[Thad Layton]

Front 9 photos with descriptions of Arnold Palmer Design Company renovation-The Bay Hill Club in Orlando, FL.

Hole #1
Tees widened and shifted right to provide better angle to access fairway
Bunkers 180 yds off tee to right eliminated and converted to rough
Bunkers outside of dogleg enlarged to provide visibility from tee
Greenside bunkers moved closer, deepened, and flashed higher to frame green
Interior of old green surface replicated and the edges softened to provide better hole locations closer to bunkers

Hole #2
Green rotated 30 degrees clockwise to enable players to hold long iron and woods into green
Natural slope on right utilized to feed shots onto the green enabling shorter players to access front right pin locations
Front left bunker eliminated and converted to fairway run-off area
Tees were realigned and moved closer to cart path
With green rotated and back tee expanded, this hole can play as long as 245 yards

Hole #3
Tees realigned and moved closer to cart path opening up unobstructed view of fairway
First fairway bunker on right converted to fairway
Second fairway bunker enlarge and moved closer to landing area
Fairway leading into green expanded enabling a ground approach into green
Green expanded towards water to create an array of pin positions tight to the hazard
Greenside bunkers moved closer, deepened, and flashed higher to frame green


Hole #4
This hole was converted into a true par 5 without lengthening the hole
This was accomplished by:
Fairway bunkering was moved out into the 270-300 yard range
A new lay-up bunker was added left of fairway 100 yards from the green to guard lay up area and bunkers adjacent green re-configured
Reduced green size and elevated green surface with tightly mown surrounds and deep bunkers


Hole #5
Tees realigned and moved closer to cart path opening up unobstructed view of fairway
Bunkers enlarged and repositioned to force decisions off the tee
New fairway cut over left fairway bunker provides opportunity for drivable par 4 from forward tee
Steep slope on front right of green will provide a new layer of difficulty on this crowned green surface

Hole #6
Tees raised and moved closer to the lake
First fairway bunker eliminated
Sand in next two fairway bunkers taken higher to increase visibility from tee
Green expanded toward water to front, left, and rear
A fairway cut was introduced to collect shots hit through green and provide a shot options that were previously non-existent
Create a new tournament viewing are behind #6 green

Hole #7
Tees expanded and fanned out to left
Fairway cut short of green steepened to repel shots short of green to bottom of slope
Greenside bunkers deepened and pushed tight to green


Hole #8
Shifted tees to left for better views of fairway from all tees
Flashed fairway bunker higher for better visibility from teeing areas
Expanded green left and toward water
Softened back right of green to create difficult hole location between bunkers
First half of greenside bunker on right of fairway filled to better show off 2 new bunkers adjacent green

Hole #9
Tees widened
Fairway bunker left shifted 40 yards down fairway to better challenge tee shots
Two fairway bunkers on right converted to rough
Green rotated to right to engage the re-configured bunker complex right of green

[Thad Layton]

Hole #10
Left fairway bunkers slightly larger and shifted them to right to engage the fairway.  The right fairway bunker was moved 50 yards forward to bring it more into play.
Very subtle green modifications were made by squaring off the edges to introduce pins on the corners. The approach and side slopes of the green surrounds were made sharper to introduce a tightly mowed slope on the surrounds

Hole #11
We shifted the right side fairway bunkers closer to the fairway line and repositioned them to fit today’s distance requirements by eliminating the first bunker and converting it to turf and replacing it with one at the 285-300 yard turning point.
Green – Certain areas around the perimeter of the green were smoothed out to introduce pins closer to the greenside bunkers and lake edge.  A roll off left and behind green that blends into #12 tee was introduced.

Hole #12
We eliminated the three hidden fairway bunkers that were located at the beginning of the fairway and replaced them with two bunkers; One protecting the inside right corner at approximately 260 - 270 yards off the tee and one protecting the outside left corner of the fairway at approximately 300 yards from the back tee. The left fairway line has been shifted slightly to the left to widen the fairway and provides an obscured view from the fairway for the second shot.
The second landing area fairway bunkers were repositioned for visibility and to engage play better. Old shaping and mounds that blocked views into the bunkers and green complex were removed. The green side bunkers were re shaped and positioned for visibility and moved closer to the green to protect the corner pin locations.
Green – Every effort was made to keep the original character of this green but modify it to introduce corner pin locations behind bunkers and adjacent to steep shaved slopes on the green surrounds.

Hole #13
The Championship tee was pushed back ten yards and all the tees were repositioned. Before the renovation there were three hidden fairway bunkers on the left side of the golf hole. During the renovation this bunker complex was reshaped to include two highly visible bunkers that were shifted and repositioned closer to the fairway to become more in play off the tee.  The right fairway bunker was reshaped and shifted closer to the fairway too.
This green previously had a lot of movement along the edges that did not allow for pin positions close to the lake edge or greenside bunkers. We softened the perimeter rolls and enlarged the green on the front right and back right to introduce pin locations all along the lake edge and close to the greenside bunkers. The greenside bunkers were also reshaped for visibility from tee and fairway and shifted closer to the green.

Hole #14
This hole has a significant visual change. Previously, 90% of the bunkers on this hole were not visible from the tee and neither was the green surface. The old green had sharp rolls along the edge that did not allow for perimeter pin locations or pins behind the bunkers.
We eliminated the front right bunker complex and created a tightly mown grass slope along the entire right side of the green. The left greenside bunkers were reshaped and moved closer to the green to better protect pin locations on the left side of this green. The greenside bunkers behind the green were reshaped, made visible and shifted closer to the green surface to protect back right and back left pin locations.
The green surface has been smoothed out to allow for more pinnable space but still retains a hint of the old green contours.

