Inside the course: Annandale Golf Club

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The PGA TOUR has been teeing it up at Annandale Golf Club for 15 years.

Sep. 15, 2008

The PGA TOUR will play the Viking Classic in Madison, Miss., at Annandale Golf Club. Learn more about this course:

Fast facts

Original architect	Jack Nicklaus (1980)
Course remodel	Jack Nicklaus (2006)
Course superintendent	Al Osteen
Number of PGA TOUR events as host venue	15 (including 2008)
Course ranking	Ranked 31 (out of 55) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2007
Par value	72
Yardage history	7,157 yards (1994-1999)
	7,199 (2000-present)
Grass	Bermudagrass (tees, fairways); Champion bermudagrass (greens); Kentucky bluegrass (rough)
Tournament Stimpmeter	11.5 ft
Sand bunkers	69
Water hazards	8
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Keith Clearwater

Year
1996

Round
2nd

Finish
T21

Holes-in-one

There have been eight aces recorded at the Viking Classic.

Player	Hole	Year
Hal Sutton	2	1996
Chip Sullivan	15	1997
Katsumasa Miyamoto	15	1999
Bob Friend	12	1999
Per-Ulrik Johansson	15	2002
Greg Kraft	12	2006
Boo Weekley	12	2007

2007 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-4 ninth This long hole has a wide fairway, but don't miss it right off the tee or with the second shot. A creek guards the right side of the fairway, and there's a lake right of the green. 2007: 0 eagles, 41 birdies, 256 pars, 93 bogeys, 11 double bogeys, 1 others
Easiest hole in 2007
	The par-5 fifth Consistently the easiest hole on the course, this short, downhill par 5 yielded 13 eagles last year. A good drive leaves a middle- to long-iron second shot over water to a small green. 2007: 10 eagles, 173 birdies, 194 pars, 24 bogeys, 1 double bogeys, 0 others

Annandale GC			2007 rankings		Last 14 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. Score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	4	436	4.004	10	3.986	10
2	4	476	4.226	3	4.150	4
3	3	187	3.081	7	2.998	8
4	5	568	4.872	12	4.910	13
5	4	415	4.051	9	3.992	9
6	4	451	4.192	4	4.164	3
7	5	507	4.611	17	4.664	17
8	4	335	3.752	16	3.834	16
9	3	197	3.132	5	3.122	5
10	4	431	4.068	8	4.047	7
11	4	451	4.299	1	4.257	1
12	4	375	3.936	11	3.984	11
13	4	433	4.103	6	4.110	6
14	5	573	4.816	15	4.876	15
15	3	150	2.842	14	2.886	14
16	4	389	3.855	13	3.912	12
17	3	190	3.278	2	3.187	2
18	5	526	4.419	18	4.620	18

NOTES: Many new natural areas of significant acreage have been added around the course. Tall fescue and hundreds of seedling trees have been established in these areas, which require no special product application or regular maintenance. These areas have attracted more wildlife to the course. Many of the lake and creek banks have been allowed to grow in, creating a barrier against run-off from fertilizer and to help reduce erosion.
• On average, the front nine played 0.079 strokes under par in 2007 and 0.06 strokes over par on the back nine.

Course origins

Over the past six weeks Annandale Golf Club has received over 16 inches of rain, with an all-time record for the month of August. Hurricane Fay completely saturated the course and surrounding area allowing the course to only be completely mowed one time before Hurricane Gustav hit.

The bunkers at Annandale Golf Course were reshaped and filled with new sand in 1997, and in 2006 the G-2 bentgrass greens were replaced with Champion bermudagrass. Also in 2006, the greenside bunkers were cored out with new drainage and sand installed.

The signature holes at Annandale Golf Course are Nos. 8 and 17. The par-3, No. 8 is the toughest and largest putting surface on the course. Slightly downhill with water behind the green, this is the second of two long par threes on the front nine. Annandale members would identify the par-4, No. 17 as their "signature hole." For those who want to gamble with the tee shot, a long iron or fairway wood can be landed onto the island fairway to the right that is protected by water and rough. The island sets up a much easier second shot if properly placed. The optional fairway to the left is guarded by an out-of-bounds area to the left-side and a water hazard to the right. The small and slender 17th green fields shots from many angles.
-- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Tournament course history