaces alongside holes on the fabled East course were selected as nurseries, and these locales allowed the club to plant 20,000 seedlings to begin the tree program.

Not long after, Dr. Williams connected people with the oaks, pines, and other species. A ceremony held on Memorial (nee Decoration) Day would read the names and feats of the honorees, and the location of their memorial plaque. Two of the most poignant stories are told in a club article by the historian. Of Major Michael J. Crino, MD.; 1st Lieutenant Richard Arnold; 1st Lieutenant Herbert Hastings; Private Edward R. Crone Jr.; 2nd Lieutenant George Healy; 2nd Lieutenant Joseph Myler, Jr.; 1st Lieutenant Robert E. Stevenson; and 1st Lieutenant Willard B. Eddy;  Mr. Beltz writes:

“I cannot fully express the pride I feel for these men that I never met but who, at one time or another, shared a love for the 355 acres we all call “home.”  How fitting that a memorial to them will forever be part of the grounds of Oak Hill Country Club.”

From Saipan to Italy, from Germany to North Africa, in stateside training and overseas missions, these OakHillians made the ultimate sacrifice, to defend the freedom and liberties that they and their generations valued, above all else. The most known, and perhaps most moving, is the story of Private Crone. Mr. Beltz continues

“Private Edward R. Crone Jr. was part of the 106th Infantry and took part in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was captured in the Ardennes.  Along with other prisoners, he was sent to Dresden, Germany, in cattle cars, where they lived in a meat-packing plant.  Living on starvation rations, the prisoners took part in forced labor, clearing the city of rubble and bodies after the Allied firebombing.  Suffering from malnutrition, he died less than a month before the war’s end.  Edward Crone is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery.  Fellow POW Kurt Vonnegut used Crone as the role model for the character of Billy Pilgrim in his novel “Slaughterhouse Five.”  After visiting the gravesite, Vonnegut wrote, “There’s a wonderful Victorian cemetery [in Rochester].  And that’s where Billy Pilgrim is buried . . . Visiting Crone’s grave closed out the war for me.”

The tree memorialization program currently lists 375 plaques on the East and West, the clubhouse proper, and the Hill of Fame. Along the 8th hole, parallel to Chapin Way, multiple plaques adorn trees to commemorate winners of the John R. Williams Four-Ball Invitational. On the Hill of Fame, names like Whitworth, Nicklaus, Sorenstam, Trevino, Rawls, Strange, and Middlecoff are remembered for their professional, major championship victories, both at Oak Hill and beyond. Jay Haas earned space for his senior professional win, while Charles Coe and Hank Kuehne garnered memorialization for US Amateur titles. The 1995 European side is also remembered on the Hill of Fame, for its stirring victory over the host USA contingent.

On May 21st of this year, another named plaque may be added to the arborescent archive above the 13th green. It will certainly find a place on the adjacent Wall of Fame, outside the majestic clubhouse. It’s to be expected that the fortunate soul will feel something akin to Shaun Micheel’s reflection on his place nearby on the clubhouse Wall of Fame

“Oak Hill is a very special club and they have an incredible amount of pride in the championships that they’ve hosted and their respective champions. The membership always goes out of their way to welcome me when I’m on property and I’m grateful for that. But, I am truly honored to have a permanent place at Oak Hill.”

May of 2023 will certainly see the addition of another champion to the Wall of Fame. As the club moves through the 21st century, Oak Hill will continue to serve as a beacon of tree management, a venue for tournaments of the highest caliber, and a pantheon for the game’s greatest contributors.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. J

    Mar 1, 2023 at 2:19 am

    LOL what if the tree falls down like it did to the Eisenhower one at Augusta? lol

    Reply Report comment

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Five Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

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5 hours ago

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May 16, 2024

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It was a year ago that we the north, found ourselves with toes and fingers crossed. The Oak Hill PGA Championship of 2023 finished on schedule, despite the iffiness of weather in upstate New York. It’s 75 degrees today across the Niagara Frontier, which makes it two out of three (2022 was the same way) for sultry, unseasonal weather.

Louisville is, let’s be honest, a much better bet for a May PGA Championship, and Valhalla is an exciting venue for the year’s second major championship on the men’s circuit. Brooks Koepka came in as the defending champion, and Rory McIlroy arrived as the last golfer to win a major at the Nicklaus-designed course. That was a decade ago, and lord, have things changed in the world and golf.

Day one at Valhalla offered walk-in eagles, buckets of birdies, and potential for a record-low, winner’s score. We’ll get right to the meat of the matter, with five things that we learned. After all, if you can make par from the muck, anything’s possible in the land of the horses.

