Daily Fantasy Golf Course Primer: THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT
THE CJ CUP brings with it not only its all-capital styling but also another iteration within the United States rather than in South Korea.
This time around THE CJ CUP will be held at The Summit Club, a par 72 located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
What can we glean about the new course and how it might play? Let's dive in.
The Summit Club Course Information
Par: 72
Distance: 7,431
Average Green Size: 6,580 square feet
Green Type: Bentgrass
Stimpmeter: N/A
Past 5 Winning Scores: N/A
Past 5 Cut Lines: N/A
The par 72 spans over 7,400 yards and features greens that are larger, on average, than the usual PGA Tour stop, which sets up well for scoring ability for this select field. Larger greens, though, do correlate a little weaker with strokes gained: approach than usual.
Also, we can, perhaps, spot herons, roadrunners, quail, and red-tailed hawks on the broadcast, and I'm all about that type of life.
On a more serious note, we should expect low scores here this week.
The Summit Club Hole-by-Hole Breakdown
| The Summit Club |
Par | Yards | vs Average PGA Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 377 | 87% |
| 2 | 3 | 192 | 97% |
| 3 | 5 | 597 | 106% |
| 4 | 4 | 430 | 100% |
| 5 | 4 | 366 | 85% |
| 6 | 5 | 614 | 109% |
| 7 | 3 | 138 | 70% |
| 8 | 4 | 491 | 114% |
| 9 | 4 | 438 | 102% |
| 10 | 4 | 508 | 118% |
| 11 | 3 | 235 | 119% |
| 12 | 4 | 360 | 84% |
| 13 | 4 | 480 | 111% |
| 14 | 5 | 550 | 98% |
| 15 | 4 | 458 | 106% |
| 16 | 3 | 182 | 92% |
| 17 | 4 | 435 | 101% |
| 18 | 5 | 580 | 103% |
| Total | 72 | 7431 | 101% |
There's a mix of short and long holes on this course, but three of the short holes are short par 4s, which typically set up well for longer hitter, and the fourth hole that is at least 90% (or shorter) than the average PGA Tour hole at the same par is a short, 138-yard par 3.
Then we still have to look at three long par 4s and a long par 3 of 235 yards, which will benefit longer hitters who can get more loft into that green.
With so little known here, it's a pretty easy case to prioritize some driving distance.
Key Stats for THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Driving Distance
- Birdie or Better Rate
- Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass
We really don't know a ton about the course, but what we do know should be promising for a lot of birdies: large greens, a par 72 (so an extra par 5), and a good handful of short-to-average holes overall. The high fairway-acre-to-yardage ratio suggests an emphasis on distance and a de-emphasis on accuracy.
For that reason, I think a ball-striker profile stands to benefit the most at such a course. That's even with the larger greens that open up the field to weaker iron players -- because larger greens also correlate negatively with driving accuracy.
Potentially Similar Courses to The Summit Club
Other Las Vegas Courses:
- TPC Summerlin (Shriners Children's Open)
- Shadow Creek (THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK)*
Other Tom Fazio Designs:
- Shadow Creek (THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK)*
- Caves Valley Golf Club (BMW Championship)
- Corales Golf Club (Corales Puntacana)
- PGA National (The Honda Classic)
- Congaree Golf Club (Palmetto Championship)
Other Courses With a High Fairway-Acre-to-Yardage Ratio & Bentgrass Greens:
- Augusta National (The Masters)
- Kasumigaseki Country Club (The Olympics)
- TPC Harding Park (PGA Championship, 2020)
- TPC Craig Ranch (AT&T Byron Nelson)
You'll probably hear a lot of Shadow Creek comps this week, and it's worth noting the high fairway-to-length ratio generally comes at tracks that emphasize distance.
