Presidents Cup 2007

BLUE COURSE
The Royal Montreal Golf Club, the oldest golf club in North America, was founded on November 4, 1873. It was originally a 9-hole layout on Fletcher’s Field, part of Mount Royal Park. In 1896, the Club moved to Dixie, in the parish of Dorval, where 36 holes were enjoyed until the pressures of urban growth again dictated a decision to relocate. The Club moved to its present location on Ile Bizard in 1959, where 45 holes were designed by renowned Golf Course Architect Dick Wilson and his Associate Joe Lee.

In 2004, Rees Jones was retained to remodel the Blue Course. Renovations to the Front Nine were commenced in September 2004 and completed in the Spring of 2005. The Back Nine of the Blue Course was renovated in the Fall of 2005 and reopened for play in the August 2006.

The Blue Course has essentially the same layout, except that Holes 12 and 13 have been reversed; 12 is now a par 5 and 13 a par 3.

• The greens are all constructed to USGA specifications and sodded with L93 grown on the same USGA soil mix.• The greens range in size from 4,000 to 6,000 square feet. All of the greens are elevated and tightly bunkered. The greens tend to have 3 distinct areas or “greens within a green”.• The fairway bunkers were redesigned and relocated to a range of 280 to 320 yards from the tee. Carry bunkers are at 260 to 280 yards.• The tees were all reconstructed into pods. Drainage has been installed in all tees.

• The fairways all have an engineered system of slit drains, similar to the Cambridge Drainage System.

The Front Blue is a par 35 playing to 3,542 yards:

No. 1 (444 yards, par 4)
The first hole is a slightly uphill dogleg to the left. The left side of the fairway is bunkered and a long carry at 320 yards. The green is kidney-shaped, narrowing at the front. The back left plateau of the green slopes away from incoming approach shots.

No. 2 (385 yards, par 4)
The second hole is a dogleg right, slightly downhill and a driveable par 4. The green sits perpendicular to the fairway and has 2 dramatic spines that divide the green into 3 distinct areas. A deep bunker guards the left side of the green, while the right side falls away sharply demanding a very precise touch.

No. 3 (437 yards, par 4)
The third hole is a slight dogleg right. A well placed drive still leaves the player with a demanding shot to the raised 3-tiered green, which is protected by deep bunkers at the left and right front. The green falls away sharply at the back.

No. 4 (501 yard, par 4)
The fourth hole should be the most difficult hole on the Front Nine. It is an uphill dogleg left with a very narrow tee shot landing area, protected on both sides by bunkers. The player is normally playing into the prevailing wind. The green is kidney-shaped, narrow at the front and protected at the front left and right by bunkers.

No. 5 (203 yard, par 3)
The fifth hole is a very demanding par 3 that requires a very precise shot to another elevated kidney-shaped green. The pattern continues with the front portion of the green being very narrow. It is well protected by deep bunkers at the front left and right of the green. The green has a pronounced spine through its left and centre sections.

No. 6 (570 yards, par 5)
The sixth hole is the lone par 5 on the Front Nine; and one of only two on the Blue Course. There is the potential to hit the green in two, but the prevailing wind is generally into and/or slightly across the player’s face. The hole is a dogleg right with a generous tee shot landing area that is bunkered on both sides. The green is large and angled to the fairway. It sits on a plateau with two very deep bunkers at the front of the green and a series of bunkers along the back. The green is relatively flat, but has a demanding putting surface with a number of distinct areas within the green.

No. 7 (153 yards, par 3)
The seventh hole is a deceptively short par 3. The player does not want to miss this small well bunkered green as they will be faced with a difficult shot from deep bunkers that protect both sides of this narrow green … or have a challenging flop shot.

No. 8 (394 yards, par 4)
The eighth hole provides a slight pause, as the next ten holes become progressively more challenging. This is a short, downwind hole with a dogleg left. The tee shot landing area is very generous. This green departs from the kidney shape of most previous greens. It is round and, unlike the previous greens, much of the green’s surface is not visible from the area that most players will be hitting their approach shot.

