Rees Jones came bounding off what will be the third green at Cog Hill. On this June day, it was a mixture of mud and other materials thanks to a recent downpour. Jones looked like he was wearing a couple of fudge cakes over his shoes. He hardly noticed.
“Well, what do you think?” said Jones, almost like a child seeking affirmation from a parent. “Do you think we’ll get a U.S. Open?”
Frankly, an assessment was difficult to make since the renovations for “Dubsdread” are only in midstream. Many of the newly designed greens lacked grass and the reshaped bunkers still were without sand.
But Jones says, “golf course architects can see it in the dirt.” The dirt looks beautiful to Jones.
“I love it,” Jones said. “I think this should be an Open site in 10 years.”
It’s hard to tell who wants an U.S. Open more for Cog Hill: Jones or owner Frank Jemsek and his family. Jemsek brought in the noted “Open Doctor” architect to oversee the redesign of the No. 4 course.
Construction began last fall after the BMW Championship. Thanks to a terrible spring, the course likely will open in 2009.
Jemsek is spending several million dollars to update the course. But the larger goal is to fulfill the dream of his late father, Joe Jemsek, to have a U.S. Open held on No. 4.
Frank Jemsek took the direct route by hiring the 66-year-old Jones. He has done the renovations for seven Open courses, including Torrey Pines.
Jones feels a deep connection to the Jemseks. His father, the legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, and Joe Jemsek were good friends. He also loves the public facility, which offers four courses for a variety of players.
Jones sees Cog Hill landing a U.S. Open as a supreme challenge. One United States Golf Association insider said “no way” about No. 4’s Open chances. Cog Hill did not receive high marks when it hosted the 1997 U.S. Amateur.
Jones obviously feels differently. He said he wouldn’t have taken the job if he didn’t think Cog Hill could be transformed into an Open course.
“I didn’t want to say I’m going to do it and then not have a chance to (land an Open),” Jones said.
Toward that end, Jones’ renovations have included stretching No. 4’s tee boxes back to 7,600 yards for the pros. He has repositioned many of the bunkers to accommodate the modern long game.
The changes are evident from the first tee, as two new bunkers loom at about 300 yards out with a pinched-in landing area. It should be quite an eye-opener.
One of the biggest changes is the addition of a pond on the right side of the par-4 seventh, adding some drama. The par-4 18th will play to 500 yards with the green being shifted perilously close to the pond.
“I don’t remember the last time a pro hit a ball in there,” Jemsek said. “It should be in play now.”
However, the core of Jones’ work is on the greens, and for good reason.
“The greens are what make a championship golf course,” Jones said.
The old greens were criticized for being too flat and spongy. They’ve been ripped out and replaced with greens featuring a SubAir system that can help keep conditions firm and fast after a rain. That’s another selling point to the USGA, Jones said.
Jones’ greens will feature contours that will allow speeds of 14 on the Stimpmeter. They also have “diagonals” in which the player will have to pick the right club to hit the right spot of the green.
“You want to give them shot options,” Jones said. “They’ll have to learn when to go for the pin and when not to.”
Jones clearly is proud of his work, and it is easy to get caught up in his enthusiasm. Even if only judging from the dirt outlines, you could see the potential.
“The work is stupendous,” Jemsek said. “Things are just running a bit behind my schedule.”
Mike Davis of the United States Golf Association, who sets up the Open courses, already has made one visit. Jones says he will invite him out again later this summer when there is more for him to see.
Jones says Davis was positive about the changes. However, he added, “They keep things pretty close to the vest.”
Jones, though, doesn’t. He already is in full campaign mode when it comes to his renovated course getting a U.S. Open.
“I think this golf course is in the 21st Century now,” Jones said. “It has the shot options, the ebb and flow holes, the greens, the finishing hole. Everything is shaping up nicely.”
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esherman@tribune.com
