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Forest Hills Closing For The Summer

Author John Patrick
Standing on the first tee at Forest Hills

Forest Hills Golf Course is closing for the summer.

Here’s the story.

How we got to the point where Forest Hills needed to close

Christmas time, 2022, we had extremely cold temperatures.  Weather like we’ve rarely seen.  For almost a week, the nighttime lows were well below freezing. That weather took its toll on the over 20 year old greens at Forest Hills.

By the time we got to the spring of 2023, the damage was becoming evident.  Forest Hills and Augusta University holds a pair of prestigious college events, both women and men.  The greens were an issue.

Throughout the summer and fall of 2023, they did not improve.  By the fall of 2023, conversations were beginning to take place as to what could be done to rectify the situation.  By the time we got to March and April of this year, and once again the women and men were hosting their tournaments, the conversations about the greens had become louder.  There were now coaches talking about whether or not they would return if something wasn’t done.

What Is The Plan For Forest Hills Moving Forward?

Earlier this week, the membership at Forest Hills learned of the plan.  On June 17th Forest Hills shut down.  A team that has worked on some of the finest courses in the country will come in, tear up the greens, to about six inches deep and then begin the work of preparing the soil to be sprigged.  Tiff-Eagle grass has been chosen, a grass that can stand up to the heat of Augusta summers and still provide a wonderful surface on which to putt.

This project will close Forest Hills for the remainder of the summer.  Prime growing season, with a plan to reopen the course on October 1st.

Greens have a shelf life.  20 years is a long time for greens.  The greens at Forest Hills were replaced in 2003, so they were due.  The situation was compounded by the weather of December 2022. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m a member at Forest Hills.  This work is overdue, but it is also costly.  I for one, can’t wait for this fall.  I’m very much looking forward to the completion of this project.

2024 U.S. Open Tee Times and Groupings Announced for First Two Rounds at Pinehurst

The U.S. Open tee times and groupings for the first two rounds have been announced, and Pinehurst is going to be crowded.

The 2024 U.S. Open will feature 156 players starting the tournament. One player – Jon Rahm – has withdrawn, but was replaced by an alternate already. From those 156 players, the low 60 scores and ties will make the cut for the weekend.

Pinehurst No. 2 is playing as a 7,548-yard, par-70 course this time around, and it’s going to be a heavy task for every player. Rounds will begin on both the first and 10th holes both days.

Action begins at 6:45 a.m. Thursday, with the group of Michael McGowan from Southern Pines, alongside Carter Jenkins from Raleigh, and Logan McAllister. From the 10th hole at 6:45 a.m., we’ll have an international grouping of Rico Hoey from the Phillipines, Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland, and Matteo Manassero from Italy.

The final groups on both Thursday and Friday won’t tee off until 2:42 p.m.

The golf world’s top player, Scottie Scheffler, will see his Thursday round begin at 1:14 p.m. on the first hole. He will be grouped with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.

And if you’re wanting to catch Tiger Woods during his opening round, you’ll have to get up early, as he will tee off from the 10th hole at 7:29 a.m. on Thursday (and from the 1st at 1:14 p.m. on Friday). Woods is grouped with Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Below, we take a look at all of the U.S. Open tee times and groupings for the first and second round from Pinehurst No. 2.

