How the Aronimink Golf Club prepared for the PGA Championship

As Aronimink Golf Club prepares to host the PGA Championship next week, it is hard to know which holes on the nearly century-old course will provide the most intrigue.

But those looking for drama at the PGA Championship, which will begin with practice rounds on Monday, should keep an eye on the 13th hole.

The furthest tee box at 13 is usually 385 yards from the center of the green. But Kerry Haigh, PGA of America’s chief championship officer, and John Gosselin, Aronimink’s superintendent, made the decision to push the tee box closer to the green for the Championship.

A tee box within 300 yards of the green will force golfers to make a choice on the par-4 hole. They will need to either drive for the green and risk a bad drive landing out of bounds in the woods, or take a safer shot onto the fairway and cede an eagle chance on the par 70 course.

“From a player’s standpoint, it’s sort of fun to stand on a tee and [say], ‘Well, should I go for it or should I lay up?’” Haigh said. “Anytime you have decisions to make, I think it makes the golf course more interesting.”

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Moving a tee box up from its usual spot may seem like an odd choice for a tournament featuring many of the world’s best golfers, but Haigh said it is a part of the PGA’s philosophy to force golfers to make strategic choices about how they play the course. Haigh says the change should appeal to spectators, too.

“There will be a lot of people wanting to watch that hole and see what the players do,” Haigh said. “We put a grandstand there, right behind that green, so people that want to sit there can watch them make that decision.”

The forward tee box on 13 is one of many minor tweaks the PGA has made to prepare Aronimink to host the PGA Championship, one of golf’s four major championships, next week.

Aronimink closed to its members in November to prepare for the Championship. In that time, the PGA has narrowed some fairways, raised the height of the rough and pushed back tee boxes on certain holes to bring more bunkers into play.

In addition to fine tuning the course to host its first major since 1962, the PGA has also set up the infrastructure needed for the 200,000 fans it expects to visit Aronimink during the Championship.

Concession stands, bathrooms, merchandise stores and a 45-acre area for CBS and ESPN broadcasts have all been constructed since February, and broadcast towers will be set up this week.

As PGA’s top course setup official, Haigh will be focused on green compounds, pin locations, and putting in ropes to define the gallery when he arrives in the Philadelphia area on Tuesday.

In comparison to recent PGA Championship host venues, Aronimink is a compact course. Haigh said the PGA limited the number of tickets it sold to this year’s Championship, which should prevent the course from feeling cramped for the four Championship rounds, which are all sold out.

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“We feel, with the grandstands, it will create a great atmosphere,” Haigh said. “The noise will reverberate around the property because it is more compact. It should provide an outstanding environment to experience the Championship.”

While the PGA Championship will be the first men’s PGA event at Aronimink since it hosted the BMW Championship in 2018, Haigh and others at the PGA of America got a chance to see Philadelphia’s fervor for golf at last year’s Truist Championship, which was hosted at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

Haigh said Philadelphia’s reputation as a “great sports city” has shown in its support of the Championship.

“The Philadelphia market and spectators are great supporters of sports and golf,” Haigh said. “We’re looking forward to welcoming them and for them to have a great experience.”