All eyes will be on Merion a year from now

SAN FRANCISCO - This will all be coming soon, to a quaint Main Line suburb near you. It's only the biggest showcase in golf.

Our town got a taste of it in 2010 and '11, when Tiger Woods brought his AT&T National to Aronimink in Newtown Square. And it was good, especially the first year, when Tiger was injury-free and able to participate. With him, the galleries were in the 40,000 per day range. Without him, not so much, which, of course, was to be expected. But the PGA Tour is one thing, even if it had indeed been a while since the country's fourth-largest television market had hosted such an event.

The U.S. Open, as Philly will find out 12 months from now when the Olympic Club passes the torch our way, is another animal altogether. It will put the city and Ardmore's Merion Golf Club, onto center stage. It doesn't get any more magnified.

First and foremost, it will put the spotlight back on a course that perennially has been ranked among the top 10 in America. Merion has hosted more USGA championships than anyone. The 2013 Open will be its 18th, and fifth national championship.

But Merion hasn't had an Open since 1981, when David Graham played a virtually flawless closing round to get the trophy. He finished at 7-under-par 273, which tied an Open record at the time. Yet only four others managed to shoot under par for the tournament. Still, at a little less than 7,000 yards, Merion was basically deemed to be outdated, simply too short to handle the long hitters of this era.

We're going to find out.

Merion was supposed to get a Women's Open in 1992, which was later pushed back 2 years before the club was forced to withdraw because of minority-membership issues. But it has since been the venue for the 1997 Girls Junior, the 2005 Amateur and the 2009 Walker Cup. Again, they're different. The USGA is taking a leap of faith by bringing its marquee attraction back for the first time in 32 years. Because nobody knows for sure what will happen, inside or outside the ropes. All everyone seems to agree upon is that it won't be your normal Open. But for our area, it won't matter. All that counts is that it's returning, for any number of reasons.

You certainly could make the argument that a course with Merion's history deserves another chance. Its story is very much an intregal part of the game's heritage. The immortal Bobby Jones completed what was then labeled the "impregnable quadrilateral," now better known as the Grand Slam, at the 1930 U.S. Amateur there. There's a plaque at the 11th tee, the hole where he finished it, commemorating what's destined to remain perhaps the most memorable feat in the sport. Or maybe in all sports. Which makes it only fitting that the 11th is considered one of the best short par 4s anywhere. And if Jones were Merion's only claim to fame, it would be more than sufficient. But there's plenty more.

Twenty years later, another legendary figure, Ben Hogan, won the Open there some 18 months after nearly losing his life in a horrific automobile accident. He won in an 18-hole, three-way playoff, after he had to par the long 18th to close out regulation by hitting a 1-iron into the green from some 200 yards out. The photo from behind of him completing that swing has become an iconic image. Again, timeless stuff.

And in 1971, Lee Trevino added to the lore by beating Jack Nicklaus in a playoff, by three strokes, after playfully tossing a rubber snake at him on the first tee. It doesn't get much better than the Merry Mex and the Golden Bear all by themselves on a Monday. They say about 10,000 were there to witness it. In '81, the most people they allowed in any day was about twice that. But times have changed. Now the Open is usually held at places that can hold upward of 40,000. That will not be possible next year. Not on Merion's 120-some odd acres. It may be beautiful. But wide-open, it isn't.

USGA executive director Mike Davis, who's also the man responsible for setting up the layout, figures they will cap attendance at 25,000 daily. It will sell out, most likely before the end of this year. And it'll be a hot ticket, especially if a certain Mr. Woods is back to doing his thing. Yet even if he's still in at least semi-hibernation, it's the best players on the planet going for the hardest prize to collect.

And because it's at Merion, in a market that hasn't seen a major for so long, it'll make for a must-see. Because you never know when, or if, the next time will be be. And while Philly might not always warm up to something it perceives to be less than big-time, the town is usually all-in whenever it gets the genuine deal.

The whole world will be watching. But we can be watching it unfold up close and personal.

If you've never been to an Open, it has grown into an absolute production. The work will begin in earnest a couple of months out, in terms of putting up the infrastructure. In reality, the work is already well under way. The word is that conditionwise, Merion could host the Open tomorrow. Mother Nature will no doubt have a large say in what happens next June.

Every major venue gets pushed to the limit for that week, especially for the 4 days of the tournament. And if anything goes wrong in that equation, you could end up with Bethpage Black in 2009, which became a mud puddle because of so much rain. Or Shinnecock Hills of 2004, when the USGA had to put water onto a green that had turned unplayable. Either way, they were pretty much disasters. But if nothing intervenes, you get Torrey Pines in 2008 or Pebble Beach 2010 - near-perfect weather and conditions. It's a mighty fine line. And if there's one thing Merion and the USGA both want, it's people walking away saying it was an experience worth repeating.

A large portion of making that happen is the infrastructure, a lot of which will have to be off-site for a change. Whether that causes issues, and to what extent, remains to play itself out. You will have to take shuttle buses from satellite lots, which is the case at most majors anymore anyway. But much of the corporate hospitality, if you're into that sort of thing, will be at Haverford College. The players will have their locker room at Merion's West Course, a little more than a mile down the road, along with the practice range.

The spectators will be more concerned with getting around the course themselves, which could prove to be more daunting, as well given the limited space. There's a reason why many of the houses near the course are being rented for big-time bucks. And that they need about 5,000 volunteers to attempt to pull it off.

And don't forget the ever-popular merchandise pavilion, where as the sign says more than 400,000 logoed pieces are available. You can't make that up. It's like Disney World. Everything and anything they can put a wicker basket on, they will. Trust me on this. And even some things you wouldn't dream possible.

So enjoy. But bring a credit card. Hey, at the Nike racks, you can get one or all of the four shirts Tiger will be wearing. For those so inclined, the entire tent can be an experience all by its lonesome.

Sooner than you think, it'll all be ours. If only for a week.

Contact Mike Kern at kernm@phillynews.com.