11 “The greens are 30 years old. The life expectancy of a putting surface is thought to be 20 to 30 years, so this is the appropriate time to be considering an update.” Work on greens will include the resurfacing of all 18 putting surfaces, with some to be expanded and others relocated. Quitno believes the layout at CC Lincoln is ripe for change: “This whole golf course, today, is a bit too much down the middle and one-dimensional – visually and strategically,” he said. “The renovation will add options. More width for higher handicappers to manoeuvre and more teeth in the right spots for better players. The greens are a big part of achieving this balance: we plan to uniformly move greenside bunkers closer to putting surfaces. That’s going to increase challenge across the board. But we’ll also be creating more strategic places to miss, places that are easier to recover from.” A series of design changes will require members to think more strategically when playing tee to green. For example, every green complex will be flanked, to some degree, by closely mowed chipping or collection areas, allowing for a variety of recovery shots. Bunkers will be updated too. “The new bunker design does away with mounding and other obstructions in front. It also flashes sand up on the faces of these bunkers,” said Quitno. “We want golfers to see them and make strategic decisions based on what they see.” One huge bunker will come into play alongside the eleventh and sixteenth greens, part of an aim for golfers to converge and interact more over the course of the round. Tree management is a big part in Quitno’s plan. “Most golf courses occupy a property footprint of some 130 to 150 acres,” he said. “CC Lincoln occupies just 110 acres, where, today, more than 1,000 trees crowdedly take root. Such limited acreage also creates serious risks outside the club footprint – on each of the club’s boundary holes, where golf balls routinely leave the property and endanger Image: Harris Kalinka
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