TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location |
Potomac, Maryland, United States |
| Established | 1986 |
| Operated by | PGA Tour TPC Network |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Tournaments hosted | Booz Allen Classic (formerly the Kemper Open, 1987–2006), Quicken Loans National (2017) |
| Website | https://tpc.com/potomac/ |
| Designed by | Ed Ault, Tom Clark, & Ed Sneed (1986); Stephen Wenzloff & Jim Hardy (2007 re-design) |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,139 yards |
TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm (formerly TPC Avenel) is a private golf club in Potomac, Maryland. After a major renovation to both clubhouse and course, the clubhouse reopened in late 2008 while the course reopened on April 28, 2009.
Originally opened in 1986, the course was roundly criticized for poor design right from the beginning. The course was also plagued by years of flooding and drainage problems and by various turfgrass issues which affected the greens and often produced less than satisfactory tournament conditions. As a result, many top professionals stayed away, and the Kemper/Booz Allen tournament became unofficially relegated to "B" event status.
In summer 2005, Dewberry and Davis land surveying crews were regularly seen taking measurements across the facility, sparking rumors that the long criticized course would finally be reconfigured. Confirmation came in 2007 when The PGA Tour announced a $32 million golf course and clubhouse renovation in an effort to bring back a tournament to the Washington D.C. area. The renovation covers the new course, which has been reshaped into a new par 70, 7,139 yard course with Rock Run Creek being expanded and cleaned up.
The controversial sixth hole (conceived as a weak copy of the 13th at Augusta National) was changed to a straightaway long par-four with the green now short and left of the creek. The par-3 ninth (famously maligned by Greg Norman, who suggested the original be "blown up with dynamite") was rebuilt with a new green up on a hill near the old practice green. The old 10th and 11th holes have been combined into the new tenth, a long par-five playing around the restored creek feature. The old 12th is now the 11th, with the old par-five 13th (another popular target of player angst) eliminated and replaced by a new, uphill par-three 12th and a short, par-four 13th.
In addition to the golf course, the project also included a new practice facility and short game area, and clubhouse renovations.
In November 2015, the 7th and 16th greens were renovated to flatten contours and provide additional hole locations in anticipation of hosting the 2017 Quicken Loans National. Additionally, small improvements were made to a number of holes, including creating bent grass chipping and collection areas around the 3rd, 4th and 18th greens, widening the 5th and 6th fairways, and flattening the front portion of the 13th green to create additional hole locations. Finally, the on-deck putting green was expanded from 1500 sq ft to more than 6,000 sq ft.
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