Golf Course Architecture: Issue 57 - July 2019

56 across the wind, strengthening the set of threes. A handful of necessitated irrigation-head adjustments have been made in-house. “The short natural lifespan of a revetted bunker brings the opportunity to address accessibility, playability, maintainability… with an artistic eye! Rolling the face down to a much lower and shallower revetment – varying from say three to six stacks deep, or none at all in places, for visual diversity – reduces material and labour. Lightly reshaping the three- dimensional form, and the horizon on which they sit, is key to enhancing the existing bulbous pots. “To make the most of the terrain’s visual drama, I’ve leant on Seacroft’s early expansive hazards for inspiration, setting a handful of naturalised scrapes into dune faces where strategically influential. Bunkers only hurting the player incapable of reaching the green in regulation, or preventing a more interesting alternative line of play, are filled in using the material in situ. Around some greens, at the tenth most notably, a broader range of recovery scenarios and shots is created by bunker removal. This reduction allows us to introduce bunkers elsewhere, where their current positioning or natural ground is largely devoid of interest, such as at the long, straightaway eleventh. Some bunkers are moved to increase their strategic impact, and only where an existing landform allows – naturally not all players will be affected, but across all 18 holes, and with varying wind strength/ direction and ground firmness, no round should be devoid of interest or challenge for any class of player. “The shaping work at Seacroft is carried out by me, so that the issues presented by each of the proposed 66 bunkers are addressed individually – for the cost of 25-30 days labour, eight-ton excavator and three-ton dump truck hire! Spread over five years, this extra time on site allows me to further understand the nuances of the property, continue to tweak mowing lines, and see how new features evolve in the exposed landscape. Under direction, Seacroft’s small but skilled five-man greenkeeping team prepare the work areas and make a start on finishing work, as I shape, before completing over the following weeks as winter weather and time allows. Turf is sourced from the club’s existing revetting nursery. “Working in collaboration, I have been able to lean on the greenkeeping team’s site-specific knowledge, while efficiently dealing with any of their maintenance concerns. This sense of ownership yields an even better finished product. Given the financial position of many clubs, a similar approach seems best suited to the light-handed refine and refresh of courses going forward.” GCA For the Tillinghast-designed course at Suburban Golf Club in New Jersey, architect Jaeger Kovich has focused work on a small number of the most impactful holes Photos: Jaeger Kovich OPT IMI SING VALUE