19 GEORGE GOLF DESIGN Lester George has completed a second renovation at The Country Club of Florida near Boynton Beach, USA. The club’s Robert Bruce Harris-designed course opened in 1957 and was remodelled in 1987 by Arthur Hills – he kept to the original routing but made the holes more “dramatic in style”, according to the club. George directed a renovation in 2006, which focused on deepening and enlarging ponds and lakes, and increasing the number of bunkers to make the course “more visually striking and challenging”. However, the contours of the course have since changed over time – they have becoming smaller and losing their shape, with as much as 12 inches of organic material having accumulated on the putting greens and greenside bunkers. To fix this, in 2024, George worked with golf course construction firm Aspen Corporation, director of agronomy Jeff Kontz and his son, Jeffrey, the golf course superintendent, to rebuild all greens and bunkers to match George’s work from 2006. They used GPS survey data taken from detailed photos of the course. George also added seven new tees to lengthen the course to 7,087 yards. TifEagle bermudagrass was installed on greens, with the green surrounds covered in TifGrand bermudagrass, with the new grass cut at a low-mow height. Drainage was also added to the entire course, including 900 new irrigation heads. The project also included the reconstruction of the club’s driving range and short-game practice facilities, featuring a new two-bay golf performance centre and a new nine-hole reversible par-three course (pictured) for younger players. For more on George Golf Design, turn to page 40, or visit www.georgegolfdesign.com The second act Lester George returns to renovate The Country Club of Florida and design a new short course. Photo: George Golf Design
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