Hazeltine, At The Top Of The Golf World
As the sun set Sunday, October 2nd, 2016, on Hazeltine National Golf Club, the biggest golf event in the history of Minnesota was over. After years of planning by Patrick Hunt and his committee, the Ryder Cup was history. It was Hazeltine’s finest hour. The club was among the elite in the world.
During the 1970 US Open Dave Hill famously called Hazeltine “80 acres of corn and a few cows”. How did Hazeltine climb from that point to one of the elite clubs in the world?
Reed Mackenzie has been a member and tireless advocate for Hazeltine since it opened in 1962. As a former President of the USGA and Chairman of the 1991 US Open at Hazeltine, no one has done more to promote championship golf at the club and in Minnesota than Reed. I spoke with Reed and others about the club and course.
Hazeltine was the dream of Totten Heffelfinger, a wealthy Minnesotan and former president of the USGA. It was his idea to build a course with the mission of hosting national golf events including the US Open. His goal was achieved in less than ten years with the staging of the 1970 US Open won by Tony Jacklin. However, Hazeltine came out of the event badly tarnished. I have never heard a course so poorly reviewed as Hazeltine was following the 1970 US Open.
The criticism came as a big surprise to all. Designed by top golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, the USGA staged the 1966 Women’s US Open. In 1968 the Minnesota Golf Classic, a PGA Tour event, was held at Hazeltine. The two events were played in midsummer under sunny skies. Newspaper articles show there was no criticism of the course by the players or media in either event.
I caddied in the 1968 Minnesota Golf Classic for Doug Sanders. Never one to hold his tongue, I remember no negative comments about the course from him, even while marching toward a disastrous second round causing him to miss the cut.
So what happened to cause the outrage toward Hazeltine in 1970? My theory is the weather. I have a rule of thumb; until the Sunday of the US Open (the third week in June) the weather in Minnesota can be unpredictable. After the third week in June until late September it can be counted on as summer like.
In the days leading up to the US Open in 1970 the weather was good. I wore shorts caddying for Earl Stewart Jr as he played practice rounds with Sam Snead. Newspaper articles again showed no complaints about the course.
Thursday was a different story. It was a day that would change Hazeltine forever. The gray clouds hung low, with temps in the low to mid 50’s as Earl Stewart took to the tee at 10:00 on June 18th. A biting wind at 20 MPH and higher blew relentlessly over the unprotected course. With the wind out of the north, two of the most difficult holes, 9 and 18, were both uphill and straight into the wind.
The 16th, then a 240 yard par three, was also into the wind. Some players could not carry a creek running in front of the green. Other holes played into the wind or cornering into the bluster. Even the down wind holes were difficult. It was cold. It was difficult. It was not fun.
The scores were unheard of from professional players. Of the big three, Palmer, Player and Nicklaus, only Palmer with 79, broke 80. Only half the field broke 80..
With good weather on Thursday Hazeltine might not have undergone the transformation that has taken place. It was the bad weather that started the changes at Hazeltine to make it into the course it is today.
Since 1970 every hole has been altered, some several times. It started soon after the ’70 Open with work by Robert Trent Jones who had formed a partnership with former PGA Tour player and TV commentator Bob Rosberg . The initial changes largely involved the areas on and around several greens.
Construction proceeded on various projects as the 1977 Women’s US Open approached and was played. Following that event an agreement was reached with the USGA that if certain work was done to the course another US Open would be awarded.
Inverness in Toledo had made the same arrangement. With the understanding that four new holes would be built, Inverness was awarded the 1979 Open. However, in an uprising at Inverness the board of directors who had approved the deal, were voted out by a dissident group not wanting to change the course.
The USGA was caught in the middle. They had a signed contract but had no compliance from the club. The 1979 US Open was held at Inverness, but it was not the course the USGA wanted.
Suddenly the understanding between Hazeltine and the USGA was altered. The Inverness experience changed the selection procedure. The USGA would now make decisions based on what had been done to a course, not what needed to be done. Hazeltine was cut lose and no longer assured of getting a US Open based on future changes.
Following the 1977 Women’s Open a committee was formed to work on needed changes to the course. Confidence in Robert Trent Jones was waining. His son, Rees Jones, also a successful course architect was contacted. Initially, not wanting to cause a family problem, he was hesitant. However, when his father teamed with his brother, Robert Trent Jones Jr, to compete for another project Rees was bidding on, Rees came on board.
