88 HOLING OUT The Alister MacKenzie-designed Northwood course, set among towering Redwoods in Monte Rio, California, is a gem of public golf that I was lucky enough to play for only $5 with my Youth on Course membership. Who knew that this great opportunity to play this course would lead me to work on it at 17 years of age? Last year, having played the layout many times, my interest in Northwood peaked, so I attempted to learn all I could about its design. Course manager Gaylord Schapp and his son Trevor Schapp, the superintendent, gave me a few old postcards showing the course in its early days. This, along with more photos and aerial flyovers I found in county archives enabled me to create a map (above) of what I believe Northwood would have looked like as originally designed by MacKenzie. Gaylord and other staff at Northwood were also excited by the historical findings, and the map was hung up in the pro shop where it gained even more attention from visiting golfers. My experience playing the course made me think about what it would have been like back in the day, and how the bunkers would affect strategy. I had been eager to do some sort of design project of my own and I wondered if it would be a possibility to restore a MacKenzie bunker at Northwood. I reached out to Trevor in January 2024 about the idea of bringing the original MacKenzie bunker on the sixth hole back. We went out and determined the original bunker shape and formed a proposal for the board. By emphasising the significance and benefits of restoring the bunker – aesthetics, strategy and pace of play – the plan was then approved. Construction started on 24 April and the bunker was open for play on 8 May. It received a lot of feedback from local players during and after the project. People have spoken about how beautiful the bunker is and that it makes the hole more interesting. MacKenzie restoration completed at just 17 Junior golfer William Carlson speaks about his first foray in golf course design Photo: credit Image: Northwood Golf Club
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