A renovation project at the Stillwater Country Club golf course near St. Paul, Minnesota, has reached completion.

The project has been led by Herfort Norby Golf Course Architects, with architect Kevin Norby working to restore the course to its golden-age charm and appeal.

The Stillwater CC course originally opened for play in 1925 with a nine-hole layout, designed by Tom Vardon. A second nine was added by Paul Coates in the late 1950s.

Norby has worked with contractor Hartman Golf to remove trees, construct new tees and carry out a course-wide bunker renovation.

“Our primary goal was to enhance the course’s classic character while providing a more strategic and more visually appealing golf course,” Norby explained.

One important element of the project was the redesign of the thirteenth hole to play as a Redan.

“The slope of the green set up perfectly for a traditional right to left Redan but the bunkering and tees were all wrong,” said Norby. “We searched through old photographs but couldn’t find any evidence to suggest that it was ever envisioned to play as a Redan. We recontoured the approach, repositioned the bunkers and added a new forward tee.”

A central bunker on the uphill seventh hole has been repositioned, while new fairway bunkers have been added to the fourth, fifth and twelfth holes.

Norby added: “Overall we reduced the amount of sand by almost a third, we improved drainage and we created something that will differentiate Stillwater Country Club from other private clubs in the area.”