Rainy summer makes for thick rough at 'juicy' Rogers Charity Classic

Calgary Herald

19 hours ago

The rain, rain went away.
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Just in time for the 2025 Rogers Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.
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And much to the delight of tournament boss Sean Van Kesteren, for many reasons.
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'The course is still a little moist, but it's in the best shape it's ever been, and we're getting lots of great comments from the golfers,' said Rogers Charity Classic executive director Van Kesteren. 'The greens are always the best here at Canyon Meadows. But the rough and everything around the golf course is looking like Augusta right now.
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Sounds exactly what golf fans want to hear ahead of the Calgary-hosted PGA Tour Champions event — the 13th of its kind for the world's best golfers age 50-plus — which begins Friday and runs through Sunday.
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'Juicy means it takes a lot more effort to get the ball out of the rough and you don't have a lot more accuracy and control,' Van Kesteren said. 'And that's fun. That's what golf should be.
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'You should be penalized if you don't hit the fairway.'
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Indeed, the golf stars aiming to cash in at the US$2.5-million event are already feeling the aftermath of Calgary's rainy summer during practice rounds and prep sessions at Canyon Meadows.
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Word is the rough has risen to a height seen only in the first year of the event back in 2013.
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But even moreso is grab of the growth under their feet when they're a few feet off the fairways.
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'It's not much taller than it normally would be, but it's way thicker,' said Canyon Meadows head golf pro Matt Freeman. 'Like it is really thick.
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'In member play last week, people were looking for golf balls in the rough for upwards of three minutes. In our club championships, the scores were a little higher than normal and the ball searches were drastic.
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'It's a much different year than others.'
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'You never know, because when the greens are perfect, it's all about putting,' Van Kesteren said. 'When the greens are perfect, low scores happen no matter what. Like when Rocco Mediate won the first year (with a Rogers record 19-under score), we had really tough rough then, too.
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'But he didn't miss any fairways or miss any greens, really.'