RADIO
As the 2024 PGA Tour Season winds down, the penultimate event of the year is held this week at Port Royal Golf Course for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Many players vying for a spot in the top 125 have descended upon the small island of Bermuda to take on this demanding golf course and the additional weather elements that could be a major factor this week.
Port Royal is a short course that weaves along the coastline and requires precision to score well on the Robert Trent Jones design. Recent winners over the last five years have allowed us to hone in on the important factors to play well consistently at this event.
Let's break down everything you need to know about Port Royal Golf Course and how we can isolate certain player attributes that I believe are best suited for a high likelihood of success this week. I hope this piece can be a FREE and easy read to start your prep week. Let's dig into the course!
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An Introduction to Port Royal
On a small island located in the middle of the Atlantic, Bermuda has become celebrated for its abundance of golf culture and enthusiasts. The most famous course on the island is Port Royal Golf Course which was built in 1970 under the architectural profile of Robert Trent Jones Sr., a famed course designer at the time who's more recent work has drawn some criticism.
Jones did a great job in Bermuda though, as this course provides some truly astounding views and golf holes that look naturally built into the oceanside landscape. It's a golf course that is open to the public and I'm sure the tee sheet is packed with visitors who are there to play challenging golf, but also take in the panoramic oceanside views along the cliffs.
Port Royal underwent a $14 million dollar renovation in 2009 which was overseen by Roger Rulewich. The installed all new grass and reshaped the bunkers that had taken a beating over the years by the harsh coastal winds and ocean air. The PGA Tour began hosting the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in 2019 at Port Royal and it has become one of the island's biggest attractions.
Some of the views at this course are simply outrageously good.
Who else is ready for these stunning views of Port Royal Golf Course?! 😍
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship is almost here! ⛳️ Don’t miss your chance! Lock in your tickets today for November 14-17! ⬇️
🎟️ https://t.co/juyDyH4ihB#ButterfieldBDAChampionship pic.twitter.com/GsW1Nc780X
— Butterfield Bermuda Championship (@Bermuda_Champ) November 10, 2024
Scorecard:
Course Specs
At 6,828 yards, Port Royal Golf Course is one of the shortest courses that you will ever see on the PGA Tour. That said, the difficulty of this course is not dictated by the yardage, but rather by the wind. Winds were down in 2019 and 2023 when the winning score was -24 under par. In 2020 and 2021, the winds were blowing at the winning score ended being -15 in both years.
The course can be broken down into segments. The first six holes play through the trees and inland native areas, shielding players from the wind. It's essential that players score well during this portion. The final twelve holes play into and along the ocean cliffs and are perched up which exposes players directly to the elements.
The fairways are generally small and tough to hit. The majority of the back nine plays along the coast and into side winds, which effectively shrinks the landing areas and increases the importance of picking the proper, and sometimes nerve-wracking start lines.
The course features wall-to-wall Bermudagrass. Water comes into play on seven holes and many of the greens are well protected by the 87 bunkers on the golf course. The greens themselves average 8,000 sq. ft. in size which is generous for players that are still attempting to hold the greens from the rough. The 235-yard 16th hole is an iconic par 3 is the signature hole at Port Royal.
Statistical Considerations
We have six years' worth of data at Port Royal Golf Course which gives us a good understanding of the style of player that is best-suited for success. Here's the thing, I don't think this course overly rewards any one skill set and we have seen a high variance of winners.
The biggest thing is that this is one of the few courses on Tour that really puts an emphasis on driving accuracy over power. Anytime that the rundown of previous champions includes Camilo Villegas, Brian Gay, and Brendon Todd, then you are going to want to prioritize hitting it into the fairways off the tee.
The wind is projected to be pretty substantial at points this week. Anytime I see 30 mph wind gusts on a course that is tight and narrow, I'm actually factoring in a lot more Strokes Gained: Short Game. Greens become tougher to hit, and avoiding bogeys often comes down to getting up on down from these tight Bermudagrass lies and collars.
Some of the other course specific filters that I threw into my stat model this week at SG: Tee to Green on coastal courses, strokes gained approach from 100-160 yards, strokes gained total in windy conditions, and good drives gained. Here are the top 10 players in the field in Good Drives gained over the last 6 months:
- Daniel Berger
- Chez Reavie
- Scott Piercy
- Greyson Sigg
- Matt NeSmith
- S.Y. Noh
- Rico Hoey
- Matti Schmid
- Alex Smalley
- Nick Hardy
Thursday looking very Shriners-y in Bermuda. Going to hold off all bets until Weds probably ((unless you love a number at a book that lets you cash out) love this gif) pic.twitter.com/joISYUBpMo
— Byron Lindeque (@TheModelManiac) November 11, 2024
Good luck and enjoy the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship!
