Among the many charming qualities of the magical, intimate Merion Golf Club are the bright red wicker baskets that rest atop the flag sticks and are the official symbol of the club on Ardmore, Pa.
They will be equal parts challenging as well for the players in this weeks U.S. Open, providing a different look, and feel, to the tournament.
The origin of the baskets remains a mystery, but one story involves Hugh Wilson, the designer of the East Course in Ardmore, Pa. Wilson, a fine player, never had designed a course so he took a seven-month trip to Scotland and England. One day, he came upon sheep herders and their flocks and noticed the staffs the herders held all had wicker baskets at one end. Further investigation revealed that the herders kept their lunch in the wicker baskets as a convenience and to keep their food away from animals.
Wilson liked the idea for the top of his flag sticks at the course he had yet to build. The look is unique, the maker of the baskets unknown (the club tightly guards that secret), and the impact will be measured on windy days.
The most interesting aspect of Merion is the wicker basket flags, said Peter Jacobson, who played in the 1981 U.S. Open, the last time Merion hosted, and is now an NBC golf analyst. I was surprised and excited to see that, but also disappointed because you cant really see the direction that the wind is blowing. And on a tight golf course like Merion, you need to know where the wind is coming from.
The wicker baskets which are removed at the end of each day to thwart any theft sit atop heavy metal flag sticks, so they wont give off any indication of wind, either. And with players being creatures of habit, doing the same thing over and over again such as checking the flag atop the flag stick to sense the wind strength and direction, it could throw off many players.
A lot of players do look at the flag as a last resort, but for me, the baskets give me targets to shoot at, said Rickie Fowler, who played on the victorious U.S. team in the 2009 Walker Cup at Merion. But coming down the stretch, if youre in the thick of the tournament, it could be different. Youre so used to seeing a flag and getting that last amount of information, so it might be a challenge for some.
It adds an extra challenge for the caddies, too, especially on holes where there are few trees to help gauge the wind.
Its obviously different. It will be fun. But as a caddie, I wont say its more difficult, but we do use the flags to determine where the wind is up around the greens. Its a hindrance, but I think its neat and cool, said Joe LaCava, the bagman for world No. 1 Tiger Woods. Well have to use the trees a little bit more, the wind charts, throwing up a lot of grass. Well do a lot of things, but at the same time I like to think well get it figured out.
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