{"id":808276,"date":"2026-08-09T20:56:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/808276\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T20:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:56:14","slug":"stage-once-again-set-for-merion-unmatched-in-its-design-and-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/808276\/","title":{"rendered":"Stage once again set for Merion, unmatched in its design and history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not a day goes by that Merion Golf Club\u2019s famed Hogan plaque doesn\u2019t see at least a few adjacent divots.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an irrevocable pull to recreating Hogan\u2019s approach from the crest of the 18th fairway during the final round of the 1950 U.S. Open, especially when a 1-iron is readily available. These days, it doesn\u2019t take nearly as much club to reach the green as Hogan did from 213 yards to set up a two-putt par and later an improbable playoff triumph that came just 16 months after he nearly died from a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus. But even with a 4- or 5-iron, hitting a shot from that sacred spot is no less a privilege.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of thousands of balls have since been struck from those few square feet of golf immortality.<\/p>\n

When it comes to Merion, though, history isn\u2019t just confined to a few blades of bluegrass; it\u2019s abundant throughout the property\u2019s mere 127 acres.<\/p>\n

Ascend the clubhouse stairs to the members\u2019 locker room and each step is greeted by a snapshot of Merion\u2019s storied, 122-year run hosting USGA championships, long the pinnacle of American golf across all levels. Joining Hogan on the walls are other national champions who were crowned here, including Georgianna Bishop, who won the 1904 U.S. Women\u2019s Amateur, the club\u2019s inaugural USGA event; Lee Trevino, who defeated Jack Nicklaus by three shots in an 18-hole playoff at the 1971 U.S. Open; and the only man to win multiple U.S. Amateurs at Merion, Bobby Jones, whose second triumph, in 1930, earned him the distinct honor of being the first \u2013 and still only \u2013 person to complete the single-season Grand Slam, which then also included the U.S. Open, Open Championship and British Amateur. Adding to Jones\u2019 legend, he retired from full-time competitive golf after that historic U.S. Amateur, at the same place where he made his championship debut as a 14-year-old in 1916.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"2013<\/p>\n

Golf: US Open: Closeup of plaque honoring Ben Hogan on No 18 hole during Sunday play at Merion GC. Ardmore, PA 6\/16\/2013 CREDIT: Simon Bruty (Photo by Simon Bruty \/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X156636 TK4 R1 F41 )<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated via Getty Images<\/p>\n

History isn\u2019t done being written at Merion, either. <\/p>\n

The club will become the first to host 20 USGA championships when the 126th U.S. Amateur starts Monday. This is the seventh U.S. Amateur to be held on the East Course, first since Edoardo Molinari lifted the Havemeyer Trophy in 2005 and first individual national championship since the 2013 U.S. Open, claimed by Justin Rose.<\/p>\n

The week will begin with 312 competitors, all wishing to join Hogan, Jones and the rest of Merion\u2019s revered list of champions. To do so, of course, they will need to solve arguably the sport\u2019s most intricate major test.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Bobby<\/p>\n

(Original Caption) Jones Defeats Homans, 8-7, For 5th Amateur Crown. This photo shows Bobby Jones as he got out of a trap at the 6th hole. The ball is shown, in the air. Photo made during final round with Gene Homans at Merion Cricket Club, Ardmore, Pa.<\/p>\n

Merion\u2019s \u2018rare vision\u2019<\/p>\n

Merion\u2019s origins date to 1865 with the founding of the Merion Cricket Club. Thirty-one years later, the club built its first nine-hole golf course in Haverford, though shortly after the design was expanded to 18 holes, improvements in the golf ball rendered the course obsolete.<\/p>\n

In 1910, the club bought an 120-acre, L-shaped tract of farmland two miles away in Ardmore and commissioned a five-man committee to head the design and construction for what is now the East Course. That group was led by Merion member Hugh Wilson, an insurance broker who while captaining the Princeton golf team had designed the university\u2019s golf course. Among those consulted for the East Course project was renowned architect C.B. Macdonald, who had already designed Chicago Golf Club and started work on National Golf Links of America. Macdonald visited the Ardmore site and offered suggestions, then later helped Wilson\u2019s team decide on the final plan.<\/p>\n

Wilson studied U.K. links abroad during construction, notably canceling his trip back on the Titanic when he decided to extend his trip. Some believe that Wilson\u2019s overseas travels also inspired the idea for red, wicker baskets in place of traditional flags, though others credit Flynn, who filed the patent for them in 1915, possibly in hopes of hindering a golfer\u2019s ability to judge what is a constant swirling wind inside Merion\u2019s valley setting. To this day, Merion uses the iconic standards, which measure 7 1\/2 feet tall, including 14 inches for the basket. However, they were not used for the 1950 U.S. Open, perhaps out of caution after Dot Kirby\u2019s shot ricocheted off one during the U.S. Women\u2019s Amateur a year earlier.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

ARDMORE, PA – JUNE 15: A wicker basket flagstick is seen on the second hole during Round Three of the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club on June 15, 2013 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

