Initial Feedback Fairly Positive After 1st Round At Trinity Forest GC
Among all the hang-wringing over what the Tour pros thought of Trinity Forest GC, outside of the golfers that didn’t play well (no surprise there) most said the course’s unique layout was a breath of fresh air from the Groundhog’s Day sameness each week on typical Tour stops.
There’s much to like about it although hopefully there are some improvements on the horizon.
- Figure out better gallery access on holes so it doesn’t look like a Tuesday practice round on TV. Even marquee Jordan Spieth’s threesome had nearly zero followers on various tee boxes.
- Provide more video graphics to display to viewers the undulating terrain on fairways and greens. TV flattens out every course (even Augusta National), so giving better visual details is a good viewing bonus. In addition, how about a long drive graphic on a par-5 to show how long the rollouts are. Spieth hit a few drives over 350-yards.
- More shade for the gallery. While officials mentioned stationing shade and misting tents around to provide relief from the blazing heat, it appeared more gallery members huddled near hospitality suites to find shade.
Okay, onto what the pros thought via the Dallas Morning News’ Kevin Sherrington.
Mark Leishman: “I think if we were to get a bit of wind, it’s going to change this place completely,” said Leishman, who hit every fairway Thursday. “I think you’re going to see some years where 20 under will win the tournament, some years 5, 6 under will win it. All weather-dependent. “When I got here and saw instantly, I was happy that we’re here and it’s just a cool spot, something that we don’t play all the time,” he said. “I think it’s a good change.”
Spieth: “It was about as easy tee to green as I’ve ever seen this place. Not surprised to see low scores. Wish I got more out of it, honestly.”
Sam Saunders: “I fell in love with this golf course,” he said. “I think it’s really good. I think it’s a very fair test of golf. As you can see by the names on the leaderboard, it suits all types of players.”
Keith Mitchell: “There’s so many different ways to play it you can get lost and end up playing the wrong shot.”
Matt Kuchar: “I think best said under the lesson, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. “I really liked Las Colinas. That place was great. I really, really enjoyed Las Colinas.”
Sergio Garcia: “Course played great. Firming up a little bit, but the weather was beautiful. Wasn’t a lot of wind. I don’t know, just wasn’t able to get it close to the pin.”
There will no doubt be more accolades and slams as the tournament goes forward. Not many players like change (and they’re an ultra-conservative bunch anyway), so allow for some common sense patience and I believe the course will adapt and find its sweet spot.