1. X marks this spot

Xander Schauffele went head to head last Sunday with Rory McIlroy, at least on the practice green. By the end of the round, Rors had won for a fourth time at Charlotte, while the X Man sat scratching his head, wondering what went wrong. Fortunately for us, Xander didn’t sulk.

The San Diego State alumnus absolutely torched Jack’s track with 62. Four birdies on the front nine, were followed by five more on the inward side. Schauffele never looked as if bogey was a consideration, and he might have gone even lower. Despite winning the Covid-delayed Gold medal at the Japan Olympics (I consider it a major, btdubs) Schauffele continues to chase an initial men’s major, and the validation that it brings. If 62 doesn’t get you over the hump, who knows what will.

2. Scottie starts strong? Aye.

Last month, Mr. Scheffler won a second green jacket at Augusta National. Last year in Rochester, Mr. Scheffler tied for second in this event. Mr. Scheffler began play today with a walk-in eagle, a one-hop affair that never looked as if it might go anywhere but to its home. Scheffler had a few rough holes, but that’s to be expected from a new dad. Each time he made bogey, he bounced back with birdie, so he has that short memory that winners crave. Surprisingly, Scheffler failed to manage one last birdie at the reachable 18th. Perhaps that miss will motivate him in round two.

3. LIV Check-In

It’s good to check in on the departed from time to time, to ensure that the fellows formerly known as PGA Tour members are doing well. It’s safe to say that some of them can still play. Defending champion Brooks Koepka posted 67 on the day, He had an eagle and three birdies on the day, with only a stumble at the 17th. He’s tied for 7th. Bryson DeChambeau made an eagle of his own, but also had a bogey, at the 12th hole. He cohabits eleventh position with Cameron Smith, who ALSO had a bogey on his card. They are one shot behind Koepka, and a fistful more behind the leader.

4. Sahith and Tony at Schauffele’s heels

Both Finau and Theegala represent a special sort of athletic golfer. Their power and their charisma blend to draw golf fans to their groups. Let’s be honest, too, and say that they don’t look like the traditional professional golfer. As much as Tiger Woods did in the 1990s, they have the power to bring greater diversity to the sport.

In terms of their play today, well, only Xander was better. Finau had a clean card, with six birdies and twelve pars. Theegala had seven birdies, ten pars, and one bogey. Each combined power and finesse to insert themselves squarely in contention, ahead of round two. How will they, and Xander as well, manage the afternoon putting surface on Friday? That’s the great unknown!

5. All those other guys are here!

Rory, Tom Kim, Collin, and Viktor are all at minus-three or lower. Valhalla may not be a traditional golf course, but it is the type of course that the world’s best play well. McIlroy currently sits at minus-five, tied with Robert MacIntyre, Kim, and three others in fourth position.  Maverick McNealy finished fast to reach the same figure, as did Tom Hoge. Morikawa closed with birdie to join the sextet at five below. Both Scheffler and Morikawa finished their rounds late on Thursday, meaning they should see smoother greens on Friday morning. If someone is a betting sould, wiser wagers could not be placed on better names than those two, two-time, major champions. Rory will tee off in Friday’s afternoon wave but, hey, he’s Rory, and he won going away last week at Quail Hollow, a course not unlike Valhalla.

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Morning 9: Tiger 2025 Ryder Cup talks continue | Rory: Tour in a worse place with Dunne’s resignation

Published

16 hours ago

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May 16, 2024

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the PGA Championship gets underway from iconic Valhalla.

1. Waugh: 2025 Ryder Cup talks continue with Tiger

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said Wednesday that the organization continues to have conversations with Tiger Woods about captaining the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2025 and there remains no firm deadline to get their pick in place for Bethpage Black.”

  • “A day earlier, Woods told reporters here at the PGA Championship that he is undecided about taking on the role next year…”
  • “He doesn’t do anything that he’s not fully committed to,” Waugh said, “and we totally respect that.”
  • “Still, the PGA’s decision to hold off on naming an American captain for the September 2025 matches is a significant departure – at least three months late – from the past five captains.”
Full piece.

2. Rory: Tour in a worse place with Dunne’s resignation

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”McIlroy, who has become an outspoken proponent of a deal with PIF, was denied a spot on the board last week but was named to the “transaction subcommittee,” which will spearhead the day-to-day negotiations. But the loss of Dunne will be a blow to those talks, the world No. 2 said.”

  • “Honestly I think it’s a huge loss for the PGA Tour if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF and trying to unify the game,” McIlroy said. “Jimmy was basically the relationship, the sort of conduit between the PGA Tour and PIF.
  • “It’s been really unfortunate that he has not been involved for the last few months, and I think part of the reason that everything is stalling at the minute is because of that.”
Full piece.