  • Thursday (June 13), Hole #1 / Friday (June 14), Hole #10

    • 6:45 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. – Michael McGowan, Southern Pines, N.C.; Carter Jenkins, Raleigh, N.C.; Logan McAllister, Oklahoma City, Okla.
    • 6:56 a.m. / 12:41 p.m. – Frederik Kjettrup, Denmark; Christopher Petefish, Cumming, Ga.; (a) Parker Bell, Tallahassee, Fla.
    • 7:07 a.m. / 12:52 p.m. – (a) Omar Morales, Mexico; Max Greyserman, Short Hills, N.J.; Casey Jarvis, South Africa
    • 7:18 a.m. / 1:03 p.m. – Corey Conners, Canada; Stephan Jaeger, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Emiliano Grillo, Argentina
    • 7:29 a.m. / 1:14 p.m. – Ryo Ishikawa, Japan; Francesco Molinari, Italy; Sergio Garcia, Spain
    • 7:40 a.m. / 1:25 p.m. – Justin Thomas, Louisville, Ky.; Collin Morikawa, La Canada, Calif.; Brooks Koepka, West Palm Beach, Fla.
    • 7:51 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. – Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, Calif.; Adam Hadwin, Canada; Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
    • 8:02 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. – Min Woo Lee, Australia; Sahith Theegala, Spring, Texas; Nicolai Højgaard, Denmark
    • 8:13 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Si Woo Kim, Republic of Korea; Matthieu Pavon, France; Sungjae Im, Republic of Korea
    • 8:24 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Nico Echavarria, Colombia; Robert Rock, England; (a) Neal Shipley, Pittsburgh, Pa.
    • 8:35 a.m. / 2:20 p.m. – Takumi Kanaya, Japan; (a) Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, Calif.; Mac Meissner, San Antonio, Texas
    • 8:46 a.m. / 2:31 p.m. – Isaiah Salinda, South San Francisco, Calif.; (a) Bryan Kim, Brookeville, Md.; Jim Herman, Telford, Pa.
    • 8:57 a.m. / 2:42 p.m. – Carson Schaake, Omaha, Neb.; Charles Reiter, Newport Beach, Calif.; (a) Colin Prater, Colorado Springs, Colo.

  • Thursday (June 13), Hole #1/ Friday (June 14), Hole #10

    • 12:30 p.m. / 6:45 a.m. – Jason Scrivener, Australia; Brandon Robinson Thompson, England; (a) Brendan Valdes, Orlando, Fla.
    • 12:41 p.m. / 6:56 a.m. – (a) Santiago de la Fuente, Mexico; Sam Bairstow, England; Eugenio Chacarra, Spain
    • 12:52 p.m. / 7:07 a.m. – Kurt Kitayama, Chico, Calif.; Taylor Moore, Edmond, Okla.; Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa
    • 1:03 p.m. / 7:18 a.m. – Jason Day, Australia; Harris English, Sea Island, Ga.; Tom Kim, Republic of Korea
    • 1:14 p.m. / 7:29 a.m. – Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Xander Schauffele, San Diego, Calif.; Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, Texas
    • 1:25 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Brian Harman, Sea Island, Ga.; Nick Dunlap, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Wyndham Clark, Denver, Colo.
    • 1:36 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Jackson Suber, Tampa, Fla.; Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas
    • 1:47 p.m. / 8:02 a.m. – Shane Lowry, Republic of Ireland; Keegan Bradley, Woodstock, Vt.; Martin Kaymer, Germany
    • 1:58 p.m. / 8:13 a.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Raleigh, N.C.; Eric Cole, Tequesta, Fla.; Erik van Rooyen, South Africa
    • 2:09 p.m. / 8:24 a.m. – Brendon Todd, Athens, Ga.; Taylor Pendrith, Canada; Alex Noren, Sweden
    • 2:20 p.m. / 8:35 a.m. – Thomas Detry, Belgium; Brian Campbell, Irvine, Calif.; (a) Jackson Buchanan, Dacula, Ga.
    • 2:31 p.m. / 8:46 a.m. – Taisei Shimizu, Japan; (a) Gunnar Broin, Shorewood, Minn.; Maxwell Moldovan, Uniontown, Ohio
    • 2:42 p.m. / 8:57 a.m. – Sung Kang, Republic of Korea; Riki Kawamoto, Japan; John Chin, Temecula, Calif.

