on May 20, 2018
May 8, 2018 By: Dave Donelson – Challenging greens promise excitement and heartbreaks in biennial competition between US and GBI women golfers.
When the Curtis Cup brings sixteen of the world’s best amateur women golfers to Scarsdale’s Quaker Ridge GC June 8-10, the course will be ready for them. The biennial competition will be played on one of four A.W. Tillinghast courses within a ten minute drive that architect Gil Hanse has rejuvenated in recent history. Quaker Ridge, colloquially known as “Tilly’s Treasure,” will prove quite a test.
Hanse recently completed a multi-year restoration project of the two courses at Winged Foot GC, literally across the street from Quaker Ridge, and began one last year at Fenway GC not far away in Scarsdale. His work at Quaker Ridge was completed in 2008.
“This golf course requires you to be patient and figure it out,” Hanse said. “It’s all about angles and strategies. When golfers walk off the greens here with a par four, they’ll be delighted because par is going to win a lot of golf holes.” That’s different from the usual go-for-broke mindset of match play, which prompted Hanse to opine that Quaker Ridge may not be a great match play course, although that depends largely on how the USGA sets it up.
Shannon Rouillard, the USGA’s director of women’s events, says “This match is going to be won or lost on the putting greens.”
Virginia Grimes, the USA Curtis Cup Team captain, agrees: “I can’t say enough about the greens.” She points out that many of the women on the two teams don’t often compete on heavily-contoured greens like those at Quaker Ridge, typical of many traditional northeastern US golf courses. When they are set up for tournament speeds with tight pins, scorecard havoc can quickly ensue.
The Curtis Cup pits a team of eight players from the US against one from Great Britain and Ireland. It’s held every two years and has shone a spotlight on the early careers of Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, and Michelle Wie along with Stacy Lewis, Nancy Lopez, and Lexi Thompson.
You’re welcome to follow the future stars of women’s golf at Quaker Ridge. Admission is free, but the USGA requires registration in advance. Parking will be at Manhattanville College with free shuttle bus service to the course.