33 The design team’s work on bunkers focused on playability and improving access, so members are able to walk more easily into them. The intention was to still present the same degree of difficulty, but without them being quite as deep. “Members will still recognise the course but there are a lot of minor changes that make a big difference, and there are some major changes like the sixth and tenth greens that are dramatically better and receive shots more readily,” said Jones. “The tenth hole was really tough; you’d hit the right side of the green and your ball would disappear. We added a lot of fill to the left side of that hole, now you can hit short, there’s a bailout area, there’s a little pocket before the bunker, and now we’ve got this upsweep at the back of the green. El Cab is now quite different from other California courses because of these backboards and sideboards that we’ve introduced.” “The course’s redesign will give players a state-of-an-art experience, providing them with the tools they need to improve their skill level,” said head golf professional Tasha Bohlig. “We are excited to relaunch El Caballero and position our championship golf course for the future, especially in light of recurring drought conditions in California and the need to be a responsible environmental leader in the golf community,” said general manager Phil Lopez. “Now more than ever, we all need a sense of community and shared experiences to sustain us during these challenging times. We know our members feel that at El Cab.” The green on the par-four fifth has been expanded to provide a tricky new back-left pin position, while new bunkering leaves space for ground-game approaches Photos: Premier Aerials
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