Inside the course: Firestone Country Club

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Condon/PGA TOUR

Mar. 17, 2009

Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, hosts the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational this week opposite the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Here's all you need to know about the course.

Fast facts

Original Architect	Bert Way (1920)
Course Redesign	Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (1960)
Number of TOUR events as host venue	32 (including 2008)
Course Ranking	Ranked fourth (out of 55 courses) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2007
Yardage History	7,149 yards (1976-1996)
	Firestone North Course 1994 (6,918 yards)
	7,189 yards (1997-1998)
	7, 139 yards (1999-2001)
	7, 230 yards (2003)
	7,360 yards (2004-2006)
	7,400 yards (2007-present)
Course Tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Tiger Woods

Year
2000

Round
2nd

Finish
Won

Holes in one

There have been six aces recorded during the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone CC.

Player	Hole	Year
Jim Furyk	15	2006
Hal Sutton	12	2000
Retief Goosen	7	2000
Stewart Cink	15	2000
Nick Price	5	1997
Bob Tway	5	1986

2007 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-4, 494-yard 9th Players must avoid fairway bunkers off the tee on this straight-away par 4. The elevated green is relatively small and slopes from back-to-front. Par is a good score. 2007: 0 eagles, 20 birdies, 162 pars, 130 bogeys, 15 double bogeys, 2 others.
Easiest hole in 2007
	The par-5 526-yard 2nd This narrow dogleg left is reachable in two shots. Overhanging trees make a high, right-to-left ball flight on the tee shot a must. A series of bunkers protect this undulating green that features a false front. 2007: 9 eagles, 131 birdies, 152 pars, 33 bogeys, 2 double bogeys and 2 others. Source: ClubCorp

Brown Deer Park GC			2007 rankings		Last 15 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	4	399	4.076	15	4.050	13
2	5	526	4.678	18	4.586	18
3	4	442	4.119	11	4.059	11
4	4	471	4.432	2	4.355	1
5	3	200	3.012	17	2.983	17
6	4	469	4.164	7	4.142	7
7	3	219	3.079	14	3.063	9
8	4	482	4.231	6	4.031	14
9	4	494	4.447	1	4.270	2
10	4	410	4.137	10	4.062	10
11	4	418	4.036	16	4.001	15
12	3	180	3.085	13	2.995	16
13	4	471	4.264	5	4.203	4
14	4	467	4.316	3	4.203	5
15	3	221	3.100	12	3.088	8
16	5	667	5.158	8	5.159	6
17	4	400	4.143	9	4.051	12
18	4	464	4.310	4	4.221	3

NOTES: Nos. 4 and 9 on the Firestone course were ranked in the top 20 most difficult holes on the PGA TOUR in 2007.
• No. 9 was the 12th most difficult on the PGA TOUR while the No. 4 was 15th.
• The last hole on the front nine is the most difficult on the entire course and ranked the second toughest ninth hole on TOUR in 2007.

Course origins

Established in 1929 by Harvey Firestone and later acquired by ClubCorp in 1981, Firestone Country Club remains a one-of-a-kind golf facility. It is the only course in the world to have held three televised golf events in one calendar year, The American Golf Classic, The CBS Golf Classic and The World Series of Golf. With its three championship level courses, Firestone Country Club is as unique today as it has ever been.

The latest addition to Firestone was the West Course. Opened in 1989 and redesigned by Tom Fazio in 2002, this course -- together with the North and South courses -- makes the Firestone Country Club family complete.

Noted for its length, the par-70, 7,360-yard South Course includes a series of intimidating, long par-4 holes and one of the longest par 5s anywhere. The 16th hole plays to 667 yards. A pond in front of the green captures its share of errant shots. Usually, the casualties aren't the result of futile attempts to reach the green in two. They are third shots from players who hit errant tee shots and find the woods. A well placed long tee shot does not guarantee the opportunity to get home in two.

It has ranked as the second- and first-toughest challenge for professionals at Firestone over the years. When Robert Trent Jones redesigned Firestone into "The Monster" in 1959, this hole made par an excellent score.

Easier said than done, that's the best way to sum up Firestone Country Club's South Course.

Source: Golf Superintendents Association of America

Tournament course history