it’s YOUR swing
with Don DeLorenzo
Women’s U.S. Open at CordeValle
W
hen the fi nest women golfers in the world
descend on CordeValle July 4-10 th , it will be
only the third time that the Women’s U.S. Open
golf championship will have been played in California and
the fi rst time it has been held in the Bay Area. The last
time it was held in the area was 1982 and it was over
100 miles away! Whether you are a golfer or not, there are
several reasons you want to make it out to CordeValle for
this event.
CordeValle is just simply a spectacular venue for this
major championship. Since there will be no corporate
hospitality tents on the golf course, you will get to see this
majestic beauty in its natural setting. Combine this with
the thrill of a national championship and it’s a must see.
If you don’t want to spend all day on the course, catch a
few holes of action in the morning and then venture off to
enjoy the fine wines of the thirty-plus wineries that dot the
landscape of the southern Santa Clara Valley.
If you are coming to see the golf, CordeValle is very
crowd friendly with many good routes and vistas to catch
the action. For logistical reasons, the USGA has changed
the route on the front nine slightly but the back nine
remains the same. One of my favorite spots to catch the
action will be hole 5 (originally 8). This is a hole with a
lake to guard the approach and an amphitheater behind
the green, which makes it a great place for the spectator.
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Holes 7-8-9 (original 1-2-3), provide a nice circle to catch
the action on a par 4, par 3 and par 5 and return you back to
the main club area. Hole 15 is a good uphill walk but worth
every bit of it. From the green, you’ll have a great look at the
players’ approach shots and a panoramic view of most of the
course and the entire valley. From there, just tag along with
your favorite group and watch them finish their round on
16-17-18. For the pure golf spectator, I always recommend
the practice range. You will see all the participants up close
at any given time. Check the starter sheet for your favorite
player and get to the range an hour or more prior to their tee
time to see their warm up routine. You might even learn a
few tips for your game!
The players will be facing a very difficult venue in
CordeValle. Besides measuring over 6700 yards for the cham-
pionship, there are many elevation changes from subtle to
severe. Hundreds of white sand bunkers line the fairways
and guard the greens. Extensive mounding throughout the
course will challenge the shot making of these fine players
from the rough and around the undulating greens. There are
very few holes where a shot can just “run up” onto the green,
which will create the need for a lot of “drop and stop” shots.
With the grass mowed to within one quarter inch around
the greens, this will be no easy task. Add to this the thick
U.S. Open rough that the USGA rolls out for their major
championships, and you have a recipe for some great golf.
JULY / AUGUST 2016
gmhtoday.com
THE U.S.
THE WOMEN ARE COMING!