It was at this time that the present 16th and 17th holes were redesigned, along with changes to many other holes.
Through this period finances were a problem. An agreement was made between certain committee members to finance the work. Money would be loaned to the club. If an Open was awarded, the money would be paid back. No Open, no repayment. It was another key moment in the history of the club. If the financing had not been found to pay for the changes, would Hazeltine have been able to attract the US Open and the PGA Championship?
Work went on for a long period of time. Members had shirts made with a bulldozer as the logo. Fortunately, following a successful 1983 US Senior Open, the 1991 US Open was awarded to Hazeltine.
The 1991 Open was the most successful in history with Payne Stewart defeating Scott Simpson in a playoff. Talk of a ten year rotation of the Open filled the air with Hazeltine being part of the rotation. Knowledgeable USGA insiders were cautious. However, with the great success of the event and warm comments from the USGA staff and committee people, members were confident.
While some USGA people were not fans of the course, Hazeltine’s ability to host the massive event, the profitable underserved golf market in Minnesota, and past success would drive the decision. Discussion speculated the next Open for Hazeltine would be 2001.
Then fate stepped in. Southern Hills in Tulsa entered the fray with a late bid for 2001. Going to great lengths to tell Hazeltine it was not a reflection of their course, the 2001 Open was awarded to Southern Hills.
It was the mid ‘90s and Hazeltine had long been in discussions with the USGA about the Open in 2001. The decision by the USGA to go to Southern Hills in Tulsa in 2001 had to be a disappointment to the club leadership. The new leaders of the club may have been less loyal to the USGA as a result. Would they ever get another Open?
Enter the PGA. Did the PGA approach Hazeltine or was it the other way around? Hazeltine was well known to the PGA with long time club professional Mike Schultz being active in the organization. It was known that some USGA staff did not care for Hazeltine. After a successful 1991 US Open and continuing improvements to the course, they still had not secured a commitment for a future Open from the USGA.
Whatever the reasoning and process, Hazeltine was awarded the 2002 PGA Championship. It was a classic situation of a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. After nearly 40 years of hosting USGA events, Hazeltine moved to the PGA.
The 2002 PGA Championship was a huge success and the PGA let it be known they would love to come back soon. Late in 2002 it was announced that Hazeltine would host the 2009 PGA Championship and the 2016 Ryder Cup. At the time the Ryder Cup was so many years in the future that few focused on the enormity of the award.
Years passed. The Golf Channel flourished and the Ryder Cup exploded in popularity. The 2012 Ryder Cup at Medina in Chicago captivated the golf world as the American team collapsed coming down the stretch. With a four year build up and staging never seen before, the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine set a new bar. It was a win for all parties. The PGA made money, the club made money, Minnesota loved it. Hazeltine catapulted to the top of the golf world.
Soon after the 2016 Ryder Cup, the PGA and Hazeltine went into discussions about the next event. The PGA was forever indebted to Hazeltine because the job done at the 2016 Ryder Cup was unmatched. The discussion centered around what year the PGA Championship would come back to Minnesota. Undoubtedly both parties wanted to make a decision.
Then came the bombshell, the PGA and the PGA Tour agreed to move the PGA Championship to the spring. Because of weather, the PGA no longer had the ability to hold their Championship during the month of May in Minnesota and Hazeltine.
With the PGA Championship moving to the spring, in an unprecedented move by the PGA, Hazeltine was awarded the 2028 Ryder Cup. Never in Ryder Cup history has the PGA gone back to a venue. It was a reflection of Hazeltine’s status in the golf world. Europe has gone to the Belfry four times, thus it was not unheard of, but groundbreaking for the US PGA. With just two Ryder Cup events in the US between matches (2020 and 2024), the award was a surprise to many.
It took nearly 50 years but Hazeltine has gone from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the mountain in the golf world. It took great leadership from Reed Mackenzie, Irv Fish, Bill Travis, Patrick Hunt, and Jim Anderson and others, along with the vision of Totten Heffelfinger and Bob Fisher.
Factors out of their control like weather and other events played a big part. However, it was the perseverance of the membership keeping their eye on the prize through the good and the bad, that elevated their club. Hazeltine is considered one of the top venues in the country for staging the biggest golf events in the world.
Hazeltine has been a vital part of the competitive golf scene in Minnesota for over 50 years. No club has brought top professional and amateur golf to Minnesota as has Hazeltine. I will forever thank the members of Hazeltine for their tireless efforts in a life in golf.
