Thousand Hills Golf Course in Branson, Missouri in the US, will undergo a major renovation before opening for the 2013 season.

The renovation will see a major course layout redesign, improved maintenance equipment and new paths.

There will also be a greater focus on accessibility, and Thousand Hills will now be offering senior flags allowing over 55’s to drive on fairways on days other golfers cannot. Last year, new cart paths were built, thus making the walk to the greens far less severe. It is hoped that the new changes will encourage more golfers to visit Thousand Hills and that playing at the course will be less demanding for seniors than previously.

Re-routing of the course is also to take place, with the intention of a better flow and speedier round of golf. This will involve a change of hole order, with reputably one of the toughest par 4’s in Missouri according to the Thousand Hills website, the old hole-3, being moved to later in the round, meaning it doesn’t directly follow hole 2, the easiest on the course. It is hoped that this move will drastically reduce wait times.

Other changes will see the height of the rough lowered by almost an inch, aiding ball recovery. This is thanks to a new piece of maintenance equipment that allows for a lower height of cut whilst also increasing the frequency of cutting.

Thousand Hills will also be improving the quality of its golf carts, working with Yamaha in the off-season to trade in the newest GPS equipped models.