The Monroe Invitational

Alex Elias

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Courtesy of The Monroe Invitational

Designed by Golden Age architect Donald Ross in 1924, Gil Hanse oversaw the restoration of Monroe Golf Club in 2008. Recently, Hanse said, "With this history, tradition, and a chance to study some of the finest golf course architecture on the planet, The Monroe Invitational is an an opportunity that no amateur golfer should pass up." 

With the top amateur golfers set to descend on Monroe Golf Club, Monroe Golf Club Head Golf Professional Joe Merlin said, "The Invitational means a lot to me both professional and personally. Personally, I love the purity of the amateur game and having an opportunity to share some time with the world’s best amateurs is just so exciting. I love getting to know each of them as best I can because they all come from different backgrounds with different stories, but they all have something I share with them, a passion for the game and competing at the highest level."

"Professionally, I just love to give back and to provide memories for people through the game of golf so working at a club that opens its doors sharing its unique culture, championship level course, and first-class membership with a group of this caliber on an annual basis is something I’m very proud of. Few clubs host an event of this magnitude on an annual basis and I feel very fortunate to play a small role in perpetuating this great tradition that Monroe has celebrated since 1937," said Merlin.

As The Monroe Invitational boasts a rich tradition, with distinguished champions such as Fred Ridley (1976), Dustin Johnson (2007), Thomas Pieters (2012), among many others, the tournament’s impact extends far beyond its past champions. Reflecting on the lasting impact, Brad McCluski, Director of Golf at Dedham Country & Polo Club, said, "The Monroe was huge in my golf life. We used to house college players from schools like SMU & Georgia every year for probably 7/8 years and had two champions. Just being around them taught me so much about competitive golf. I always played better after the week with them and trying to be just like them."

As The Monroe Invitational continues to earn immense recognition, Monroe Golf Club does as well, and rightfully so. Celebrating it's 100th anniversary, Tom Doak said, "It's the best piece of ground for golf in Rochester." Subsequently, Brian Silva said, "[Monroe] is surely one of the greatest Ross courses I have ever seen." 

Speaking to Ross' superb design, Merlin said, "The beauty of Monroe is that you get this sense of safety off the tee with generous fairways, but with our sandy loam soil the course generally plays super firm and fast so it’s easy to find yourself out of position off the tee leaving you a difficult angle into our traditional Ross green complexes.  Having a poor angle or the wrong distance into the tricky pins that players will face will lead to short sides misses.  Being short sided to a tucked Ross pin out of thick rough or sand will leave these guys struggling to get up and down."