Kittansett is a great course, but it takes a few plays to really appreciate it. The wind is a crucial part of the experience, so if you played it on a calm morning or if you only saw one wind direction, you haven't quite experienced the whole thing. Obviously 3 is special, the par 3's are all great, and a lot of the holes have their own individual merits. However, the best part about Kittansett is the the way in which the round is tied together. The round is like a symphony that starts with a bang, slows down for a peaceful interlude through the trees, and then finishes with the same dramatic fashion that is started with.
I can document some of the changes that have taken place since those photos in 2008. For starters, TONS of trees have come down. When I first played the course in 2006, many holes were insulated from one another. You couldn't see 15 from the 5th, 11 from the 7th, etc. Now, that has all changed. The entire course has a more open feel. One positive benefit is that you can see the water from many more places. Also, the famous third green is now even more exposed to the wind and to golfers' views on 16. The wind plays an even more important role than it did before, especially on the "inside" holes where you previously might have forgotten about the wind and the ocean.
Nature fortuitously took down the willow tree on the inside of the dogleg on 5 which has improved the appearance and strategy of the hole. Previously the golfer had to play to the left side of the fairway to obtain a better angle. Now, the player can challenge the marshland on the right.
A few bunkers are being repaired because of bad drainage and some new bunkers have been added for the tee shot on the 7th. I believe the new bunkering on 7 is quite deep, so players will really have to think about their second shot and decide if they can clear the cross-rough.
The 13th hole has seen the biggest changes. Over the past 80 years, trees had slowly encroached upon the right side, dramatically changing the playability of the hole. In fact, with the old hole, you had to drive it at least 240-250 to even obtain a view of the green, so it was essentially a par 5 for many members. If you leaked your tee shot even slightly to the right, you had not shot at the green. Last winter, they rebuilt the right side of the hole according to Flynn's original drawings. The trees were removed and some wonderful bunkering and mounding was put in their place. You are still penalized for trying to bite off too much, but at least you have some chance of recovery, and the shorter hitters still have a chance to score. In my view, 13 has become one of the best holes on the course.
The only downside of the tree removal, in my view, is that the course has lost a little bit of that "symphony" experience that I previously described. For example, the player used to drive it out of a chute of trees on 16. That moment symbolized a dramatic return from the wooded holes to the exposed holes on the sea. Now, you actually see the water on many of the wooded holes and the chute of trees is completely gone. Also, they have removed virtually every tree on the seaside holes, and I personally liked the appearance of a few lone trees on that part of the course. These are small critiques, because the changes overall have been great.