The PGA Championship venues have been likened to 90s and 2000s bands, offering a unique perspective on the upcoming rota. This comparison is not just a random act, but a way to explore the courses and their characteristics through the lens of popular music. Each venue is assigned a band, based on the author's personal experiences and impressions of the music.
One of the courses, Quail Hollow, is compared to Coldplay, a band that is not bad, but their music does not demand or reward attention. Similarly, Aronimink is likened to Weezer, a band that has struggled to recapture their early magic. The Olympic Club is compared to Foo Fighters, a band that is highly proficient at what they do, but can be repetitive. PGA Frisco is compared to O-Town, a band that was a corporate concoction and never felt like more than a rote exercise.
The Ocean Course at Kiawah is compared to Green Day, a band that is easy to forget but always brings happiness when they pop up. Whistling Straits is compared to Blink-182, a band that is good but not better than Green Day. Southern Hills is compared to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a band that is timeless American music and easily the class of this list.
Bethpage Black is compared to Guns N' Roses, a band that was a badass rock band in their day, but the live-concert experience has become notoriously dodgy. Oak Hill East is compared to Oasis, a band that is well-loved and has enjoyed a major resurgence, but the author does not get it. Congressional Blue is compared to Stone Temple Pilots, a band that is solid and worthy of respect, but the author finds their music slightly anonymous.
Bellerive is compared to Bush, a band that has taken plenty of beatings from the critics, and the author wonders if anyone can sing more than three words of any Bush song. TPC Harding Park is compared to Dave Matthews Band, a band that the author is glad exists, but does not need consistently in their life. Baltusrol Lower is compared to Metallica, a band that is great but became a joke in the early 00s.
Valhalla is compared to Spin Doctors, a band that the author thinks was cool in the 90s. This comparison offers a unique perspective on the courses and their characteristics, and provides a fun and engaging way to explore the upcoming PGA Championship rota.
