Best restorations outside of the US?

[Joel_Stewart]

What are they?

So many are in the US, are their any large scale restoaration projects happening outside the US.  Tokyo CC (Gil Hanse) comes to mind.  Ernie Els work at Wentworth.

[PThomas]

What are they?

So many are in the US, are their any large scale restoaration projects happening outside the US.  Tokyo CC (Gil Hanse) comes to mind.  Ernie Els work at Wentworth.

Joel - hasn't Els work there been criticized?  i think this year he had to redo part of his , um, redo....

[Jeff_Mingay]

Has anyone seen Gil's work at Tokyo? I knew he was working on that project. It'd be interesting to see what's planned and/or what's been done.

And, is it really a restoration of an original design?

[Tom_Doak]

Joel:

Unless  you count Askernish -- reclaimed from the dead -- there are not a lot of restorations going on in the UK, where they are far less sentimental about architectural pedigree than we are.  Wentworth was anything BUT a restoration.

There is a little bit of work going on in Europe restoring Harry Colt courses, or changing them under the aegis of restoration, anyway -- but nothing that has garnered major attention.

[Joel_Stewart]

I'm using restoration - renovation in the same breath.  

Paul:  I understand Els work at Wentworth is up in the air.  The point is it was high profile for the UK and yet we don't hear of any other work over there.  Tom Watson did a lot of work at Ballybunion and practically no one knew.

[David_Tepper]

Tom Doak -

In your mind, is Askernish a renovation, restoration or recreation?

DT

[Tom_Doak]

David:

I don't know that anyone can really say what Askernish is now, since there are not photos or maps of the old course to show what it really was.  I think for the most part that the restorers tried to choose holes that they felt Old Tom might have built, based on the land as they found it ... but there are clearly a few features that hint at a more modern perspective, too.  In some places, the views are just too well framed for me to believe it was Old Tom who framed them.  But, that's a minor quibble, and I'm not saying I wouldn't have done the same thing.  It's just much easier to call something a restoration when nobody can prove you wrong.

[Jay Cox]

Most U.S. restorations are on classic courses that were changed between 1950 and 1990.  How many courses like that are there in the rest of the world?  Haven't most classic courses outside the U.S. had the good sense to leave well enough alone during that time period?

[Frank Pont]

Joel,

most of the restorations of classic courses in continental Europe have been incremental, with one or two holes of a few bunkers done per year.  Examples are Kennemer (Colt), Eindhoven (Colt), de Pan (Colt), Spa (Simpson),

Exceptions have been Royal Hague (Colt/Alison), where all 18 greens, greensurrounds and all bunkers were redone in 2 years time. Other courses with wholesale changes were made in Hilversum (Colt), Falkenstein (Colt), Royal Antwerp (Simpson), Frankfurter (Colt) and Club Zur Vahr von Limburger).

Also in the UK more and more clubs are looking to restore many of the key elements of their classic courses (strategy, fairway width, tree clearance, restoring bunker style etc). Tandridge (Colt) where I am working is a good example of such a large scale project, restoring the course back to its roots in 4 years time. (we are lucky to have a lot of good historical photo's of the course just after opening).

Jay,

leaving the courses alone helps, in that many of the classic courses still have almost their original greens. Only a few classic courses have in recent times changed/lost some/all their original greens. Hilversum (Colt), Frankfurter (Colt), Wentworth West (Colt) and Club zur Vahr(v Limburger) are sad examples of that. I know how frustrating that can be; we have such a situation at de Pan where three original greens are changed two decades ago, which in two cases has not worked out, but we have no way of going back to the originals because nobody bothered to accurately survey the original greens before they got changed....

However even doing nothing for many years has still left many of these courses with far too many trees, too narrow fairways, tired looking bunkers and lost detailing around the greens. Even a great place like Morfontaine suffered from some of these symptoms when I visited a few years ago.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

I'm using restoration - renovation in the same breath.  

Paul:  I understand Els work at Wentworth is up in the air.  The point is it was high profile for the UK and yet we don't hear of any other work over there.  Tom Watson did a lot of work at Ballybunion and practically no one knew.

Joel,

I read an article recently on what Watson did at Ballybunion; it wasn't a awful lot. I'll see if I can find the article.

[Joel_Stewart]

I've read Mike Clayton has done some good, thoughtful work in Australia?

