OT: - Travelers Championship 2023 | Page 3 | The Boneyard

OT: Travelers Championship 2023

Chin Diesel said:
Cromwell next up on the tee.

Obviously a great field due to it being an elevated event. Strongest field ever for this tour stop.

It's one of the shortest, if not the shortest tracks on the tour. Built out residences, train tracks and CT river make lengthening course a challenge. I'd love to see the course expand to a Par 71 and get the scoring average per round up about 1.5 - 2 shots per round. Yes, I realize adding a stroke to par and then seeing scoring go up a stroke is a push overall.

I've never walked the course, but it seems like 10-12 would be easiest area. Extend 10 down and to the left and make it a Par 5 and then redo 11 to keep ot a Par 3 but at a different angle.

Regardless, 15-18 are a great finishing stretch of holes which make for great TV and the huge crowds provide over the top excitement.
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Have gone many times. Best in memory is the Spieth hole out. What a tournament.
I love starting at 8 in the morning in the grandstands watching the par 3 for a few hours, and then heading to 10. You can sit pretty close to the run off on 10 and get a great view of just a really cool hole. Turn around, you can see the shots into the downhill 11th. Stay there until the final groups are around 7/8, and make your way to the back of 13/tee box 14. 13 is a great golf hole, not a huge window to hit your drive into and then a risk/reward shot in that everyone can go for in 2. Have seen many a balls hit over the green and then having to chip downhill to a sloping green that brings the water into play is always fun. When the leaders make the turn, I like to head to behind 16 where you can see the 15 tee shot (SHAVE THE LEFT ROUGH), 16th hole, and 17th tee shot. 18 is a meh hole, balls funnel to the same spot always, so I just go there when the final group passes 16 since 17 doesn't have a great viewing spot.
Overall, its an excellent course for watching golf. Exponentially better than LACC, and the viewing experience both on TV and in person will be leaps and bounds better than last week.
 
NJHusky said:
Middle of the pack guys make a lot more coin now than 20-30 years ago. #103 is over 1 M ytd!
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In his section on Full Swing, Joel Dahmen basically says this. He knows he can't win a major, but says "someone's gotta be the 70th ranked golfer in the world." He's got almost $11M in career earnings.
 
CT is about to show those losers at LACC how to host a tourney. That was one of the worst US Opens I've ever watched. The limited gallery was pathetic. Can't wait for Sunday...will be on one for an hour or 2, then walking the course backwards until I meet up with the leaders. Ending in the gallery on 18. Yearly tradition.
 
Chin Diesel said:
Cromwell next up on the tee.

Obviously a great field due to it being an elevated event. Strongest field ever for this tour stop.

It's one of the shortest, if not the shortest tracks on the tour. Built out residences, train tracks and CT river make lengthening course a challenge. I'd love to see the course expand to a Par 71 and get the scoring average per round up about 1.5 - 2 shots per round. Yes, I realize adding a stroke to par and then seeing scoring go up a stroke is a push overall.

I've never walked the course, but it seems like 10-12 would be easiest area. Extend 10 down and to the left and make it a Par 5 and then redo 11 to keep ot a Par 3 but at a different angle.

Regardless, 15-18 are a great finishing stretch of holes which make for great TV and the huge crowds provide over the top excitement.
Expand ...
They are severely limited in any options to lengthen the course. Extending 10 would end up too close to the railroad (I think). That require a dramatic change to 11 also.

It is what it is. I’ve played most iterations of it in the past 60 years, from Edgewood to TPC. It seems like the pros torch every course these days.
 
uconnfan68 said:
They are severely limited in any options to lengthen the course. Extending 10 would end up too close to the railroad (I think). That require a dramatic change to 11 also.

It is what it is. I’ve played most iterations of it in the past 60 years, from Edgewood to TPC. It seems like the pros torch every course these days.
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Agreed. The last 5 or 6 years the Masters champ has been between -10 and -20. The Travelers winner has been between -12 and -19. The pros are so good. I will be up there volunteering there again this year again starting with the Pro Am on Wednesday. Great week!
 
TPC River Highlands is frequently rated by the pga tour players as one of their favorites, and the Travelers as an entity has been voted by the players as their favorite event several several times. Travelers really goes out of the way to accommodate them, the crowds are fantastic, and the course doesn’t require you to be a bomber to be able to win. Also 15-17 holes are up there in the best 3 hole stretches in golf. Drivable par 4 with water on the left, par 3 over the water, par 4 over the water. If only they could make 18 a little fancier, though the natural amphitheater around the green to finish is glorious. Can’t wait to go on Friday!
 
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UconnPT2007 said:
TPC River Highlands is frequently rated by the pga tour players as one of their favorites, and the Travelers as an entity has been voted by the players as their favorite event several several times. Travelers really goes out of the way to accommodate them, the crowds are fantastic, and the course doesn’t require you to be a bomber to be able to win. Also 15-17 holes are up there in the best 3 hole stretches in golf. Drivable par 4 with water on the left, par 3 over the water, par 4 over the water. If only they could make 18 a little fancier, though the natural amphitheater around the green to finish is glorious. Can’t wait to go on Friday!
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I usually sit on 18 and even though it’s non descript from a visual perspective I don’t feel like there’s a high % of birdies.

I just looked it up and 18 isn’t in the top half of holes for birdie. I guess it’s not as easy as it appears?
 