While the East Course opened in 1912, Wilson and the course\u2019s first greenskeeper, William Flynn, both oversaw modifications to the original layout for over two decades until 1934, when a burly Olin Dutra fought through amoebic dysentery and rallied from eight shots back on the final day to capture the first U.S. Open at Merion. When Wilson died of pneumonia in 1925, Flynn took over as Merion\u2019s lead architect and would later add to his impressive catalog by designing gems such as Shinnecock Hills, The Country Club, Cherry Hills and Philadelphia Country Club, which will serve as the stroke-play co-host for this year\u2019s U.S. Amateur.<\/p>\n

Wilson\u2019s masterpiece \u2013 and Flynn\u2019s polish \u2013 drew admiration from another famous golden-age architect, A.W. Tillinghast, who wrote in a 1934 edition of Golf Illustrated: \u201cThere was peculiar pleasure in revisiting Merion after an interval of years for I have known the course since its birth. Yet, with it all, there was keen regret that my old friend Hugh Wilson had not lived to see such scenes as the National Open unfolded over the fine course that he loved so much. It seemed rather tragic to me, for so few seemed to know that the Merion course was planned and developed by Hugh Wilson, a member of the club who possessed a decided flair for golf architecture. Today the great course at Merion, and it must take place along the greatest in America, bears witness to his fine intelligence and rare vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Merion<\/p>\n

ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 10: A view of the par 4, 18th hole on the East Course at Merion Golf Club on June 10, 2022 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. (Photo by David Cannon\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

A three-act play not withered by age<\/p>\n

The term cathedral is often used to describe golf\u2019s holiest grounds \u2013 venerable venues such as Augusta National, Pine Valley and Pebble Beach. Merion certainly belongs in such spiritual company, though a more accurate descriptor for Wilson\u2019s masterpiece is chapel, as the par-70 remains under 7,000 yards to this day, easily the smallest footprint in the major rota and nearly 600 yards shorter than Augusta.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it\u2019s more Carnegie Hall than St. Peter\u2019s.<\/p>\n

After all, Golf Digest\u2019s Jerry Tarde once brilliantly coined Merion\u2019s East Course as a \u201cthree-act play.\u201d The first act is the Drama, also known as Nos. 1-6. After the gentle handshake, or prologue, that is the 358-yard, par-4 first hole, golfers cross under Ardmore Avenue for the first of two par-5s in the next three holes; uniquely, Nos. 2 and 4 are the only three-shotters on property. The 219-yard, par-3 third is one of three par-3s that measure over 200 yards while the 505-yard, par-4 fifth is arguably the signature hole.<\/p>\n

One of several holes that incorporate Cobbs Creek, the fifth isn\u2019t just the centerpiece of the across-the-road holes, which, to borrow a term from Fried Egg Golf\u2019s Garrett Morrison, intertwine in limited space like a \u201cpaperclip.\u201d The tilted fifth, aside from its relatively meaty length, could be considered a microcosm of the East Course as a whole, placing emphasis on tee-shot placement and angles before letting the green defend itself from birdies.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 09: A general view from behind the green on the par four fifth hole during final practice ahead of The Curtis Cup at Merion Golf Club on June 09, 2022 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. (Photo by David Cannon\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The fifth hole features a significant right-to-left tilt where everything runs toward the creek. The ideal drive hugs the creek on the left, and it rewards such tee balls with a flat lie and the ability to cut an approach shot into the slope, where the ball can then trickle down toward the hole. Miss right, though, and approach shots must be hit from draw-inducing lies and over a carry bunker, requiring a perfect second shot be hit or risk the slope bounding balls across the green and into the water. Find the right rough and golfers have basically no chance at birdie.<\/p>\n

No. 5 played as the second toughest hole during the 2013 U.S. Open, behind only No. 18, while the par-4 sixth ranked fourth in difficulty.<\/p>\n

The next seven holes, Nos. 7-13, are what Tarde considered to be the second act, Comedy. These are mostly the shorter, more gettable holes. During the 1950 U.S. Open, Hogan famously laid back on the par-4 eighth, which now measures 356 yards, so that he could hit from one of the only flat spots in the fairway. \u201cCarefully replace the divot, son,\u201d he told his caddie during a practice round, \u201cbecause I plan to be here every round.\u201d He was.<\/p>\n

When players walk from the drivable 10th hole, one of six par-4s that still measure under 400 yards, to the 11th tee today, a quick glance to the left reveals another plaque, this one affixed to a large rock and designating where Jones closed out his 8-and-7, slam-clinching victory over Eugene Homans in front of a reported 18,000 fans.<\/p>\n

Nos. 10-13 were redesigned in 1922 after Merion purchased seven additional acres. Nos. 10-12 no longer crossed the busy road while the 119-yard, par-3 13th was created back on the clubhouse side.<\/p>\n

