Sept. 3 -- The world's top players are making a grand return to Bellerive Country Club just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. The storied course has hosted a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship among other top events and this year hosts The BMW Championship, the third leg of the FedExCup playoffs. PGA.com talked with PGA Head Professional Mike Tucker about Bellerive and how it prepared to host the golf world this week.

PGA.com: Bellerive has a long and storied history as a spectacular course, but it has recently underwent an extensive (and expensive) renovation. What are the players going to find when they tee it up this week?

Bellerive Country Club has hosted major championships including the 2004 U.S. Senior Open in its storied history. (Photo: Getty images)

Tucker: We have made a great course even better. The players are going to find one of the best tests of golf that they have seen I'm sure. The greens have more movement in them, more severe slopes, more undulations. This is going to put a premium on hitting the right portions of the green on their approach shots. It is a real challenging test. We've repositioned some bunkers in the fairways, the long bombers can't just fly it over them from the tee anymore, they have to be a bit more strategic in their thinking. This is a long course, it will play to 7300 yards with a par of 70. We've had an excellent summer for growing as well, so we have a very healthy, thick, dense rough. So the players can expect the best of conditions, the best in service, and one of the best pure tests of skill that they've faced all year.

PGA.com: Your renovation was done by Rees Jones. That's always a big deal. Was that done solely to bring championship golf back to Bellerive?

Tucker: Well, Rees is "The Open Doctor." His reputation and past work speak for themselves, you know that you're getting the best when he renovates your course. But you know, there's an added element. His father, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., did the original design for Bellerive. So Rees brought with him a great familiarity with the original design, the original intent behind the design and a legacy to uphold. So when you combine all of those things, you know you're getting a truly special product.

PGA.com: Now we have The BMW Championship coming to Bellerive Country Club. This is not only The PGA Tour, it's the third leg of the FedExCup playoffs. How do you feel about having the golf world descend upon you in such a high profile way?

Tucker: Well, we've hosted the golf world before -- having hosted a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship and other majors like the U.S. Senior Open. But this is a special week. First, it's the first big test of our big renovations. We also not only consider this a great representation of our facility and our membership but also of golf in the area, this entire region actually. We have a great course but even more, we have a great infrastructure, an ideal location, enough real estate and acreage to host the tens of thousands of fans, the media, the tents, all of that. So we absolutely expect to put on a great showing for the course and the tournament.

PGA.com: Mike, I know you are quite an accomplished player as well. When do you look at your course as a player and when do you look as it as the Head Professional?

Tucker: When I tee it up as a competitor, I am just trying to play. Especially if it's here, and I know the course, my focus is my swing and my game. But when I am out on the course in a different hat, as the Head Professional, I probably tend to have a more critical eye -- see some flaws or areas that I'd like to see improved. But I think some of the most productive times are when I travel to other courses, great courses, to play. There are so many great layouts out there, but every time I travel, when I come back I have a whole new appreciation for how special Bellerive is. And that only gets emphasized when we host a tournament and the feedback we get from players is so enthusiastic. We never take it for granted, we always strive to improve and do better. But we also understand that on a scale of great golf venues, we do pretty well. We'll show that this week.