NOTES ON MERION GOLF CLUB Revision for Jack Nicklaus Signature Edition Course Name: Merion Golf Club - East Course Location: Ardmore, Pennsylvania Length/Par: 3,431/36 - 3,092/34 - 6,523/70 Designer: Hugh Irvine Wilson Difficulty: Moderate. JNSE Design: Lee Ritze (VIALEE on Accolade and GEnie BBS's, TKNK81A on Prodigy) Sources: The World Atlas of Golf Courses (ISBN 0-792-45284-4) Grand Slam - George Peper, Mike Klemme The Yardage Card: OUT IN HOLE PAR YARDS HOLE PAR YARDS 1 4 365 10 4 310 2 5 536 11 4 369 3 3 186 12 4 378 4 5 600 13 3 130 5 4 418 14 4 413 6 4 428 15 4 378 7 4 353 16 4 429 8 4 362 17 3 222 9 3 183 18 4 463 ___ _____ ___ _____ 36 3,431 34 3,092 Revision Notes ============== This is an upgrade to JNSE of the Merion Golf Club that I created for JNUG in December 1991. The changes are principally cosmetic, bringing the objects and background up to the capabilities of JNSE's extended range of colors. This model of Merion was fairly easy and wide-open for the play characteristics of JNUG... it's a considerably greater test in JNSE. To make sure it's a test, I put in U.S. Open caliber deep rough around a narrow cut of short rough. If you stray from the fairway, you'll generally drop a stroke. One concession I had to make to move this course into JNSE was to remove the red wicker basket flagsticks that are synonymous with Merion. The new function within JNSE for the "waving flag" completely obsoletes the old method that some of us used in JNUG to design custom flagsticks. After hunting around in the files for a day or so trying to figure out how to get the wicker baskets in, I decided to give up and settle for the red flag waving in the wind... at least the stick itself has the alternating red and white sections as Merion's does. Original Text ============= Merion Golf Club's East Course is one of the most fascinating courses to be found anywhere. At only 6,523 yards, it was not until the 1981 Open with rain-softened conditions that any of the world's best golfers could best par on this course. It is proof that a championship course can challenge the pros without demanding length. Alas, the drubbing that the wet 1981 course took from the pros frightened the USGA, and they apparently do not feel Merion is long enough to continue as a U.S. Open course. Any of us who have watched an Open here must surely feel that this is a mistake and a loss for golf. My source material for Merion were considerably less than I've had for a few of my recent courses like Augusta and St. Andrews. I often had to guess what the elevations would look like. If you've been lucky enough to visit Merion, I'm sure you'll see errors in my rendition. I hope you can enjoy this course as my vision of what Merion would feel like to play. My favorite holes on this JNUG rendition of Merion are the downhill par-3 9th, and the three finishing holes which play over the old quarry. The 11th is a great example of a short par 4 that can kill you. The view from the fairway to the green at 11 is my single favorite point on this course. You'll find this Merion fairly easy to shoot a good score on... particularly when you learn where the few steeply sloped greens are and remember to keep your approach shots below the hole at those key points. I hope you enjoy Merion. Comments, criticisms and suggestions for new course settings are always welcome, through GEnie, Prodigy, Accolade BBS, Double Eagle, or 19th Hole. My address is: Lee Ritze 1207 Cannes Place Carrollton, TX 75006 (214) 245-0937