How are the conditions at the TPC Boston? We asked the course superintendent.
The tournament is being played a little earlier than in years past, when it was held Labor Day Weekend.
There will not be any surprises for the PGA Tour players returning to TPC Boston for the FedEx Cup playoff tournament this week. There have been no changes to the course since the PGA Tour was last here two years ago, according to course superintendent Tom Brodeur.
That’s not to say that things will look exactly the same. In July, the PGA announced there would be no fans at events for the remainder of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That means fewer temporary structures such as hospitality tents, thus a wider field of play.
“From our standpoint, we don’t have to mark as many things,” said Brodeur. “You start putting all that stuff out there, and it can impact our irrigation system. You lose the potential to irrigate certain things.”
The tournament is being played a little earlier than in years past, when it was held Labor Day Weekend, with the first round beginning on Friday and the winner crowned on Monday. The advantage to that, as Brodeur sees it, is two fewer weeks of the course being exposed to what has been a long, hot summer. But there’s also a down side.
“There’s very little chance of it getting cool in the middle of August,” said Brodeur. “The Labor Day event, we’d get two or three cool days most years.
“Other than that, it doesn’t seem much different to me, just that the likelihood of getting cool weather is less.”
This summer has presented a bit of a challenge, particularly for the turf. The combination of warm and humid weather in the morning, followed by windy and hot in the afternoon, proved to be tough to contend with.
“We’ve got a pretty good result, we think, but not perfect,” said Brodeur. “A few nicks and bruises for sure.”
Brodeur believes the rough will be a little more sparse than normal, while the greens appear to be in good shape.
“It’s going to be medium rough at best,” he said. “It’s been a long, dry summer, and the course looks like it’s been through a long, dry summer, and that’s OK. It’s kind of nice-looking in its own way.
“We kind of tend to a more natural look, and that is what it looks like. It’s not too forced. We’re not trying to outdo Mother Nature or anything.
“Our goal is to try to be as consistent as we can in how we present the course, and hopefully we will be again.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com