time the par fives have really become par fours, so they have to be adapted to today’s play a bit more” said Jones. “In particular we wanted to make the second shot more thought-provoking and place more demand on the drive, so it wasn’t just an automatic bomb.” Throughout the course, sand is now f lashed lower on bunker faces, with the upper part grassed to restore the bunkers to the original style. The sand line is somewhat jagged, with Jones noting that many of his father’s courses began that way but become more oval-shaped over time. There are now fewer downhill slopes on the bunker f loors, so they are more playable and accessible for members. The new design, combined with improved drainage infrastructure, makes a significant difference for Klossner and his crew. “I can recall times as recently as last fall, before the project, we’d have torrential rain events and it would take us an entire day just to repair the greenside bunkers, and at least half the following day for the fairway bunkers,” said Klossner. “Now, we’ve had rain events of four inches and come out in the morning and they’ve all drained properly. It’s what the place deserves.” Fairway lines have been adjusted too. “The fairways had narrowed a lot and bunkers were surrounded by rough, so shots that were heading towards a bunker would often get caught in the long grass,” said Jones. “We spent a lot of time looking at the fairway lines to tie them back into both bunkers and the green complexes,” added Swanson. The team has also introduced more greenside chipping areas, to provide options for recovery shots. Another major driving force for the project was the desire to improve practice facilities. Jones and Swanson have completely redesigned the ninth hole, with new tees, bunkers and green, to accommodate a new short-game area in the location of the original ninth green, close to the golf clubhouse. The new ninth is almost as long as before, the designers having identified space to push the teeing area back. “The length of the hole has only changed by about 17 yards,” said Klossner. “We’ve made the right changes within the fairway landing area and the new green complex is very unique and protects the hole very well.” “We drew off the old green contours as a guide, and just changed the bunker orientation to make it fit,” said Swanson. “The end result is a new ninth hole that looks and feels just like the rest of the golf course.” Work had originally been scheduled to take place over two winters, but favourable weather conditions allowed the team to complete the project in one, ahead of the 2022 season. Members, many of whom spend the winter in Florida, are returning to a revitalised Tuxedo. “The membership excitement has been tremendous,” said Klossner. “As I drive around the property people f lag me down – they are just blown away by the changes we’ve made.” Short grass now wraps all the way around the front bunker of the par-three fifteenth 23 Photos: The Tuxedo Club
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