17 TEE BOX Photo: Josh Delgorge Renaissance completes redesign at Melbourne’s Commonwealth club Renaissance Golf Design has completed a restoration-inspired renovation of Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. Brian Slawnik was appointed as principal architect in 2020, with Tom Doak involved in planning and the creation of a concept plan. “The second phase involved significant architectural changes to the southern end of the course, with the most notable modifications being at the seventh, tenth and twelfth greens,” said course manager Adam Lamb. “They have been redesigned and brought closer together. This creates a connection like the northern section, which features several paired greens, or ‘duos’, interconnected by short-mown surrounds.” This work follows on from phase one, which, among other changes, covered greens two to five, thirteen to eighteen. Pure Distinction creeping bentgrass, developed by Pure-Seed Testing, was selected for greens. “The seventh green has returned to its original alignment, featuring a bunker on the right and a moderate swale to the left,” said Lamb. “The green falls away at the back-right, and the approach is narrow. The par-five tenth has had its green moved back by around 20 metres, though the approach bunkers remain in place. This encourages golfers to clear the bunkers and potentially run the ball onto a horseshoe-shaped green, which is protected by a small deep bunker in the front middle.” Read more about the renovation project and the club’s vegetation efforts on the GCA website. Dunstanburgh Castle, on the north-east coast of England, is a fine James Braid design in the lee of a ruined fourteenth century fortification that was intended to protect the area from Scottish raiders. But we were not aware that it was quite so popular among GCA readers; its appearance in October’s Gopher Watch prompted the largest batch of correct answers we have ever had. Given Dunstanburgh’s design heritage, it is perhaps appropriate that the first entry out of the hat was from Simon Barrington, a golf history buff with a huge interest in Braid – Simon recently recorded two podcasts on the man with Cookie Jar Golf, which we recommend. This issue, Sandy is still on the links, on a rather newer course. New it may be, but it is part of one of the oldest golf resorts on earth. That’s quite enough clue, we think. Entries, if you know where he is and fancy a prized GCA golf shirt, to gopher@golfcoursearchitecture.net GOPHER WATCH
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=