That leads into the final act, the Tragedy, which begins with the 448-yard, par-4 14th. Both Nos. 14 and 15 border out of bounds on the left, while the 426-yard, par-4 16th is another standout, featuring a large, two-tiered green that is blind to tee shots that miss too far right. Approach shots must also carry part of an old rock quarry, now dubbed \u201cNo Man\u2019s Land.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 16, one of Tillinghast\u2019s favorites, was the site of Lloyd Mangrum\u2019s two-stroke penalty in that 1950 playoff, which also included George Fazio. Trailing Hogan by only a shot, Mangrum marked his ball so that Fazio could putt, then upon replacing it marked it again to blow off a bug that had crawled. Back then, the USGA did not permit players to mark balls on the green in stroke play except for when the ball is in another player\u2019s line; the PGA, however, did.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"2025<\/p>\n

The 17th Hole of Merion Golf Club in the Ardmore, Pa. on Monday, June 2, 2025. (Copyright USGA\/Fred Vuich)<\/p>\n

The 246-yard 17th hole is the longest of the four par-3s, playing downhill and to another of the course\u2019s multi-tiered greens, this one three-stepped with a thumbprint lower level on the front left that bleeds into the fairway cut. No. 17, of course, bleeds into the most demanding hole of them all, the 501-yard finishing hole.<\/p>\n

Adding to Merion\u2019s quirk is the fact that Hogan subbed out his 7-iron for that famous 1-iron, which was ironically stolen out of Hogan\u2019s locker the night before the playoff. He argued that there are no 7-iron shots at Merion. There are no easy shots, either, around what historian Wayne Morrison characterized as an \u201cenjoyably difficult\u201d layout.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trouble with Merion is that it always has you on the defensive,\u201d Hogan said. \u201cThere\u2019s no way you can take the offensive against it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Mangrum: \u201cThis course demands more accuracy than any course I\u2019ve ever seen. I\u2019d like to have a hay-baling concession here.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Walter Hagen: \u201cThis is the type of course where you feel after every round you play that you can break 70 on your next start. You are sure of it. But somehow you don\u2019t. You are even surer the next time. But something always happens that you weren\u2019t looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps Jones summed up Merion\u2019s East Course best: \u201cIt keeps the pressure on the tournament golfer all the way to the home hole. Its variety of fairway contours, the angles of its green surfaces, its contiguous white faces (as the bunkers were colloquially known) and the intelligence of its routing have made for a course that age has not withered nor custom staled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Merion as Merion\u2019 once again<\/p>\n

The last time the U.S. Amateur rolled down Ardmore Avenue was 21 years ago when Molinari, a 24-year-old engineering student from Turin, Italy, conquered one test of survival after another to become the first champion from continental Europe to lift the Havemeyer. (Viktor Hovland and Josele Ballester have since joined Molinari in that regard.)<\/p>\n

Molinari needed to hole a bunker shot for birdie on Merion\u2019s ninth hole, his final of stroke play, just to get into a 19-for-17 playoff.<\/p>\n

He then went to extra holes in each of his first two matches, against Emilio Dominguez and Matt Every.<\/p>\n

Finally, in the final against Dillon Dougherty, Molinari found himself 3 down at the lunch break before catching fire in the afternoon. He needed just 18 putts in 15 holes before putting away Dougherty, 4 and 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I played today was once in a lifetime,\u201d Molinari said during the trophy presentation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"2005<\/p>\n

ARDMORE, PA – AUGUST 27: Edoardo Molinari of Italy hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during his semifinal match with Austin Eaton III at the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championships on August 27, 2005 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Halleran\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

For nearly a century, not much has changed at Merion aside from a 2019 renovation by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, who rebuilt every green and bunker to modern spec while installing PrecisionAire, a subsurface heating and cooling system that is designed to optimize turf firmness and playability; that will be especially crucial with hot and humid conditions forecasted for this week\u2019s championship.<\/p>\n

Other than adding some new back tees on Nos. 4 and 18, Hanse left the timeless routing as is. He said recently, \u201cYou could wander that property for your entire life and never figure out a better way to compose 18 golf holes on that site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s Ben Kimball\u2019s turn to take Merion\u2019s reins, though the USGA\u2019s senior director of championships and the man tasked with setup for the U.S. Amateur admittedly won\u2019t have to do much.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to play Merion as Merion and let the golf course do all the heavy lifting for us,\u201d Kimball said.<\/p>\n

While not as dense as rough seen in recent U.S. Amateurs at Olympic Club and Cherry Hills, the rough at Merion will still be plenty penal. Kimball will instruct mowers to cut the rough to 4 inches before Monday\u2019s first round of stroke play and then let it grow. As for the green speeds, the goal is to have them run in the high 12s on the Stimpmeter.<\/p>\n

Kimball is perhaps least concerned with length. Merion will tip out at 6,939 yards, less than 100 yards longer than what it played in 2005. As Kimball noted, Merion \u201cdoesn\u2019t beat players by brute force but rather one decision at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then added: \u201cOur goal isn\u2019t to defend a score. It isn\u2019t to see how difficult we can make the golf course. Our responsibility is to identify the best amateur golfer in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just look around; little, ol\u2019 Merion already does an exemplary job at that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Not a day goes by that Merion Golf Club\u2019s famed Hogan plaque doesn\u2019t see at least a few…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":808277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-808276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}