Quail Can't Get Much Better Than It Is Right Now

It's tough to imagine the Quail Hollow Club being in better condition than it will be for the Quail Hollow Championship next week.

I had the good fortune to play 18 holes there today and it's in spectacular condition. The fairways are nearly perfect, the rough is cut to a manageable two inches like last year and the greens are getting firmer and quicker by the day.

Almost everything is ready to go right now. There are still some plants to put around some tents for decoration and some finishing touches on skyboxes but Quail Hollow looks ready for what's coming.

And it could be the most dynamic event in the tournament's history given all the storylines coming in.

The course doesn't have many significant changes from a year ago, except there's a new tee at the par-4 fourth hole that can stretch it to more than 500 yards. I admired it as I walked 60 yards ahead to the tees where we were playing.

The bunkers have been redone, a few of them tweaked slightly, making a strong golf course even stronger.

They do a wonderful job at Quail Hollow of making the permanent structures -- the skyboxes, the bleachers, the concession stands -- fit into their surroundings. Obviously they intrude on what is typically a beautiful parkland-style golf course but the structures manage to be almost understated.

They get many things right at the Quail Hollow Championship and perhaps what they get right the best is the attention to detail. Little things are important to them and, just like the big things, they want to get the little ones right, too.

And don't ask what I shot. But if you'd like to hear about the birdie I made at No. 15...