LA QUINTA COUNTRY CLUB ROCKS THE PROS!
La Quinta Country Club still loved by Bob Hope
Classic golfers !
LA QUINTA — Although the sun wasn’t shining at La Quinta Country Club on Wednesday, players sounded like they were
in golfing paradise.“I remember my first year out here in ‘07, I was going, ‘Man, I could play here every day,’” George McNeill said.
It didn’t hurt that McNeill shot the lowest round of the day at the course — a 7-under 65 — but fellow pros echoed his praise. They are pleased that the course has rejoined the rotation at the Bob Hope Classic after a one-year absence.
“I’ve always liked this golf course,” McNeill said. “It’s always in just absolutely perfect shape.”
The course wasn’t used last year primarily because a new clubhouse was being constructed. It opened last fall.
But it’s the course’s historic charm as well as its flawless greens that most impress the pros.
La Quinta Country Club opened in 1959, and was first used for the Hope in 1964. The setting is intimate. Its well-conditioned layout weaves through cottage-style houses dotted with citrus trees.
“When I’m here, I know I’m in Palm Springs,” said Matt Kuchar, who shot a 5-under 67.
McNeill also raved about the greens, saying that he and his fellow golfers consider them among the best on tour.
“We go, ‘Man, the best greens we play on all year are at La Quinta,’” he said.
Jeff Klauk also complimented the course’s condition. He is hard to impress. His father served as the superintendent at TPC Sawgrass.
“The course is in great shape,” said Klauk, who shot a 6-under 66. “Being the son of a superintendent, I always seem to notice a lot of things.”
Although the conditions at La Quinta were cool and windy, scoring was slightly lower than in 2008. The scoring average was 69.688 on Wednesday, and 69.891 two years ago.
Three strokes behind leader Shane Bertsch, McNeill saved his round at one of the Hope’s most historically difficult holes, the 434-yard second.
The par-4 requires players to land their drives in a narrow space between bunkers and palm trees. It was the second most difficult hole in the tournament Wednesday with a 4.406 average.
After an errant drive, McNeill was forced to pitch out from behind a tree, but he got up-and-down for par from 80 yards. He then closed with three birdies on his last five holes.
Scoring at La Quinta will depend on the conditions as the week progresses, McNeill said, but he said players could finish a few strokes lower than his 7-under 65.
“You’ve still got to shape your shots off the tee, and you’ve still got to shape your shots into the green,” he said. “Being soft, you can go at the pins.”
But he doesn’t see anyone threatening the course record of 11-under 61, which Lennie Clements set in 1994.
“I don’t see anybody shooting 60 or anything,” McNeill said. “If they do, good for them, but there won’t be more than one of them.”
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