Inside the course: Montreux Golf and Country Club

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The backdrop for Montreux Golf and Country Club is stunning.

Jul. 29, 2008

Montreux Golf and Country Club in Reno, Nev., hosts the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open this week opposite the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Here's all you need to know about the course:

Fast facts

Original Architect	Jack Nicklaus (1995)
Number of TOUR events as host venue	10 (including 2008)
Course Ranking	Ranked 20th (out of 56 courses) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2007
Yardage History	7,552 yards (1999)
	7,472 yards (2002)
	7,060 yards (1979-1982)
	7,055 yards (1983)
	7,102 yards (1984-1995)
	7,112 yards (1996, 1998-2000)
	7,222 yards (2004-present)
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Bill Glasson

Year
2005

Round
2nd

Finish
T18

Holes in one

There have been seven aces recorded during the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open at Montreux G&CC.

Player	Hole	Year
Jose Coceres	7	2007
Yusaku Miyazato	7	2006
Yusaku Miyazato	12	2006
Michael Long	12	2005
Garrett Willis	16	2004
Tom Byrum	16	2002
Pat Perez	7	2002

2007 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-3 183-yard 16th This tricky par 3 is the shortest hole on the course, but club selection here is critical. You're faced with a long carry over water to a narrow, shallow green that is divided in the middle by a large ridge. You've got more room on the right half of this green, but the toughest hole location will be tucked into the left-hand corner, underneath the huge pines. Hopefully, you'll avoid the pot bunker that protects the left-hand side as well. 2007: 0 eagles, 54 birdies, 255 pars, 79 bogeys, 23 double bogeys, 5 others.
Easiest hole in 2007
	The par-5 518-yard 4th Your tee shot on the par 5, fourth hole must be played down the right side of this narrow fairway to have a clear shot at reaching the green in two. The tee shot must carry the bunker on the right-hand side, or be played with a left to right trajectory. Should you pull or hook your tee shot to the left side of the fairway, your view of the green will be blocked by a stand of pine trees. Should you go for the green in two, your second shot must carry the pot bunker that guards the front left of the green. If you lay up, you'll be playing to a narrow fairway on the right, which will leave you a tricky pitch shot to an elevated green, protected on the right side by a huge bunker. 2004: 2007: 11 eagles, 172 birdies, 187 pars, 40 bogeys, 5 double bogeys and 1 other.

Montreux GCC (2007)			2007 rankings		Last 9 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	4	413	4.014	11	3.927	13
2	3	171	3.012	12	2.975	12
3	4	429	4.063	9	4.082	7
4	5	518	4.661	18	4.696	18
5	4	367	4.034	10	3.985	11
6	4	439	4.101	7	4.063	8
7	3	220	3.173	3	3.186	2
8	4	464	4.197	2	4.239	1
9	5	616	4.904	14	4.832	16
10	4	494	4.166	4	4.093	5
11	5	583	4.798	17	4.727	17
12	3	186	3144	5	3.088	6
13	4	355	4.000	13	3.993	10
14	4	491	4.111	6	4.164	4
15	4	477	4.094	8	4.037	9
16	3	183	3.209	1	3.174	3
17	5	636	4.849	16	4.845	15
18	4	429	3.897	15	3.895	14

NOTES: The par-3 16th is the most difficult hole on the course and was ranked 160 (out of 990) on the PGA TOUR in 2007.
• The easiest hole on the course is the par-5 4th. This hole was ranked 908 (out of 990) on the PGA TOUR in difficulty in 2007.
• The 16th was ranked the 42nd most difficult par-3 out of the courses on the PGA TOUR in 2007.

Course origins

During the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, the front and back nines will be reversed for tournament play. To avoid confusion, the following factual information is related to the holes as they will be played during the tournament.

No. 5 was the first to be completed in 1995, and in 1997 the last hole -- No. 18 -- was completed. There was a grand opening in May 1998.

Holes 15 through 17, known as the "Bear Trap," were originally reversed. All of the lakes on the course are man-made. The 15th is by far the most heavily treed on the course. The 17th was built on a natural sand base unlike the rest of the course, which lies on very rocky soil. The natural sand base on No. 17 is due to a fault-line that runs down the middle of the fairway. The green on 18 was designed as a natural amphitheater in hopes of holding a future major event.

The third hole was originally a dogleg left but was redesigned to a dogleg right to better fit within the property. No. 4 was designed to be a reachable par 5 and No. 5 a driveable par 4. The eighth had the largest tree on the property, but it had to be removed to accommodate the hole. The tree was estimated to be 300 years old. During the flood of 1997, the hole was destroyed and rebuilt in the spring of 1998. The design of the hole is similar to the 14th at Muirfield. The largest amount of soil moved on the course was used to build mounds on the 18th and the lake on nine. Also, in the spring of 2001, the eighth green and the surrounding areas were rebuilt to add key hole locations and demand more accurate shots.

In 2002, more property was acquired, and three additional holes were added to the course to the right of No. 15. These scenic holes were added to replace the previous Nos. 10-12, which were in the high desert, putting Montreux G&CC almost entirely in the forest. Since the addition, No. 13 became No. 10, and the new three holes became Nos. 12-14.

Montreux is owned by Sam and Stan Jaksick -- father and son. The clubhouse is 34,000 square feet and was opened in January 2000. It is located in the Galena Forest at the foot of Mt. Rose, with many holes having a direct view of the mountain. In 1998, Golf Digest selected Montreux as the third best new private course.

After the grand opening, Jack Nicklaus claimed Montreux was one of his top-five designs.

Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Tournament course history