Golf de l’Isle Adam, located north of Paris, France, has completed a bunker renovation project on its Ronald Fream-designed golf course.

Work began in 2016 following the acquisition of the club in 2013 by First Shanghai Investment.

“The first thing we did to make sure we could work on the course with a free mind was have an architect from Golfplan come to approve the renovation,” said Etienne Pillier, head greenkeeper at Golf de l’Isle Adam. Following that consultation, Pillier took responsibility for individual bunker design, and the work was completed in house during the autumn and winter months over a four-year period, avoiding the need to close the course.

Bunkers were hand built and the club’s team used nursery turf for lining, to save the time and expense involved with alternative systems.

“The new bunkers have many influences from great course designers like Ronald Fream, Robert Trent Jones, Alister MacKenzie and Tom Simpson,” said Pillier. “They are smaller and have better sight lines.

“We can manually rake all the new bunkers to improve the quality of maintenance and the course is looking great,” said Pillier. “All the members and golfers are really happy to have nice new bunkers.”