A renovation of the golf course at the Kiva Dunes Golf and Beach Resort is nearing completion.

The resort in Gulf Shores, Alabama has invested US$3.5 million in improving its facilities. This includes the 18-hole course, which was originally designed by Jerry Pate Design.

A team from Pate’s firm has returned to Kiva Dunes to oversee the work, which is being carried out by Houston-based Heritage Links.

With the overall aim of improving the course’s playability, the recent work has seen the many bunkers rebuilt, the grass on the greens replaced with TifEagle turf, and the rototilling of the bermudagrass fairways.

The walls on many greens have been stabilised and each tee box has been leveled out.

Efforts have also been made to improve the natural transitions between grasses and the indigenous beach landscape.

Pate himself has been quite hands on with the project, and was even seen driving a bulldozer on the thirteenth green at one point.

“Sometimes you just have to do it yourself when you envision in your head how you want the bunkers to roll off the green,” he said. “This is such a great hole –  who else would I trust this with?”

The work is set to be completed in early October, with the course to reopen for play shortly afterwards.