77 That was a great existing complex that we probed out to get back to the original perimeter. But then we also found, looking at early drawings, that there was a wide fairway entrance. With Steve and John, we worked here and in quite a few other places to sandcap those entrances and widen the surrounds. “Seventeen is another great example, where the green sits in a punchbowl and we were able to expand the fairway surrounds and really open up more dimensions in playability, where you can play a f lop, a putt, all sorts of different shots, as opposed to it just being a onedimensional shot out of the rough. “It was like an archaeological effort around some of the greens as those were exactly the type of contours we wanted to identify and transform into short grass. There are some great helping contours that if you have a keen eye you can find and hit, and it’s going to help the shot. Final tweaks are still in progress. “As the bunkers have now had a chance to grow in, we’re making sure that the fescue doesn’t adversely affect playability,” says Gorman. “One of the things we’re working with Steve on right now is some mowing pattern refinements, especially around greens, where a well-played shot around a green surface isn’t going to get stuck in some of the fine fescue. We’re just detailing some of those areas so if you hit a shot around a green off by a little bit, you can find it and play it and it’s not too severe a penalty.” Gorman ref lects on the experience as a one-off opportunity. “It was really the first time I had ever been on a renovation 100 per cent of the time, so for me personally it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a project, to see and be a part of that process all the way from shovel to seed in the ground,” he says. “If you look at the team that was involved, from Rich and Cyprien, who deserve all the credit in the world for developing this team, to Steve, John and MJ Abbott and the crew that was out there, they poured their heart and soul into this project.” There is word that the club might be considering an increase in the size of its membership. Let’s hope it does – the more that get to experience this place, the better. GCA V IDAUBAN “ There are some great helping contours that if you have a keen eye you can find and hit” Expansion of greens and work on surrounds has changed the character of many holes, including the par-four seventeenth Photo: ©Patrick Jantet/Switzerland
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