Golf Course Architecture - Issue 65, July 2021

59 surfaces by Scott Pool of GreenScan 3D. The intent was to preserve as much as possible of the existing grades, including the relative share and intensity of slopes measured at every gradient from 0 per cent to 6 or 7 per cent – whatever was there. Minor adjustments were only indicated for two of the greens, both of them par threes where adequate hole locations lacked: the ninth and seventeenth holes. In every case, the existing putting surface was cored out, with shapers digging down to the original level of material that Ross had devised. Hanse says he was impressed with the way Trent Jones’ work on the greens seamlessly melded into the existing subgrades. Once the Caveman team shaped out the f loor it was lasered to make sure it conformed to the desired contour, then built up as a sand-based medium conforming to USGA construction specifications, with variable depth for the higher and lower points. Along the way all of the green cavities were outfitted with PrecisionAire subsurface venting pumps. In the process of restoring the original greens surface, Hanse’s team took the average putting surface out from 5,889 square feet to 8,000. The additional 34 per cent of green provided an occasion for pinnable slopes, thus enabling the design team to achieve two goals simultaneously: restoration of the existing grades and more f lexible ground for potential set ups on the margin, around the perimeter of the fill pad. Initial plans called for TDI International to undertake the bulk construction, but as the scale of reconstruction expanded and Covid- 19 slowed down the pace, LaBar Golf Renovations was brought in to expedite workflow. The scope of restoration included an entirely new Rain Bird two-wire IC System for irrigation. The bunker total decreased but their size increased considerably. “ Hanse says he was impressed with the way Trent Jones’ work on the greens seamlessly melded into the existing subgrades” Photo: Larry Lambrecht