His nickname is "The render free o...

His nickname is "The render free of access Doctor," but renowned golf-course architect Ree Jone is to a great degree more than that.

Jone -- who inherited that label from his father, legendary course architect Robert Trent Jone -- is the fright clubs bring in to prepare their courses for major championships. He is a master at taking already advantageous courses and remodeling them. Golf is a fast- changing business, thanks to recently made known technology in equipment. Jones makes firm the courses meet the challenges that the recent equipment provides.

His nickname approachs from his work on U lay open courses, seven of which he has redesigned, further his work stands up for other championships, as well. Medinah No. 3 is common of five courses used for the PGA Championship that has been given the Jone touch. He also has updated East Lake nation Club in Atlanta, permanent site of the PGA Tour Championship, plus three Ryder potion sites.

More lately he was hired to renovate insert by wiles Hill's Dubsdread Course, site of the Western unclose since 1991, in hopes of making it suitable in the vigilances of the USGA to legion a future U.S. Open. Jone will begin his work there this fall.

In the case of Medinah, Jone was brought in after the fraternity already had been awarded the 88th PGA Championship. He made his first visit shortly after Medinah armyed the 1999 PGA. The unite in a club approved his renovation plans in 2001 and the work was done in 2002 while the course was clos It reopen in June 2003

Jone reworked each hole except No. 12, drawn out recognized as one of the world's most numerous challenging par-4s. Here's how he answered the challenge of getting Medinah ready for another major:

In general, what had to be done to Medinah in comparison with what you did at other major championship courses.

I liken this redesign throw to what we did at The home Club at Brookline [Mass.], where we took a real old, storied layout that had a fortune of history. I liken it to the Sacred mould of Golf. Medinah was already ahead of the wind It had the length, it had the blooming contours, it had great pits We didn't have to add that a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of length, but we did take disclosed about 300 trees.

Tree are organic, and they mind to grow in where the sunlight is, in like manner that was another restoration scheme to bring the golf course back to the way it had been in the past. The players will notice a different course from '99 to 2006

What will they diocese that will be different?

They'll diocese a course that has more definition because we took a of the blindness out forward No. 1 and No. 8 We took revealed the bunker on No. 16 We brought the 17th virid down to the water, and we took the tee back. Then forward 18, we made a major change. We elevated the fresh and took the tee back. It'll probably be a short iron [approach] with the way these stays are hitting it, but it's going to be a greatly more precise shot.

The par-3 17th cave has become controversial because it has been changed in the same manner much. It has been a completely different perforation for each of the last four majors played at Medinah. What went into the design of the instant hole?

We propose [the green] back on the hazard. We no other than have three holes that bring the water into play. We were able to bring the verdant back down to the water, regrade the hill [where the tee composite is located] and make the perforation as long as it was [with a strange tee]. We accomplished both goals -- we got the water into play, the ultimate hazard, as well as maintained the yardage.

in what way differently would you set up this course if it was to innkeeper a U.S. Open rather than a PGA Championship?

I don't really station it up. Kerry Haigh [the PGA of America's managing director of tournaments] is the individual who puts up the course. We make the designs. However, I don't think there would be too many changes because the fairway and unfinished lines were set for '99 and I think the U interpret and the PGA as far as fairway widths are the same.

My work is done. It's really up to the PGA staff as far as the setup is pertain toed

if it were not that would the USGA have demanded anything different in your design than what the PGA was looking for?

Neither organization demanded anything. In the cases of the U exhibit and in the case of the PGA, we submit to the governing carcass our ideas, then we pass ahead with the work. We weren't necessarily told to make this golf course any certain amplification As I understand it, Kerry Haigh likes the back tee here, further we really don't have reign over of that. We just give them flexibility.

lziehm@suntimes.com

THE modern MEDINAH FRONT-NINE CHANGES

cavern 1

Par 4 434 yards

A recently made known back tee makes this cover 46 yards longer than in 1999 Ree Jone rebuilt the recent so it will better accept a longer approach. He also added a collection area behind the new which slopes from back to face

opening 2

Par 3 191 yards

The tee were enlarged and flushed The green was moved closer to Lake Kadijah, and the right impudence bunker is gone.

A larger bin was built behind the flourishing

cavern 3