The Golf Club at Little Turtle in Westerville, Ohio, is being renovated by golf course architect Barry Serafin.

The 18-hole course was originally designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1971. The Stonehenge Company bought the club in 2015 and is investing US$100 million into a residential venture, with some of the existing land on the course being used for housing.

Hurdzan Golf completed some work on the course in 2015, including a new par-three ninth hole which plays over Lake Turtle. The new owners then hired former Hurdzan Golf associate Serafin to create a master plan for the course, which includes the reconfiguration of the first two holes to make space for the housing, and a complete bunker renovation.

“We have adjusted a couple of the holes to allow for significant development of this 'land-locked' property,” said Serafin. “Reworking holes one and two has opened up enough area for the development of nine condo buildings, which include 170 units and 204 apartments. The top floor of some of the condo units will have views of downtown Columbus.

“The golf course has not gone through any major renovations for over 30 years. The routing and strategy of the holes is very good, so a majority of the bunkers are retaining the same location. They will be going through a redesign that will return the aesthetics to a Pete Dye look, maintain shot values, and reduce bunker square footage by 40 percent.

“Work started in 2017 with the reconstruction of holes one and two, bunker renovation on some of the front nine, and also the infrastructure for the condos,” said Serafin. “In 2018, hole one was open for play, hole two is growing in, a majority of the front nine bunker renovations are complete, and infrastructure for the apartments is moving forward.”

The clubhouse has been renovated and construction has recently begun for the new fitness facility, pool and indoor practice facility.

In autumn 2018, work will move to the bunkers on the back nine, with the entire course renovation expected to be complete in 2019.