No. 9 (437 yard, par 4)
The ninth hole leads back to the Clubhouse and is a slight dogleg left. The tee shot landing area is bunkered on the left side, requiring a 320-yard carry. The green is elevated, narrow at the front and guarded by deep bunkers on both sides. The green has a pronounced spine from the middle of the back to the center of the green. If the approach shot is not in the same quadrant of the green as the pin, a birdie is highly unlikely.

The Back Blue is a par 35 playing to 3,629 yards:

No. 10 (460 yards, par 4)
The 10th hole is where water becomes a factor on many holes of the Back Nine. A large pond comes in to play down the left side of this hole, starting at 160 yards from the green and continuing to the green. The right side of the hole is tree-lined from the tee to the green. The green is situated on a front right to back left axis with a waterfall style green surface, featuring three separate areas that increase in height from the front to back plateaus.

No. 11 (476 yards, par 4)
The 11th hole is an uphill hole with a slight dogleg right. There is a carry bunker on the right side of the fairway requiring a carry of 260 yards. The right side is also treed from the tee to the green. A very strong fairway bunker turns the hole on the left side at 310 yards. This hole will play at least its full yardage, as the prevailing wind is into the face of the player and most drives will be hitting into a gradual slope. The green is narrow at the front, well bunkered on both sides and has a spine from the back through the middle of the green, making it essential for an approach shot to be in the same area as the pin.

No. 12 (570 yards, par 5)
The 12th hole is the second and last par 5. This hole plays slightly downhill and most often downwind. The landing area is generous and protected on the left side by a carry bunker at 280 yards, and on the right by a series of bunkers at 290 to 320 yards from the tee. The hole turns to left from the tee shot landing area. The fairway dips from this point, rising to a distinct plateau at the green. The hole is reachable in two, but is protected on the left side by step bunkers and has a strategic collection area on the right side. The green moves sharply from back to front and away from the collection area. Any pin location on the right side of the green will require a cautious approach.

No. 13 (224 yards, par 3)
The 13th hole is a downhill par 3 backed by a stand of mature Sugar Maples. The green has 3 distinct plateaus with very demanding back pin positions. The front of the green is narrow and well bunkered on both sides.

No. 14 (369 yards, par 4)
The 14th hole has a large pond on the left side of the fairway that stretches from the green halfway back to the tee. The right side of the fairway has a mature Maple forest from tee to green. The fairway narrows in to a very tight landing area that is bunkered on the right side. Most players will lay up off the tee with a mid to long iron. The green is very narrow with 3 very distinct sections, with water a factor all along the left side of the green. The front portion of the green is very small and bunkered on the right side. This hole can be played from 300 yards, making it a driveable par 4; thus, it may well be the “surprise hole” on the Back Nine.

No. 15 (448 yards, par 4)
The 15th hole also has water in play, as a large pond is located in front of and around the left side of the green as well as along the left side of the fairway. A driver may not be the choice off this tee as players will select a driving club to get them to the best angle for their approach shot to the green. The green is long and narrow with a pair of bunkers on the right side and a pot bunker on the back left between the green and the pond. The back pin placement will sit on a very small plateau and will only be attacked by the most confidant players.

No. 16 (456 yards, par 4)
The 16th hole has a large pond all along the left side of the hole. Again, a driver may not be the choice off the tee as accuracy is essential, particularly at this point in the round. The second shot is played over water to an elevated green which is protected on the right side by an intimidating, “monster” bunker with a collection area on the left. The Final Round pin placement will likely be on a plateau in the back right of the green behind the bunker.

No. 17 (160 yards, par 3)
The 17th hole may well be a “make or break” hole. The tee shot is played over a pond that extends down the right side of the green and beyond. The prevailing wind will be a factor as it blows across this hole towards the pond. There is no room for error between this narrow green and the pond. The green is bunkered on the left side and has a spine through the middle from back to front.

No. 18 (466 yards, par 4)
The 18th hole is a very strong finishing hole that plays to the most challenging green on the Blue Course. Water is a factor off the tee and all down the left side. The tee shot landing area is narrow and bunkered on the right side. Only the longest of hitters could consider driving the pond, and only with a favourable wind. The green is elevated with a front left to back right configuration. The back plateau of the green is small and relatively flat; however, the front portion of the green has a steep slope forward which is defended by an imposing bunker — there is no room for error with the approach shot to this green.