Tiger on the Tee?

Yes, Tiger's here. His gallery was big. In NC, Michael Jordan's was HUGE. (He played with Fred Couples!)

Pictures of Tournament Prep

To the right side of the page you will see the various pictures coming in from Quail Hollow and its preparation for tournament play. Below are some of the descriptions of pictures.

1) Sixteen Jacobsen Super LF 1880's groom a fairway. The two on each "outside" had to make a second pass. Reminds me of the groomers on Poppyfields in China Bowl!!

2) Five maintenance crew tackle a bunker. Every edge perfectly angled. Two more followed trimming the 2' collar so all shots in the vicinity will roll in. Two more followed them with leaf rakes. All are ready for the players who show up tomorrow.

3) No magnolia leaf allowed atop pine straw around the QHC clubhouse grounds.

4) Table tennis in the air conditioned caddy tent. That plus soda, ice cream and bbq right there. QHC is renowned for making certain the caddy experience on the entire tour.

5) Quail Hollow Champions

6) Kemper Open Champions

7) World Seniors Champions

Behind the Scenes At Quail Hollow

What is tournament construction?

In the words of Tony Schuster, Tournament Director of Operations, it's "Destroying a perfectly good golf course, then putting it back together." From staffing to security, telephone lines to temporary offices, restrooms to real time scoring; tournament operations is a year round function. Here are more of the vital relationships and areas of responsibility that fall under this broad function:

· Operations

· Vendors

· Tents and trailers

· Power, cable, and phone lines

· Stand alone kitchens

· Porta-Potties

· Course Construction

· Quail Hollow grounds maintenance

"I could not believe my eyes as the creek, probably 400 yards long, was drained and staff cleaned it of all debris except the rocks and the mud/gravel base. QHC strives for perfection everywhere!!"

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Question: What is the result of a long, cold, wet winter in North Carolina?

Answer: The best conditioned golf course Quail Hollow has ever had.

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Question: How fast are those greens on the stimpmeter?

Answer: Bit over 11

Question: How fast will they be on Sunday?

Answer: Smile. Twinkle in his eye.

Question: Well what does that smile mean to the average golfer?

Answer: If those pros hit their shot into the green above the hole and miss your first putt…it’s almost guaranteed the next one will be uphill!

8150

"8150" (our guest blogger) says that the golf course is in pristine condition. The staff has their work cut out for them with the caliber of players headed to Quail Hollow. Click here to read more about the preparations for the Championship.

Vail GCM Exclusive

Over the next 7-10 days this blog is pleased to announce its very own reporting blogger, live from Quail Hollow in North Carolina. Our guest blogger will be on the grounds preparing for the championship scheduled next weekend.

Word has it our guest blogger landed in Charlotte today and is excited to be a part of this PGA tournament once again.

With Tiger Woods making his second golf appearance of the 2010 season, the scene should be electric and the crowds anxious. We will have some "guest blogs" straight from NC, so stay tuned.