Thursday, December 29, 2016

Master Plan - 11th hole

Yesterday I highlighted the new par 3 10th hole, let's continue through the back nine looking at the potential changes for each hole.  As I stated previously, our current 10th hole will become the 11th hole under the Plan, so for today I will reference this as 11.

We renovated the new 11 last year, rebuilding the bunkers, moving the tees, adding moguls to the right side and shortening the fairway.  I won't spend a lot of time highlighting the changes as we have already made them.

As you can see, according to the plan we made a few changes once we started moving dirt around.  Being a Golf Course Architect is an art, you have to let the land and the course tell you what fits.  It is one thing to place a plan on paper, but it is usually necessary to make changes in the field as the renovation develops.  The changes that were made include: moving the forward tee over to the left, adding moguls on the right side down by the approach, and keeping the approach bunker in place - for a total of 4 bunkers. 

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Master Plan - new 10th hole

Yesterday we outlined the changes to the range.  One of the major changes was to convert our current 12th green complex into the short game practice area.  The view from the back of the clubhouse would be stunning -with a large expanse of bentgrass surrounding 2 practice greens.  The look would be very similar to that of Congressional seen below:

 
 
 
To allow for changes to our practice areas, and provide a better overall use of our space/property, a new par 3 10th hole is planned.  The tees for the 10th hole would be where our current practice putting green is now - using the lower half of that practice green and converting it into a tee.  The new 10th green would be placed across the valley where the current forward tee on 12 is.  After this hole is constructed, our current 10th hole will become the 11th hole and the current 11th hole will become 12.  From there we continue on to the current 13. 
 
Here are the main changes in the plan outlined below:
  • Construction of a new green and bunkers near the current forward tee on 12.
  • Convert part of the current practice green into tee space for the new hole.
  • Alter cart paths around the area.
  • Allow room for a future clubhouse expansion to the east if that was desired.
  • Opens up room to the east of the parking lot for large events (provides green space that is not in play, this was accomplished with our recent 10th hole renovation)
  • Allows the 12th green complex to become the short game practice area.
As you can see above, this new par 3 would not be possible until we moved our old 10th tees up.  The changes we made on our current 10th hole allows us space to someday construct this hole which will then allow us to adequately renovate the practice facility.

 
 
Above is the existing view from the putting green looking towards 12 tee.  In this picture are a few trees that have been removed since the picture was taken. 

Here is the proposed view of the new par 3 10th hole.  The bentgrass tee would flow into the bentgrass approach of the short game area to the right and provide a look as outline above.  I can imagine the beauty of this area after construction, grabbing the attention of anyone walking around the corner of the building.  Any guest of the club would sure to be impressed after seeing this signature par 3 and first class practice facility. 
 

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Golf course Master Plan - Range

Two years ago the Grounds Committee enlisted the help of an Architect to construct a comprehensive golf course Master Plan.  The reasons for a Master Plan were/are: 
  • Give guidance on future changes to the course.
  • Create continuity of any changes over a period of time (even though Boards and Committees change, the plan does not).
  • Improve the course for today's golfer.
  • Provide a plan for the club to work towards. 
Basically, the Plan is a road map for the Grounds Committee, keeping us on the right path and guiding us even though personnel on the Committee may change.  To accomplish the entire plan in one shot would be very costly and there is no intention of doing that in the near future.  What we can do now is pick off smaller project that coincide with the plan and start making minor changes that can be afforded to keep our course relevant in today's game of golf.  You will notice that certain parts of the plan need to be accomplished before other areas can be changed, this is one reason we started on our current 10th hole.

When first meeting with the Architects (Hills and Forrest Golf Course Architects) we provided them with our goals, they were:
 

These goals laid the groundwork for the Architects, they then came back to us with a Master Plan for the course.  After some minor adjustments we came away with a first class plan that meets our goals.
 
Over the course of the next few weeks I will begin to highlight the plan and provide commentary and information.  I am doing this now for a few reasons: 
  • Many members know there is a plan but have not seen the details and are very curious on the potential changes.
  • We have begun to make changes to the course and Members should know what other changes may look like.
  • The recent changes to hole 10 laid the ground work for future completion of other projects.
  • The Long Range Planning Committee is studying the interest in future projects and now is the time to highlight our potential. 
The first pieces of the Plan that I want to highlight are the driving range and short game practice areas.  In my opinion, this is our weakest link on the property with our bunkers being a close second.  As our culture changes, we are seeing more and more usage on the practice areas as many members do not have time for a 4 hour round but can squeeze in a quick 1 hour practice session during lunch or after work.  An adequate and course-comparable practice facility is becoming a must for relevant private clubs.  As more and more members and golf teams use the practice areas, tee space becomes a issue; and as golfers continue to hit balls further, length and safety also becomes an concern. 
 
Below is the plan for an updated practice facility, there are some major changes here, they include:
  • Creating a fairway down the middle with target greens and bunkers to funnel shots down the center.
  • Bowl out the range to aid in keeping balls on the facility for more efficient ball pick up.
  • Provide tree screening.
  • Move the teeing ground back to provide more length.
  • Remove the current short game practice area and enlarge the teeing ground.
  • Move the short game practice area to the current 12th hole.
  • Move the east teeing ground to the corner for added safety.
  • Alter the cart paths around the range tee.
You can click on the picture to enlarge it, here you will see all the proposed changes.  The major change is making our current 12th hole a short game practice area, this takes 12 out of play and allows us to move the range tee further back.  A new par 3 10th hole would be built to replace 12, more on this later. 

Our current view of the range facility.

The proposed view of the range facility.
 
Over the next few weeks I will highlight a section of the course and provide details on the Master Plan.  Next up I will review the plan on the new par 3 10th hole that will replace our current 12th hole. 
 

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Trimming hedges

We continued work out on the course this week, completing some tree pruning and trimming the hedge row between 9 tee and the road. 

Thank you to Zach, Sam and Nate for your help in keeping this area of the course in fine shape. 
 

Friday, December 16, 2016

Christmas break help

We brought in the reserves this week as our summer staff is now on Christmas break.  Despite the frigid temperatures outside, they have been bundling up and getting things done.

Today we trimmed the hedge row along the range tee. 

 
The previous few days we spent some time splitting and delivering firewood, next week we plan to start trimming trees. 

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Greens closed for the season

Today will be the last day the greens will be open for play.  Effective tomorrow the greens will be closed for golf and we ask that all members stay off the greens throughout the winter.  The tees and fairways will remain open all winter for those ambitious members that would like to walk a few holes during any winter warms spells.  We will not be placing pins in the approaches as we have in the past, this is due to the few members that will play to them during the winter and the fact that they routinely blow down.  Therefore, if you wish to hit a few shots on the course over the winter, feel free to come out, we just ask you stay off the greens.

The Grounds Staff thanks you for a great year.  We are already making preparations for next year and anticipate a successful 2017.