Page 27 - GBC Fall Eng 2016

Unlike restoration projects, where the aim is to restore the exact playing and course characteristics of the past, renovation projects will aim at updating the course to meet modern demandsorimprovingmaintenance flaws. The changes will often include rebuilding greens, adding tees and renovation bunkers while keeping the overall layout intact.
Providing the golf course with a facelift can be a good way to highlight its best features and enhance its visualappealtomembersandvisitors. By lengthening the golf course, a lot of the original design intentions can be maintained – especially to fairway bunkers, which are often taken out of play by the technology of new drivers and golf balls.
However, it is important to remember that lengthening courses should be done with the utmost care and consideration of the original design intentions. The demand for more yardage often results in the lengthening of shorter holes, which were intentionally meant to play short to test the finesse rather than the strength of the golfer.
It is important for the course and architect to remember that it is the best golfer who primarily manages to take advantage of the technological advances. Therefore, to challenge this set of golfers it is the long par fours and fives that need strengthening to return them to the original design intent.
The before (above) and after (below) photos of the renovated bunkers on
the 13th hole
at Cherry Hill Club in Niagara Ontario.
case study: cherry hill club, Niagara, oN
Cherry Hill is a private golf club that was founded in 1922 and has hosted two national golf champion- ships. Originally designed by renowned golf architect, Walter J. Travis, Cherry Hill completed a major golf course renovation project in the spring of 2009.
Golf course architect Ian Andrew, lead architect for Weir Golf Design, developed the renovations. The main features of the renovation are mounded, grass-faced bunker complexes, which are characteristic of Travis designed courses. The greens remain virtually unchanged since inception and are considered to be among the most authentic Travis greens in use today.
redesigN
Redesign, or reconstruction of a golf course basically involves rebuilding parts of the existing golf course from the ground up, sometimes with scarce homage paid to its original design.
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