Golf balls are hitting the greens for one reason: they need to roll. If the weather continues to cooperate in Louisville, Kentucky, chances are that this year’s PGA Championship, scheduled for May 16-19 at Valhalla Golf Club, will see golf balls rolling farther than ever before.

In 2021, Valhalla swapped its former bentgrass fairways for zoysia grass. Unlike bentgrass, which requires more water and chemicals, zoysia plays fast and strong, allowing golf balls to keep rolling until they sometimes go too far.

The club also removed the thick bluegrass patches between fairways and bunkers, enabling balls to enter bunkers without any hindrance. This move aligns more with the British links style of golf, where shots sometimes bounce on the ground until they reach trouble.

Overall, these changes emphasize precise driving and controlled shot-making. Combine that with Valhalla’s abundant bluegrass rough, and this year’s PGA Championship leaderboard will be filled with players who maintain control over all aspects of their game.

Keith Reese, the PGA’s managing director at Valhalla since 2013, remarked, “Hitting fairways here carries a much higher premium than at many other places.” Let’s see if players will need to adjust their targets a bit this year, as we’re getting more than we usually do.

Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1986, Valhalla has already proven to be a test of excellent ball striking, having hosted previous PGA Championships with winners like Mark Brooks (1996), Tiger Woods (2000), and Rory McIlroy (2014). This year marks Valhalla’s fourth major championship, making it one of the most sought-after modern layouts.

Valhalla’s ranking as the top course in Golfweek’s Best Courses program, defining modern layouts since 1960, further solidifies its reputation. And in hosting this year’s event, Valhalla joins Whistling Straits in Wisconsin as the host of three PGA Championships. Both Valhalla (2008) and Straits (2020) have also hosted the Ryder Cup.

Once owned by the PGA of America, Valhalla was put in the hands of Golfweek in Kentucky as the number one private course. The organization purchased a 25 percent stake in Valhalla in the early 1990s, increased its share to 50 percent in 1996, then promised to develop an anchor site for future events in 2000. In 2022, the PGA of America sold the club to investors in Louisville, showing no shortage of desire to host prestigious events.

Valhalla has proven its worth many times over. Helen Irwin won the 2004 Senior PGA Championship there, and World Golf Hall of Fame member Tom Watson claimed victory in 2011. Akshay Bhatia earned his second consecutive Boys Junior PGA Championship in Valhalla before joining the PGA in 2018. And Ana Davis captured the 2021 Girls Junior PGA Championship in Valhalla before conquering the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2022.

“I think a golf course is a good test of golf, but it’s a fair test of golf,” Reese said, having witnessed all the major events at Valhalla. “As you’ve seen, we have some really exciting finishes and a very good list of champions here. It’s a golf course that has some scoring opportunities, but it also has areas where you can get into trouble if you’re not careful.”

“Don’t mistake it for a pushover. If past performances are any indication of future results, Reese hopes that Valhalla’s thick rough, fast fairways, and challenging blue hues will penalize even slight mishaps.

“You look at those champions who have won here, traditionally they’ve been really good ball-strikers and really good iron players, like Tom Watson and Tiger Woods,” Reese said. “Our fairways are very narrow, so if you hit poor shots, they get penalized essentially with more rough.”

“Trouble can come very unexpectedly, and I think it’s maybe the toughest thing for tour players, to put them in a situation where they can’t predict how far a shot’s going to go or how much it’s going to spin.”

Apart from switching to zoysia fairways, Valhalla has seen other changes in recent years. The greens were rebuilt in 2012, with recent work focusing on adding length. In 2014, the course played 7,458 yards, and Reese said that about 130 yards have been added for this year’s event. The first hole’s par-4 has been extended by 50 yards with a new tee, the 12th par-4 has been extended by 20 yards, and the 14th par-3 has been moved forward by 30 yards, as the hole now plays 250 yards. To complete it, the par-5 18th was lengthened by 30 yards.

Reese said, “There’s no harm in seeing an early spring in the Louisville area this year.” “This course is ahead of its typical development pattern by several weeks, and the rough is thicker than usual, demanding even more shot control.”

“If you hit good shots, you’re going to be rewarded,” he said. “If you hit bad shots, it can penalize you in every hole in a hurry.”