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Korn Ferry will be playing 7,991 yards at TPC Colorado

By Christopher O'Day

JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 25: Scottie Scheffler watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on October 25, 2018 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 25: Scottie Scheffler watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on October 25, 2018 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /
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Golf is longer than ever before, and the Korn Ferry Tour decided to challenge their golfers this week at TPC Colorado, with a course that measures 7,991 yards.

With players on the PGA Tour hitting it further and further every year, it almost makes sense that the Korn Ferry Tour would up the length of an event to see what would happen. It’s similar to how baseball will try things out in the minor leagues before implementing them in the majors.

A couple of years ago, I read an article by Alan Shipnuck talking about how the length of courses needs to change for the pros. We aren’t quite to the 9,000-yard course he talks about, but we sure are getting closer.

Part of what makes watching golf on TV interesting is seeing those pros, or aspiring pros, hitting shots that you can only dream of. It’s why the PGA doesn’t want to change the ball to reduce distance. I don’t want to watch Rory hitting drives that are consistently under 300 yards. I want to see monster shots. A longer course makes for more awe-inspired viewing.

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We are going to be getting some of that this week at the Korn Ferry TPC Colorado event. Yes, it is in Colorado at an elevation of just over 5,000 feet. That doesn’t mean that the shots are going to look any less impressive. Especially once you take a look at the scorecard to see how the distances vary from hole-to-hole.

Check out the first hole. A 624-yard par 5. What a way to start. Then a 238-yard par 3. These are the kind of holes that viewers want to see, as they would be very difficult for regular golfers to get even close in regulation.

The shortest par 5 this week is 580 yards. If anything, they are giving you a break after two of the longest holes you will ever see. First up is the par 5 13th hole. This monster is a 773-yarder, with an enormous bunker sitting 200 yards out from the green. Imagine hitting a nice drive, a nice second shot, and still being 200 yards out.

No rest for the weary, as immediately after they have the longest par 3 I have ever seen. 273 yards! There are plenty of people who wouldn’t be able to get there with a driver at a normal elevation. With professionals at this height, we could be seeing 4 irons into it, or even less club.

The back is going to be a bit longer than the front, mostly due to the 13th and 14th holes. When you combine a par 5 and a par 3 and come up with 1046 yards, you know the total length for the side is going to be lengthy.

There are still some shorter par 4’s, which will make for a nice change of pace. There are three par 4’s that are under 400 yards, providing the golfers with a nice breather along the way.

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The Korn Ferry Tour is taking a step in the right direction by lengthening the course. There isn’t always room for something like this, but it will be nice to see. The next question is waiting to see who will crack the 8,000-yard mark.

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