Local Knowledge

This is no Hogan’s Alley.

There are no fond memories of Ben Hogan or Sam Snead or Byron Nelson playing at Valencia Country Club.

No famed 18th green with fans crowding the hillside and a stately clubhouse above.

Valencia is no Riviera, but it has something that PGA Tour veteran Duffy Waldorf believes will keep spectators and players sufficiently entertained during the Nissan Open this week.

“Riviera is a traditional course--hit the ball on the fairway, keep it down the middle, hit the green,” Waldorf said. “Valencia is a risk-reward course.”

The kind of course that tempts players to cut corners, to dance around trees and skirt the water’s edge.

“You’ll want to go for birdies, but you’ll be punished if you make a mistake,” Waldorf said. “It makes things a little bit more exciting.”

Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed the 6,967-yard layout in 1965 on what used to be carrot fields. He devised modern twists and turns, not to mention water hazards, that Riviera never had.

Valencia was made for a guy like Waldorf, known for his colorful shirts and equally colorful personality. A guy whose wife and children scribble messages and designs on the balls he uses each week. A guy who knows how to put his 225 pounds behind the driver and go for broke.

Having grown up in Los Angeles and played at UCLA, Waldorf moved to the Santa Clarita Valley in 1990, the year he qualified for the tour. He began playing Valencia during breaks in his schedule.

“[The owners] have worked on the fairways, they have worked on the greens,” he said. “They have devoted time, over the course of years, getting the place in great shape.”

And over the years, Waldorf has come to appreciate the nuances of this course:

* No. 3, a 180-yard par three, is the most treacherous hole. The green, which is guarded by a bunker to the left, slopes downhill to water on the right. Waldorf said: “It’s probably not one of my favorite holes because it’s so tough.”

* No. 5 is a 367-yard par four that Waldorf calls “the sleeper hole of the course. Just a drive and a wedge, but it’s a very difficult second shot. The green is not very deep and there’s a big bunker that guards it. It’s a hole where a lot of guys are going to step up and think they can birdie. I think you’re going to be surprised at all the bogeys there.”

* No. 8 is another short par four, only 369 yards, leaving players the option of hitting an iron off the tee. Once again, the second shot poses a problem. “It’s a difficult green to get the ball right. There’s a tier right down the middle. The pin in back is toughest because you’ve got to come in a little short and let it run down there. If you fly to the pin it usually runs long.”

* No. 15 is Waldorf’s favorite, a 529-yard par five that exemplifies the spirit of the course. “It’s a gambling-type hole. You can take a drive down the right side of the trees and cut the corner. Then you have a chance to hit the green in two. But there’s also water on the right side, so it can be an eagle or it can be a bogey.”

* No. 17 is a 466-yard par four. “Doesn’t look like much, but you have got to drive it straight and then you come to the toughest green on the course.” It is deep enough to accommodate eight or nine different pin placements. “The placement in back is the most difficult. It narrows in back and it’s tiered. Tough to chip from the side.”

While Valencia has been the site for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur qualifiers, it has never entertained the quality of field that will play in the Nissan Open this week.

Tour regulars initially were hesitant to commit to the tournament, but late entries by Tiger Woods and John Daly have bolstered the field. Fred Couples signed on after playing Valencia and being duly impressed.

Waldorf said, “The conditions are going to be great. I have no doubt the guys will like this.”

A familiarity with each dogleg and approach might seem to give the hometown golfer a distinct advantage. This week, however, the layout will look a little skewed.

“Usually when I play there, it’s just for fun with my friends,” Waldorf said. “It’s going to be different with gallery ropes and the rough. It’s a matter of whether I can get comfortable out there.”

Maybe he should focus on the complexities of the course. That might make him feel at home.

“It has more trouble, more hazards, more pins in tough places,” Waldorf said. “It’s going to be a great week.”