by Tom Macki n It’s been thirty-four years since Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa, California, has hosted a PGA Tour event. That streak ends this October when it becomes the venue for the Frys.com Open, and no one is happier about that than Johnny Miller. The San Francisco native’s roots at Silverado run deep. As a 21-year-old amateur, he finished second at the 1969 Kaiser International Invitational played at the resort, before winning that event in 1974 and 1975. He fell in love with the setting, buying a condo on the sixth hole of the resort’s North Course before he and his wife, Linda, later built a home on the eleventh hole, a place where they would raise five of their six children. And in 2010 he became part of a group that purchased the property with the intent of restoring its former glory. The first and most visible sign of the resort’s new chapter was Miller’s redesign of the North Course, unveiled in 2011. “I can’t say I dreamed of owning it because the thought never entered my mind,” he says. “But I sure thought about redesigning these courses about 4,000 times, probably as far back as the early 1970s. I said we could do one course (the resort also includes the South Course) and show the world and the membership what the potential of these courses are, and breathe a little life into this iconic property.” SecTion The PGA spotlight is back on Silverado Men’s Pro Golf Tour Returns to Napa Valley Resort That’s exactly what has happened. Miller lengthened the North Course by almost 300 yards, added new fairway grasses and created all new bunkers. He also removed many trees that weren’t oaks or redwoods, creating more room to hit off the tee, and eliminated numerous bunkers that were no longer in play. The reception to the changes has been overwhelmingly positive, a large reason why the PGA Tour is returning—with the season-opening tournament for the 2014-2015 schedule, no less—after playing here annually from 1968 through 1980. “Because Johnny Miller was one of the owners, there was an immediate expectation that there would be a tournament here,” says Tim Geesey, director of golf operations. “Johnny didn’t shy away from that—he went out there and tried to get an event. We talked to everyone, but we were always looking for the right partner. That turned out to be Fry’s. Working with Kathy Kolder (Fry’s co-founder and executive vice president), tournament president Duke Butler, and tournament director Jeff Sanchez has been great.” The 144-player field will be challenged right from the get-go on the North Course, with the first four holes—including the 240-yard par 3 second—providing a strong test. “I’ll be curious to see how they start their round,” says Miller. “Not that those holes are Oakmont-tough, but they are tough. Getting off to a good start will be really important.” As will finishing strong, with two parfives bookending the par-4 17th, which may play 24 www. n A PAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine .com from a new 308-yard tee, making it potentially drivable even though a 100-foot tall redwood guards the green’s left side. “That will be fun to see them drive the green or hit the tree and drop down, possibly in a very bad spot.” But it was tweaks to the 18th hole that dominated Miller’s focus. “I really put a lot of time and effort into the design there, without spending a lot of money. There’s a bunker 25 yards short of green, but it looks like it’s right up against it. We made it high enough so that you can’t see the green from the fairway. It’s a bit of an illusion, so I’m curious to see how that will play.” Bunker work and other aesthetic changes have played a key role in the layout’s new look, according to Geesey. “The bunkers really frame the holes and create a little more movement than ever really existed before,” he says. “The turf conditioning was also a big part of the renovation. The fairways are now a blend of rye and bluegrass. We’ve also changed the mowing lines and fairway cuts, which allows us to create different looks that take advantage of some really great greens designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (the North Course was his first-ever design back in 1967).” For Andy Miller, Johnny’s son and a former PGA Tour player, it will all come down to the speed of those greens during the tournament. “From tee to green the pros won’t have any problems,” he says. “If the Tour wants to keep the greens running at 10 and a half or 11, the winner SpeciAl Frys.com Open PgA golf Tournament
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