Maybe Jay is right, most places have been smart enough to leave their courses alone but you would think from just wear and tear and possibly neglect some historic classics would have undergone some type of large scale restorations?

[David Kelly]

Hasn't virtually every top course in Australia had some work done in the last 10-15 years?

[Keith Phillips]

While I have played none of his courses, I have visited Frank Pont's website and he would seem to be a leader in European restorations - some really terrific photos on that website - www.infinitevarietygolf.com

[Micah Woods]

A great project just completed is at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Manila; the architect on the project was John Olenoski.

Read more and see a photo gallery in this case study on The R&A's site:

http://www.randa.org/en/TheGolfCourse/The-golf-course/Case-Studies/Archive/2011/July/Wack-Wack.aspx

The work at Tokyo GC is done now, and it looks good. I think that was mostly a green redesign/rebuild, still keeping the two green system. There are quite a few projects in Japan now, either underway or in planning, most of which will change from the two green system to one green.

[Greg Ramsay]

Clayts', Bruce Grant & John Sloan's transformation of Royal Queensland from a plain, dull, average parkland track to a seriously interesting, fun and visually appealing strategic treat is the single best overhaul of a course i've seen- on-site whizz Ashley Mead and turfstar Danny Brown deserve lots of credit too for making it play how it was meant too.  Certainly not a restoration to an earlier layout, but at least a restoration in status as one of Queensland's best golf courses, and among Australia's best championship options. The new Lakes is also a breath of fresh-air considering what a motley crue of holes it used to be- and i understand the members embrace it somewhat more readily than the RQ folk do.

Crafter&Mogford are doing great things at Barwon Heads- which could be described a restoration, but i'm not that fussed with terminology (just with the outcomes). They are also restoring a much-needed sense of consistency at Riversdale, and are riding on the coat-tails of their elevation of Glenelg from an also-ran on the Adelaide scene, to 18holes of good,clean, thought-provoking fun. Looking forward to also seeing if they can be the ones that finally make Horsham GC into one of Victoria's top 10 tracks and if they ever get let-loose on www.tasmaniagolfclub.com.au i reckon they'll make it sing.  They've already drafted a terrific overhaul of www.claremontgolf.com.au too.

Not sure if anyone has played Chris Pitman's reworked Titirangi in Auckland- but it was a disappointment to me in the previous form, and its reincarnation looks spectacular- and something that would soothe Dr.Mack's soul.

[Scott Warren]

Greg R:

i understand the members embrace it somewhat more readily than the RQ folk do.

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is that the members at The Lakes almost universally hate the 13th.

"It was a better hole when it went around the corner." Lunacy.

[Ian Andrew]

I think we've had some pretty good work done up here in Canada by a couple of different architects.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Europe doesn't really "do" restoration, mainly because it's on so few club's radars...

I haven't seen any of Frank Pont's works so I can't comment... In Ireland, only Carlow and Cork seem to have expressed any interest in their design heritage (Simpson and MacKenzie respectively) to the extent of doing something about it...

In Britain, the obvious case for restoration work is in the heathlands where tree clearing, heather regeneration and bunker reshaping has started at quite a few clubs...

[Michael Goldstein]

I recently saw the renovation by Nicklaus design at Pine Valley (in china...).  They built the course about 5 years ago and have already redesigned/renovated it twice...  Supposedly golf design has moved on in the last 5 years. Wow...

[mark chalfant]

south of Toronto....

St Georges, a stellar Stanley Thompson course, received an excellent restoration by Ian Andrew.  Lookout Point, I have not yet played,
but I have heard its a very faithful rebirth of a dramatic  Walter Travis course

[Michael Goldstein]

My serious answer is Royal Queensland by Mike Clayton

Although I'm also compelled to mention Cynthia Dye's $20m binge at Shanghai Tycoon. For all those who think GCAs aren't busy - talk to that company. 

 

[David_Elvins]

Joel,

If you are talking 18 hole renovations,  Mike Clayton and Co have done plenty. 

Lake Karrinyup fantastic, Grange West, Peninsula South, Peninsula North are all very good, as is Healesville, although that was a lower profile course/club.  I have not been to the Lakes or Royal Queensland yet but by all reports they are very very good too. 

All the projects had trees removed, fairways widened, more contoured greens built and strategic, aesthetic bunkers built in moderation.