Victoria National expected to look different without grandstands, fans

Since no fans are allowed at Victoria National Golf Course for this week’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship, the course will have a much different look and feel this time around.

Victoria National is arguably the toughest stop on the Korn Ferry Tour.

The picturesque course, built on top of an abandoned strip mine, demands respect with its rolling terrain and challenging final, five-hole stretch. However, every year, the professional players say it’s one of their favorites.

“You got to be sharp; you got to be on,” pro golfer Jared Wolfe said. “For us, we got to hit it off the tee. If we hit it off the tee, we’re going to be just fine, but it is a demanding golf course. If you throw in some rain or wind or things like that, it’s going to make it even harder, but it’s a fun golf course and it’s rewarding if you play it well.”

“The golf course is in great shape,” pro golfer Adam Lash. “The rough is very thick and very nasty as it always its. Out here, keeping the ball in play is a precedent, as it is every year. The greens are going to be slick.”

Without spectators, though, the course will look much different, as there will be no hospitality or fan areas, meaning no giant grandstands around Hole 18, or anywhere else on the course.

“Some of the guys really rely on the fans out there, to pump them up when they hit a good shot,” Lash said. “That’s what really makes this week fun - to be able to share it with the spectators and fans out here. There’s probably going to be a little less tension on (Hole 18) green, when there isn’t 10,000 folks standing there.”

“You could get away with maybe a more errant shot if the grandstands were there,” Wolfe said. “You might blade one out of the sand trap and it might hit the stands and come back, or I guess now, it could fly right out of bounds, but it evens out a little bit. "

The only large things that will be erected are the Golf Channel camera towers located around the course, including at Hole 9 and Hole 18.

Original Article written by Aaron Hancock of 14news.com on August 26th, 2020
Read the original article HERE