U.S. Amateur Public Links Blog

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Off-Site Visit

Any visit to Cantigny Golf should include a visit next door to the First Infantry Museum and McCormick's Mansion House. The military museum is dedicated to the evolution of the First Infantry Division, which Col. Robert McCormick served in during World War I and is why the 500-acre grounds is named Cantigny. Cantigny was a French village where a critical World War I battle took place. McCormick later became the publisher of the Chicago Tribune and eventually donated the land on his estate for the museum and 27-hole golf course. Anyhow, the museum traces the First Infantry Division's roots from the Revolutionary War through to the present day. While the First Infantry Division didn't officially form until World War I, it did have predecessors dating back to the Revolutionary War. What's cool about the museum is the interactivity of the exhibits. You can actually feel what it was like to be in WWI bunker or what the troops at D-Day felt as they entered the beach at Normandy. There are terrific films and audio tapes that bring the visitor back in time to give you a feel from the soldiers' perspective. Any history or military buff would enjoy spending a few hours touring around the building, which opened in 1992. The Cantigny folks even brought in a tank and put it in place before the actual museum was constructed.

Posted By David Shefter At 1:05 PM •

Rough Stuff

Besides the Chicago summertime heat -- temperatures are expected to be in the 90s again today -- the pre-championship talk at the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links has been the rough. To put it bluntly, it's brutal. Not Oakmont brutal. But plenty tough for the elite public-course players. Contestants are doing everything during their practice rounds to figure out how to play shots from this thick, gnarly stuff. One player suggested using a low-bounce 60-degree sand wedge. You might even want to go even higher and try a 64-degree lob wedge. Even then, it's going to be a chore to control the ball. Of course the best way to beat the rough is to avoid it all together. Keep the ball in the fairways here at Cantigny and you have a chance to post a solid number. The early reviews of the course have been very favorable. The course is in impeccable condition and the greens have been rolled and cut to speeds of 11 on the Stimpmeter. And on Monday, we finally get started for real. David Shefter USGA Staff Writer

Posted By David Shefter At 9:14 AM •