Inside Quail Hollow Changes for PGA Championship

CHARLOTTE, NC — It seemed like a crazy plan. Take an already PGA Tour caliber golf course and turn it into a major championship venue. In just 15 months!

But Quail Hollow Club President Johnny Harris’ calculated risk will pay off next week, when the 99th PGA Championship tees off in Charlotte.

“The feedback that Rory McIlroy provided to Mr. Harris, in that it starts with a firm handshake,” says PGA Championship Director Jason Mengel. “I think that says it all.”

The work started before the 2016 Wells Fargo Championship was even finished.

Getting ready to host the PGA Championship meant more than just cosmetic changes. Mengel walked me through the four new holes, starting with number one, which took the existing hole and the par three second, and rolled them into one long, 540-yard par-four opener.

“They’re not going to necessarily recognize the opening stretch of holes,” says Mengel. “So the first hole, right off the bat, almost playing to the old second green location.”

The modifications by designer Tom Fazio also opened up room for new spectator venues, and the 45-thousand square feet of the Wanamaker Club just off the first fairway.

“We’re kind of right here at what was really the old fifth hole, and now it’s the new fourth and fifth hole,” Mengel points as he shows us the new holes. “And so the par-three fourth hole behind us.”

That new par-three, and new the par-four 5th, present the players a different challenge.

“This stretch, you know one and then the old, reconfigured second and third holes,” continues Mengel. “And then the brand new fourth and fifth holes. I mean it’s going to test you right from the get go.”

A new, pushed-back green and additional bunkers were added to hole number eleven on the back side. And the putting greens have a new surface, switching to a genetically engineered Bermuda grass, trucked in all the way from Texas.

“Instead of the over-seeded Rye that you would have seen in years past, the Bermuda had a chance to grow in naturally,” says Mengel. “And the playing surface, you know it will likely play a little firmer, a little faster than it has in the past.”

The reconstruction at Quail Hollow took just 89 days, start to finish, with three firms working simultaneously.

The course is also scheduled to host the President’s Cup international tournament in 2021.