Hole #15
A back tee was built that could add 50 yards to the hole if desired. If used, this new back tee will bring the reshaped fairway bunker more into play and turn it into a real obstacle off the tee.
Originally there were two fairway bunkers protecting the inside right corner of the fairway. The bunker complex was reshaped with one large bunker that was slightly repositioned to bring it more into play.
This green complex was reduced in size to one, move it out of shadows cast by the surrounding trees and two, shift it away from the cart path and three, make the green size and contours more appropriate for the type of shots played from the original back tee location. The front greenside bunkers were reshaped, repositioned and moved closer to the green surface allowing for a more intimidating approach shot. The right green side bunkers were removed and replaced with a tightly mown grass slope. The back greenside bunker was reshaped for visibility and moved closer to the green surface.
While this green did change slightly there are several elements from the old green that were incorporated into the changes.

Hole #16
Tees – The tee complex was shifted left to utilize the natural ridge line and increase visibility down the golf hole. A large swale was reshaped from the back tee down to the fairway that increases overall visibility and opens up a view slot down to the fairway.
The two right side fairway bunkers were reshaped, combined to make one large fairway bunker that is now highly visible from the tee, and shifted closer to the fairway to bring it more into play. Two of the left side fairway bunkers were removed and converted to rough. This allows for one prominent fairway bunker to protect the left side.
The green complex was reshaped and the beach bunker removed to incorporate shaved slopes and collection areas on the middle right, back right and back left of the green. The front greenside bunker was reshaped and moved closer to the green. A small back right greenside bunker was added to help protect the back right pin locations.
The green surface was smoothed out to allow for more pin locations around the perimeter, lake edge and beside the bunkers. While the green was modified for increased pin locations the original green contours were incorporated in the renovation.

[Thad Layton]

Hole #17
Visually this hole will look different and slightly more intimidating but strategically should play better with increased pin locations along the perimeter of the green and reshaped bunkers that are closer to the green surface.
The most dramatic change on this hole is the expansion of the beach bunker. The green was shifted seven to ten feet to allow for the beach bunker to be reshaped and contoured for drainage, playability and visibility.

Hole #18
A back tee was added to increase the hole yardage by approximately 10 yards. The renovated green is almost a carbon copy of the old green with slight modifications in the green size to accommodate an additional front pin location and middle back pin location.

[Kalen Braley]

Thad,

How has the renovations been recieved?

[Greg Krueger]

Thad, thank you for taking the time to post this as well as your detailed descriptions. Seems like alot of the changes make sense. Your bunker boys definately have new job security!!

[Thad Layton]

Kalen,
The renovation has been very well received by the membership. We had a media outing yesterday and there was a very positive vibe from all who played it.

Greg,
The maintenance staff will definitely have to allocate a few more man hours to the bunker detail. That being said, we have been pleasantly surprised at how well the sand faces have held up (with no liner) under some pretty severe stroms this summer.

[Steve Sayre]

Great pics. Will be interesting to see how scoring averages change for the big boys.

[Richard Choi]

Great post. I do like the beach bunker on 17th. Man, that is a lot of sand...

[Chris Flamion]

Great post. I do like the beach bunker on 17th. Man, that is a lot of sand...

Based on looking at just the picture(which obviously tells us everything we need to know  )  The intimidation factor is staggering but I doubt it will play much harder. 

I am also a fan of that style of bunker so the more the merrier

[Steve_ Shaffer]

AP wants the players to have fun again:

http://www.golfweek.com/news/2009/sep/29/palmer-shows-renovated-bay-hill/

[Anthony_Nysse]

The bunkering looks much more like the orginally Dick Wilson bunkering that I've seen in old pics here at Pine Tree. Much better

Tony Nysse
Pine Tree GC
Boynton Beach, FL

[Robin Doodson]

thad,

looks fantastic and is very exciting for me. i am the super at Sanctuary Cove in australia and we have recently engaged the Palmer company to furnish us with a new masterplan to upgrade our pretty tired Pines golf course. We just received the construction drawings and the changes they are proposing look fantastic and will bring the course up to standard. It is great to see the changes that have taken place and the pics appear to show a more classic design. we have the same issues with poor definition and hidden bunkers. would love to hear more about the process that you guys went through to implement the works. what is your position there at the club?

robin

[Doug Sobieski]

The bunkering looks much more like the orginally Dick Wilson bunkering that I've seen in old pics here at Pine Tree. Much better

Tony Nysse
Pine Tree GC
Boynton Beach, FL

Tony:

That was my first thought as well! When I started there in 1989, it was at the completion of a major renovation that created the "hidden" bunker style of the last 20 years. I agree that the new version shares a similar character to those bunkers from 20+ years ago. I like the new photos and can't wait to see it in person.

All the best,

Doug

[Nick Church]

I'm guessing the television commentators will go on ad nauseum with regard to how the new green contours take away Tiger Woods' advantage with remembering breaks.

Thank you for posting all the before & after, especially with the thorough notes accompanying each.

[Jonathan Webb]

Thad,

What's the status of the Seven Falls project?

I worked in the area last summer and visted the site multiple times.

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