By Design - February 2019

11 O riginally designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge in 1975, the 36-hole facility at Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, was suffering with ageing course infrastructure. The club hired Jan Bel Jan, ASGCA, who worked alongside golf course superintendent George Redshaw to identify and address issues throughout the club’s golf facilities. Drainage was particularly poor on the fairways, the 40-year-old irrigation system was failing and there was room to improve the overall playability of the courses. All elements of the holes— tees, fairways, bunkers and greens— needed updating to modern standards. Bel Jan devised a renovation plan, reducing the number of holes to 27, but making room for an expanded practice range and golf academy, two short game areas, two putting greens, and two practice holes. Bel Jan’s plan would also make the courses more playable for golfers of all abilities. To resolve the problems with drainage, holes that previously had severe slopes were re-graded, with existing bunker sand used to help drain areas with high organic content. Excavated greens mix was used for new tees and to raise the elevation of fairways that were too close to the water table, which was higher than thought when the course was originally designed. A new irrigation and pump system was also installed. Bunkers had altered greatly over the years, leading to unwanted changes to course strategy and areas of extreme wear from golfer traffic. “We reduced long-term maintenance costs by eliminating bunkers that did not contribute to strategy or aesthetics,” says Bel Jan. “And we redesigned bunkers to reduce erosion during intense rain events.” Greens, which had previously played inconsistently, have now been redesigned, rebuilt and planted with TifEagle bermudagrass, to enable them to withstand more rounds. Contours were also softened, so that they were more suited for Stimpmeter readings of 10 or 11, compared to readings of eight for which the greens had originally been designed. Bel Jan reconfigured tees on every hole and added 27 new teeing grounds—planted with TifGrande bermudagrass. Now with five teeing areas on each hole, there is greater flexibility in yardages, and the opportunity for golfers with slower swing speeds to tee it forward. Wind direction and other conditions were considered for tee designs, locations and sizes, as well as the landing areas and bunker positioning. “We have incorporated the best elements of the original design with a revitalized approach to strategy and playability,” says Bel Jan. “We provided multiple choices of how to play each hole, with the lakes still playing a pivotal role in the character of all three nines.” Boca Lago Location: Boca Raton, Florida Golf course architect: Jan Bel Jan, ASGCA www.janbeljan.com Project summary: Jan Bel Jan, ASGCA, has reconfigured and renovated the golf facilities at the Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, improving playability and bringing the course up to modern standards. Partners: Sanders Golf (contractor); The Pignato Group (irrigation designer); GT Irrigation (irrigation installer); Hector Turf (Toro irrigation supplier); Turf Drainage Company of America (drainage consultant); ADS (drain pipe and fixtures); Golf Agronomics Shipping & Handling (sand supplier); Quality Turf (grassing contractor); Armadillo Shield (cart path installer); Golf Range Netting (netting supplier and installer); Southern Features (bulkheads) ASGCA DESIGN EXCELLENCE BOCA LAGO COUNTRY CLUB Twenty-first century design Comprehensive renovation improves playability and brings Florida club up to modern standards Photo: Jan Bel Jan

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