The Club at Lac La Belle unveils renovated course

The Club at Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, has reopened its golf course following a renovation by Craig Haltom.

“The first four holes have been built on new property that was never part of the original course,” said Haltom. “That gave us room to reroute holes on the existing course to reach all the most interesting parts of the property, while avoiding a lot of the low-lying problem areas. The result is a routing that has a lot of room between holes, in some places, and a scale that most people don’t expect.

“You cross the road to reach the fifth hole, but it’s a nice walk and it all works together.”

Jimmy Cavezza oversaw construction, which began in May 2018, and is staying on as the golf course superintendent at La Belle.

The project has seen 18 new and much larger greens built. “The new greens are generally pretty big, with some big contours, which is nothing like the original course that had a couple of the flattest greens I’ve ever seen! People are having a lot of fun, so that’s been great to see.”

Read more: Haltom spoke to GCA about the new routing last year, when construction was almost complete

Tyler Morse, vice president of The Prestwick Group, said: “We added 30 acres to the property and not one hole has been used from the previous 18-hole routing. Craig did some unique things out on the course that people will have a lot of fun with.”

“We cleared thousands of trees, so the views across golf holes are also dramatically improved,” said Haltom. “Everyone is really pleased with the result. The drainage issues are resolved, and the course is playing great.”

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