Challenging course awaits golfers

Only a year has passed, but the links-style Heritage Hills Golf Course in McCook is playing vastly different than it did during the 2002 John Mullen Pro-Am.

"It's scary this year," said Course Superintendent Bill Bieck, who has watched the native grasses explode in the course's rough areas. "Except for when the course first opened in 1980 and 1981, this is the most severe the rough has ever been," Bieck said.

The Heritage Hills golf pro, Lee Maiden, wasn't here in the beginning, but he has seen the transformation in the past three years.

"For some, the rough grasses are knee-high, and for others they are waist-high," joked the pro, who at 5-foot-5, hears frequent comments about his stature.

Both Bieck and Maiden agree that pros competing in this weekend's Mullen Health & Heritage Classic will have to modify their strategy to be successful.

"The 'bombs away' approach won't work," Bieck said. "The pros are going to have to play intelligent golf, taking shorter clubs to make sure they keep the ball in play. Because of the course conditions, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the pros leave their driver in the bag all the way around."

The drought of the past two years scorched weeds and grasses, taming the course and opening the way for some of the lowest scores ever in the pro-am.

That's not likely this year. "Club selection will be the key," Bieck said. "If golfers have trouble controlling their driver, they had better drop down to a fairway wood or an iron," he said.

As a result of the soaking spring rains, the native grasses are tall and thick. The lush crop of weeds and grasses includes western wheat grasses, downy brome, blue grama and sideoats grama. "Even if golfers find their balls in the rough, they probably won't be able to hit it out," Bieck said.

But -- for straight hitters -- the good news is that the fairways and greens at Heritage Hills are in pristine condition. While traversing the course Thursday evening for the pre-tournament course cleanup, members of the Pick-Up Patrol said they have never seen the course greener or more plush.

"Even the amount of litter is greatly reduced," said the PUPs, who scoured all 18 holes in the clean-up effort.

Bieck's mowing and maintenance crews have worked diligently throughout the week in preparation for the pro-am. Greens, which are covered with creeping bentgrass, have been shaved to speedy levels, and the fairways of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye have been cut to carpet quality.

Course workers are also raking the sandtraps, getting the "beaches" ready for the pro-am onslaught.

All things considered, the golf pro, Maiden, said, "The risk-reward factor for this year's tournament is going to be tremendous. The pro-am players are going to be playing the golf course as it was originally intended to be played: Hit the fairways; hit the greens; and don't miss."