3. Brandel on AK’s criticism: I thought it was a LIV bot

Our Matt Vincenzi…”On Tuesday during an interview with GolfWRX, Chamblee addressed the feud between Kim and himself.”

  • “At first, I thought it was a bot. But it’s not, it was just somebody who’s been bought.
  • “I thought it was juvenile. Social media is a perfect place for juveniles to go behave like children, like the ball pit at McDonalds without adult supervision. I’m sure Anthony Kim scrolls and gets positive comments and says ‘yeah, these people get me! I’m doing the right thing’. And it’s just juvenile and sad is what it is. I feel sorry for him.”
Full piece.

4. Aberg (knee) ready for PGA

Cameron Morfit for PGATour.com…”Ludvig Åberg said lingering knee soreness that kept him out of the Wells Fargo Championship last week will not be an issue at this week’s PGA Championship.”

  • “The world No. 6 Åberg, who finished second at the Masters Tournament in his very first major start last month, allowed that he is wearing a brace as a precautionary measure.”
  • “Knee’s good,” said Åberg, 24. “It was more of a safety concern last week that I didn’t play. I’m consulting with my doctors, and I trust them with everything that I have, so it’s not bothering me at all this week, and I look forward to playing. I’m wearing a brace just for safety reasons, but it’s nothing that’s bothering me. I’m focusing on the golf.”
Full piece.

5. Masters employee pleads guilty to stealing millions in memorabilia

Sean Leahy for Yahoo Sports…”A former employee of Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia pleaded guilty on Wednesday to transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters memorabilia and historic items, including a green jacket belonging to Arnold Palmer.”

  • “According to federal prosecutors, 39-year-old Richard Globensky made around $5 million over the course of a decade from selling items stolen from the Augusta National warehouse, which were then transported to another party in Florida.”
  • “Globensky pleaded guilty to one count of transporting stolen goods across state lines. As part of his plea, he must hand the government a $1.5 million check this week.”
Full piece.

6. Chamblee on why Rory hasn’t won a major

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee gave his opinion as to why McIlroy has come up empty.”

  • “I just think he can’t find a place mentally where he plays his best golf.”
  • “If you go back and look at what he did from 2011-2014, in that stretch, he led roughly 20% of the rounds he played in major championships. His game has not fallen off, not one bit.
  • “He’s, on paper, pretty much the same player he was. He’s not quite the ball striker he was 2011-2014, not quite, but he’s made up for it with his short game around the greens and on the greens. He’s almost the same player.”
  • “Yet, he’s led just two rounds beginning with the 2015 Masters to the 2024 Masters. I just think that tells you he can’t find the proper way to prepare, the proper way to ease into a round. When he’s needed to play his best, he’s played his worst. When he’s played his worst, he’s then followed it up with his best golf. That’ll tell you that he’s just not in the right place mentally.”
Full piece.

7. Why Scottie’s caddie will have a fill-in Saturday

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler will have a fill-in caddie on the bag for Saturday’s third round of the PGA Championship.”

  • “Ted Scott, Scheffler’s full-time caddie, will miss Saturday’s round at Valhalla Golf Club to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. Scott will leave Friday night after caddying the first two rounds and return late Saturday to loop the final round.”
  • “That’s something we talked about from the beginning of our relationship was family always comes first,” Scheffler said during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday. “It’s the same thing for me as it is for my caddie. It was a pretty easy decision. He told me at the beginning of this year that that was the date.”
Full piece.

8. Chamblee: LIV format makes it impossible to judge player talent

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee explained why he believes the LIV format makes it impossible to determine if a LIV player is playing well.”

  • “Describing the format as “stupid”, Chamblee stated
  • “The format for LIV is just stupid. There’s no other word for it. 54 holes, 54 players start. Willy nilly here and there.
  • “Nobody winning a golf tournament should finish on the third hole on some par three while his closest competitors finish on the 17th hole or the 18th hole.”
  • “When we asked Brandel if LIV players should be in majors, Chamblee indicated that it would be tough to do with no way to truly measure their performance.
  • “It’s just a laughable concept. There’s no way to judge the talents of these players out there. You look at their data, and again, their data is laughable. It’s very hard to hit 75% of your greens and it looks like everybody on their tour is hitting 75% of greens. Who’s keeping their stats? Who’s doing their data? They haven’t gotten their act together.”
Full piece.

9. Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

  • Check out all of our galleries from the year’s second major!
Full piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

Published

3 days ago

on

May 14, 2024

By

GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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