REPORT underscored this philosophy. “There are a lot of interesting chipping areas around greens, and we didn’t overbunker the course,” says Jones. “Every hole has had some sort of tweak, like the opening up of the greens, to make them playable along the ground. We have given the golfer more shot options.” The updated fourth, a par five that can play from 425 to 556 yards, is a great example. Fairway bunkering in the landing area has been staggered to create a pinch point that is tighter for longer hitters. In the approach area, a string of bunkers that previously split the entire fairway has been replaced with a single hazard that eats into just the right portion, leaving a route open to play along the ground. The green opening is wider, so can be reached with two long, accurate shots. Anyone navigating the route to the green in three shots has much more space to work with. Another significant aspect of the renovation has been selective clearance of trees and bushes. Turner says: “There has been some encroachment of the native pines and palmettos. And one of the big things for us was, when you’re standing on tees or greens, how many different green complexes can you see?” “We took some opportunities to clean out some of the native areas, to show our owners that, if they want to take another bite at the apple at some point, we can clean them out, lift them a little bit and create larger areas for golfers to play from,” says Turner. “I think we’ve been pretty successful on four holes where we did that.” Amid many moving parts and dependencies, the project has succeeded in delivering for all involved: guests, owners, operations and maintenance. “The changes we made to the bunkers were important from a visibility and playability standpoint, but they function much better too,” says Patterson. Each bunker now has Better Billy Bunker lining. “It has helped focus our attention on maintaining them, rather than on putting them back together after a major rain event.” From discussion of initial plans in 2018 to completion in 2024, work at Waldorf Astoria has been more marathon than sprint. “The relationships have been really good,” says Weisser. “When you go through something together for a long time, everyone gets to know the course so well and it’s less about delivering some sort of product, and more about interaction and evolution over time. It’s been really fun, working together as a team.” Photo: Russell Kirk “ The changes we made to the bunkers were important from a visibility and playability standpoint, but they function much better too” Most greens at Waldorf Astoria can be accessed along the ground and have short grass surrounds that provide options for recovery shots 77
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