15 is by far the most entertaining hole to watch on the course. You see guys putting for eagle that 3 putt for par. You see bogeys pretty routinely due to bad tee shots and many birdies mixed in. The slope around that green is ridiculous. Having played the course a handful of times you can’t really appreciate how difficult it is until you’re on the course. I played in a scramble there for many years and one year I drove the green with a 3 wood and our group which ended up winning and shooting 15 under actually 3 putted from 40 feet away. Very cool hole to watch live.
 
uconnfan68 said:
They are severely limited in any options to lengthen the course. Extending 10 would end up too close to the railroad (I think). That require a dramatic change to 11 also.

It is what it is. I’ve played most iterations of it in the past 60 years, from Edgewood to TPC. It seems like the pros torch every course these days.
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Any way to incorporate the old practice area? Not sure if the club still uses it for such.
 
Hurleyman216 said:
15 is by far the most entertaining hole to watch on the course...Very cool hole to watch live.
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Whenever I go, I make sure to spend some time there. You see a guy almost drive the green but his lie stinks so bad he's lucky to par.
 
Duncan Idaho said:
Any way to incorporate the old practice area? Not sure if the club still uses it for such.
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While the course was doing drainage work this past year they used the old practice area to create a short par 3 "19th hole". It's not really space that could be used to create a longer hole, unless they wanted to totally overhaul the 18th hole and create a significant dogleg right. It also is used for the "fan zone" during the travelers now and I think that's been generally a positive thing. Without some massive changes I don't think there is a lot of spots to add yardage to the course. The reality is these guys are so good and so long, adding 300-500 yards to the track really doesn't move the needle. The fairways are narrow. They grow the rough. There's only two par 5's, which are scoring holes for the pros. They have done a good job with the layout they have keeping it relevant.
 
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A little UConn representation

 
The Travelers is the second highest attended event on the PGA tour after the Waste Management Open. Something to be very proud of especially given its spot on the calendar (the week after the US open).

The course is fine the way it is. It’s never going to host a major but it’s one of the few courses where any type of player (bomber, wedge expert, iron specialist, etc) can win. Par 70, 4th shortest course on the calendar. The winning score is usually -14 to -18 so you have to be able to make birdies. The cut will be 2 or 3 under easily - especially if the rain softens the greens. We could see some really low scores and possibly a winner at -20 given the talent of the field.
 
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Course is toothless right now, but I dont actually mind it. Keegan flirting with another 58 here. Theegala is so damn fun to watch, if that guy could hit a driver he would be top 10 in the world (as is hes like 20th)
 
If were going in person, I'd spend some time watching Austin Eckroat.

Young kid from Oklahoma St who is going to win a bunch on PGA Tour.

www.espn.com

Austin Eckroat 2026 Golf Tournaments Played - ESPN

View the 2026 golf tournament results for Austin Eckroat on ESPN. Includes tournaments played, final position and earnings.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
MJKI said:
Have gone many times. Best in memory is the Spieth hole out. What a tournament.
I love starting at 8 in the morning in the grandstands watching the par 3 for a few hours, and then heading to 10. You can sit pretty close to the run off on 10 and get a great view of just a really cool hole. Turn around, you can see the shots into the downhill 11th. Stay there until the final groups are around 7/8, and make your way to the back of 13/tee box 14. 13 is a great golf hole, not a huge window to hit your drive into and then a risk/reward shot in that everyone can go for in 2. Have seen many a balls hit over the green and then having to chip downhill to a sloping green that brings the water into play is always fun. When the leaders make the turn, I like to head to behind 16 where you can see the 15 tee shot (SHAVE THE LEFT ROUGH), 16th hole, and 17th tee shot. 18 is a meh hole, balls funnel to the same spot always, so I just go there when the final group passes 16 since 17 doesn't have a great viewing spot.
Overall, it’s an excellent course for watching golf. Exponentially better than LACC, and the viewing experience both on TV and in person will be leaps and bounds better than last week.
Expand ...
@8; good tip Sir
IMG_1062.jpeg
 
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So.. KB wins..In his interview with Amanda..Shouts out to New England junior golfers and gives them props for being good despite the fact that they can only play 6-7 months a year because of the snow/bad weather.. Like him as a kid.. Can any of you guys relate?? Thought it was a pretty cool statement on National TV
 
Umami Zen said:
So.. KB wins..In his interview with Amanda..Shouts out to New England junior golfers and gives them props for being good despite the fact that they can only play 6-7 months a year because of the snow/bad weather.. Like him as a kid.. Can any of you guys relate?? Thought it was a pretty cool statement on National TV
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Love it when people win and give props to their town/state/region. Saw Clingan today. Kid is famous now.
 
Happy for Keegan great for New England. Also really happy Patrick Cantlay crapped himself his last 3 holes or things could have gotten ugly!
 
sports.yahoo.com

'Technology has passed this course by': Rory McIlroy calls TPC River Highlands obsolete

After an 18 under at the Travelers Championship, Rory McIlroy was unimpressed by TPC River Highlands, saying "technology has passed this course by."
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

I don't disagree with anything Rory said, but as him being "the face" of the tour these days I am wondering how much weight these comments will have as it relates to the event's status and placement next year when the schedule is finalized.

I personally think the course is now setup to be a perfect Champions Tour venue, as much I as hope that DOESN'T happen.
 
Gee, thanks Rory for blasting the course after we were such good hosts. Didn't stop him from choking down the stretch with missing makeable putts and poor wedge play on very soft conditions. Biggest choker in golf the last decade. Unfortunately, his comments will carry a lot of weight and they'll remove this course from being mandatory.
 
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