Inside the course: Montreux Golf and Country Club

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Montreux Golf and Country Club is about halfway between Reno, Nev., and Lake Tahoe.

Aug. 3, 2009
By PGA TOUR Staff

The TOUR heads in two directions this week -- one group to Ohio and the other group to Reno, Nev., for the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Here's all you need to know about the host course -- Montreux GCC.

Fast facts

Course Superintendent	Doug Heinrichs
Original architect	Jack Nicklaus (1997)
Course remodel	Jack Nicklaus (2004)
Number of TOUR events as host venue	11 (including 2009)
Course ranking	Ranked 26th (out of 54 courses) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2008
Yardage history	7,552 yards (1999)
	7,472 yards (2002)
	7,060 yards (1979-1982)
	7,055 yards (1983)
	7,102 yards (1984-1995)
	7,112 yards (1996, 1998-2000)
	7,222 yards (2004-2008)
	7,472 yards (2009)
Grass	Bentgrass, Poa annua (tees, fairways, greens); Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fescue (rough)
Tournament Stimpmeter	11.5 feet
Sand bunkers	62
Water hazards	6
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Bill Glasson
Parker McLachlin

Year
2005
2008

Round
2nd
2nd

Finish
T18
Won

Holes-in-one

There have been eight aces recorded at Montreux GCC

Player	Hole	Year
Omar Uresti	16	2008
Jose Coceres	7	2007
Yusaku Miyazato	7	2006
Yusaku Miyazato	12	2006
Michael Long	12	2005
Garrett Willis	16	2004
Tom Byrum	16	2002
Pat Perez	7	2002

2008 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	A dramatic tee shot from an elevated tee about 138 feet above the fairway gets your attention on the par 4, eighth. You must drive it as far as possible to get the shortest club you can to this very narrow green. The fairway is wider than it looks and is protected on the left by Galena Creek. The difficult green sets against Galena Creek with two deep bunkers on the left side. Getting the ball up and down from these left-hand bunkers will be difficult. 2008: 0 eagles, 46 birdies, 235 pars, 93 bogeys, 20 double bogeys, 10 others.
Easiest Hole
	The par 4, fifth hole is a true risk/reward hole. This narrow, slightly downhill, tee shot requires great accuracy and forces the player to make a choice. Either lay up off the tee with a long iron, or try to drive the green with a left to right trajectory. The green is narrow, but deep, and is softly undulating. If the wind picks up, it makes for an interesting decision. 2008: 17 eagles, 158 birdies, 186 pars, 39 bogeys, 4 double bogeys and 0 others.

Montreux Golf & Country Club			2008 rankings		Other 10 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. Score	Rank	Avg. score	Rank
1	4	413	3.985	11	3.930	14
2	3	171	3.01	10	2.982	13
3	4	429	4.052	8	4.079	8
4	5	518	4.641	18	4.697	18
5	4	367	3.97	13	3.987	12
6	4	439	4.057	7	4.069	9
7	3	220	3.275	2	3.196	2
8	4	464	4.297	1	4.245	1
9	5	616	4.755	17	4.824	17
10	4	494	4.119	5	4.088	7
11	3	584	4.802	16	3.096	5
12	3	186	3.119	5	3.092	6
13	4	355	3.98	12	3.996	11
14	4	491	4.213	4	4.171	4
15	4	477	4.04	9	4.039	10
16	3	183	3.228	3	3.180	3
17	5	636	4.834	15	4.844	16
18	4	429	3.913	14	3.900	15

Course origins

Montreux Golf and Country Club's 18 championship holes of 7,472 yards sit at an elevation between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. The Sierra setting has towering pine trees, creeks, seven lakes, four waterfalls, and it drops and rises in elevation. Montreux is Northern Nevada's only Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course. Nicklaus has stated that Montreux is one of his top five courses. The PGA TOUR stop at Montreux is also the only West Coast TOUR event held in the summer.

During the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, the front and back nine are reversed for tournament play. A flood destroyed No. 8 in January 1997, which had to be rebuilt in the spring of 1998. The design of the hole is similar to No. 14 at Muirfield. After the flooding in 1997, the creek that now runs through No. 8 was found to be a natural waterway and was worked into the redesign, as it was not part of the original design of the hole.

In 2002, more property was acquired, and three additional holes were added to the course to the right of No. 15. These scenic holes were added to replace the previous Nos. 10, 11 and 12, which had more of a high desert open design. Since the addition of the new holes, Montreux is almost entirely in the forest. -- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Tournament course history

Course	Location	Years
Montreux Golf and Country Club	Reno, Nev.	1999-present

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-3, 163-yard 16th at Montreux GCC
LAST YEAR: The 16th played to a stroke average of 3.228, with players recording one ace, 62 birdies, 230 pars, 74 bogeys, 34 double bogeys and one other.
DESCRIPTION: This tricky par 3 is the shortest hole on the course, but club selection here is critical. You're faced with a long carry over water to a narrow, shallow green that is divided in the middle by a large ridge. You've got more room on the right half of this green, but the toughest hole location will be tucked into the left-hand corner, underneath the huge pines. Hopefully, you'll avoid the pot bunker that protects the left-hand side as well. (Click here for Montreux GCC tour)