  • Thursday (June 13), Hole #10/ Friday (June 14), Hole #1

    • 6:45 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. – Rico Hoey, Philippines; Tom McKibbin, Northern Ireland; Matteo Manassero, Italy
    • 6:56 a.m. / 12:41 p.m. – Dean Burmester, South Africa; Rikuya Hoshino, Japan; Seamus Power, Republic of Ireland
    • 7:07 a.m. / 12:52 p.m. – S.H. Kim, Republic of Korea; Justin Lower, Akron, Ohio; Tim Widing, Sweden
    • 7:18 a.m. / 1:03 p.m. – Lucas Glover, Jupiter, Fla.; Sam Burns, Shreveport, La.; Cameron Smith, Australia
    • 7:29 a.m. / 1:14 p.m. – Will Zalatoris, Dallas, Texas; Matt Fitzpatrick, England; Tiger Woods, Jupiter, Fla.
    • 7:40 a.m. / 1:25 p.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Jupiter, Fla.; Matt Kuchar, Jupiter, Fla.; Russell Henley, Columbus, Ga.
    • 7:51 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. – Tony Finau, Lehi, Utah; Ludvig Åberg, Sweden; Dustin Johnson, Jupiter, Fla.
    • 8:02 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. – Justin Rose, England; Gary Woodland, Topeka, Kan.; Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C.
    • 8:13 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Daniel Berger, Tequesta, Fla.; Ryan Fox, New Zealand; David Puig, Spain
    • 8:24 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Byeong Hun An, Republic of Korea; Sam Bennett, Madisonville, Texas; Edoardo Molinari, Italy
    • 8:35 a.m. / 2:20 p.m. – Austin Eckroat, Edmond, Okla.; Adrian Meronk, Poland; Cam Davis, Australia
    • 8:46 a.m. / 2:31 p.m. – Aaron Rai, England; Davis Thompson, St. Simons Island, Ga.; Zac Blair, Orem, Utah
    • 8:57 a.m. / 2:42 p.m. – Willie Mack III, Orlando, Fla.; Richard Mansell, England; (a) Ashton McCulloch, Canada

  • Thursday (June 13), Hole #10/ Friday (June 14), Hole #1

    • 12:30 p.m. / 6:45 a.m. – Greyson Sigg, Sea Island, Ga.; Grant Forrest, Scotland; (a) Wells Williams, West Point, Miss.
    • 12:41 p.m. / 6:56 a.m. – Chesson Hadley, Raleigh, N.C.; Mark Hubbard, Denver, Colo.; Adam Svensson, Canada
    • 12:52 p.m. / 7:07 a.m. – Beau Hossler, Mission Viejo, Calif.; Victor Perez, France; Adam Schenk, Vincennes, Ind.
    • 1:03 p.m. / 7:18 a.m. – Robert MacIntyre, Scotland; Nick Taylor, Canada; Mackenzie Hughes, Canada
    • 1:14 p.m. / 7:29 a.m. – Tyrrell Hatton, England; Tommy Fleetwood, England; Tom Hoge, Fargo, N.D.
    • 1:25 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Bryson DeChambeau, Grapevine, Texas; Viktor Hovland, Norway; Max Homa, Scottsdale, Ariz.
    • 1:36 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Sepp Straka, Austria; Peter Malnati, Knoxville, Tenn.; J.T. Poston, Hickory, N.C.
    • 1:47 p.m. / 8:02 a.m. – (a) Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Ala.; Jake Knapp, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Cameron Young, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
    • 1:58 p.m. / 8:13 a.m. – Chris Kirk, Watkinsville, Ga.; Billy Horschel, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Adam Scott, Australia
    • 2:09 p.m. / 8:24 a.m. – Ben Kohles, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Denny McCarthy, Jupiter, Fla.; (a) Ben James, Milford, Conn.
    • 2:20 p.m. / 8:35 a.m. – Frankie Capan III, North Oaks, Minn.; Andy Svoboda, Oak Brook, Ill.; (a) Luke Clanton, Hialeah, Fla.
    • 2:31 p.m. / 8:46 a.m. – Harry Higgs, Dallas, Texas; (a) Hiroshi Tai, Singapore; Brandon Wu, Scarsdale, N.Y.
    • 2:42 p.m. / 8:57 a.m. – Joey Vrzich, La Jolla, Calif.; Chris Naegel, Wildwood, Mo.; Otto Black, Detroit, Mich.

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Author John Patrick
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