[Steve_ Shaffer]

and reminisces:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/10/20/sports/golf/AP-GLF-Palmers-Course.html?ref=sports

Here's more on the redesign of this Willard Byrd course:

http://www.islandpacket.com/2011/10/01/1813364/golf-legend-arnold-palmer-to-debut.html

[Eric Smith]

If any course on the island needed a reno it is this one. Some of the coolest houses on the island are found inside Wexford. If you love being on the water, whether it be fishing, sailing or cruising and love golf, Wexford fits the bill nicely. I hope the renovation turns out well. The original had a couple of neat holes at the finish along Broad Creek, and the clubhouse and harbourmaster area in a gorgeous setting. Michael Jordan owned a house here back in the late 80's/ early 90's though I think he sold it after his dad died.

[Michael Whitaker]

Check out these comments from the official press release I received:

Without sacrificing its character, APDC has allowed the Wexford golf course to fit the property naturally and provide the layout a more timeless feel and style. Palmer’s design company has transformed the playing strategy, characteristics and look of the Wexford layout, while also incorporating design changes that have improved drainage and will reduce maintenance costs.
 
“Our intent was to create a new design in the spirit and tradition of America’s classic golf courses and bring a modern interpretation or twist to their enduring standard and a few select template holes such as The Road Hole, Redan, Alps or Biarritz,” said APDC Senior Architect Brandon Johnson, lead designer on the Wexford project.
 
Added APDC Senior Architect Thad Layton “Wexford is by no means a replica course, we take inspiration from certain places and our inspiration for the Wexford Plantation remodel is founded in traditional and classic Golf Course Architecture.”
 
The Wexford renovation encompassed repositioning and reorienting tee complexes, significant bunker removal and strategic old/new bunker placement and modifying, along with tree removal, to increase sun exposure and widen fairway corridors. APDC also added more character to the greens and surrounding complexes, which now provide an enjoyable challenge featuring roll-offs, roll-ons and strong visuals.
 
“We wanted to give the golfer several options of play off the tee and around the greens to cause him or her to think about their upcoming shot,” Johnson said. “By significantly reducing the amount of bunker space, repositioning them in more visible and strategic locations and widening the fairways we were able to add a previously missing strategic element to the golf course while allowing more room and avenues of play for the higher handicap player.”
 

[jeffwarne]

Check out these comments from the official press release I received:


 
Added APDC Senior Architect Thad Layton “Wexford is by no means a replica course, we take inspiration from certain places and our inspiration for the Wexford Plantation remodel is founded in traditional and classic Golf Course Architecture.”
 
The Wexford renovation encompassed repositioning and reorienting tee complexes, significant bunker removal and strategic old/new bunker placement and modifying, along with tree removal, to increase sun exposure and widen fairway corridors. APDC also added more character to the greens and surrounding complexes, which now provide an enjoyable challenge featuring roll-offs, roll-ons and strong visuals.
 
“We wanted to give the golfer several options of play off the tee and around the greens to cause him or her to think about their upcoming shot,” Johnson said. “By significantly reducing the amount of bunker space, repositioning them in more visible and strategic locations and widening the fairways we were able to add a previously missing strategic element to the golf course while allowing more room and avenues of play for the higher handicap player.”[/i]
 

Those words are hard to argue with.(let's hope they deliver)
Bunker space reduction is certainly a good start.

One of the linked articles from Steve  is a bit troubling.
Let's hope it all works out-cool spot next door to long Cove

Long live the King

[Brandon Johnson]

Eric, you are right. There are some amazing homes in Wexford. Most of them that surround the marina are larger then the clubhouse!

We certainly had fun working on this redesign at Wexford and hope the membership enjoys our work. The course is in great shape for being grassed this summer. Brian Murray, the superintendent, and his staff have done a phenomenal job. The members have been very complimentary of our work so far and are just trying to figure out the new greens and surrounds as they are completely different from what they had prior to the redesign.

Jeff, Unfortunately that one article mentions the aftermath of some club management issues they endured during our project and others the club were doing at the time. The cost over runs were a result of those unfortunate management problems, among other things, but certainly not caused by APDC or the golf course contractor.

If I can figure out how to post images and find the time I will try to post some and maybe get some before/after shots so you can see the changes.

[Eric Smith]

Bumping in hopes that Ward P will chime in after playing Wexford yesterday. I spoke to him briefly and one thing he did mention was that the biarritz green was really cool and that it's used on a par 4.

[ward peyronnin]

Here are some notes gentlemen:

Hole 1 is a suitable introductory hole as it establishes that angles will matter
 when managing shots around this course. A right side fairway bunker proves a straight forward but effective deterrent to placing the drive at the preferred angle into this elevated green guarded by a deep front left greenside bunker. Thus the safe drive yields a look at an obliquely situated green that is firm and relatively narrow

Hole two verifies that these throwback greens with lots of internal movement and raised edges are intentionally styled after the ODG masters because the corners , as on the first green , are just that: corners squared off

Hole three introduces a tame version of a redan style green design on the first par three. Not the classic form but has a green wrapping around from right to left a collection of trouble in the form of bunkers and ponds.

Hole 4 on the surface is not a memorable hole but a neat little pot bunker guards the middle of the fairway and also completes another element repeated through the course; cross bunkering. This fairway also contains some appealing rumpling. And things are really starting to happen on this course with a wonderful spine ridge continuing from ~ 60 yards in front of the green through the putting surface.
This green though begins to call to mind a Tillinghast type design with  roll and flow as compared to Raynor spine and slope compartments or Ross crowns but the little false front dish feature made the short right hole location  a very ticklish chipping affair

Hole 5  one begins to see the inherited routing as something that has to be worked around. This a great driving hole with a high right plateau guarded by left bunkers built into the down slope that invites a draw that turns deadly if overcooked. But it suffers from being framed on the right by a small ridgeline composed of the 70's style chocolate drops which is now grown up in trees and an unassailable fixture.





Regardless this could have been a bottle like hole driving option ( I quibble because it is a par five so technically not able to be called a bottle hole )but that potential is denied by the ever encroaching woods and treeline left; the claustrophobic quality of many of these holes being a principal drawback of the course.

Hole 7 is a tough driving hole as the left is blocked out by trees and waste in front of the tee and judicious fairway bunkering guarding the outside right of the landing area that calls for a layup or some l. to r. shotmaking. The green is , to my mind , a scaled down knoll green with appealing crowning and deep left bunkering ( for some reason I saw No 14  at Yeamans altho this is not as good as that version).

No 8 is an ok three shotter redeemed by some good staggered cross bunkering from 100 yds in

No 9 wraps around a pond and the green is a Ross or Tilly styled plateau raised about 4 feet above grade. I do feel that the rear green surface is simply too narrow at about 10 or less paces.

I like No 10 because the design banks the fairway to fit the eye and the perception of the line of charm to the hole. It is a beefy par 4 but a good way to get back on track

Hole 12 is the redan hole and begins a change of pace. The front left bunker element is nonstandard in that it does not inspire fear from excessive depth but rather  visually alarming tentacled lobes that can also result in a long sand shot to the greens edge as well. A collection area replaces the other deep backstop bunker often a part of this hole.  Perhaps this is because the back of this Redan green is not banked as drastically as most and allows shots to run, a bit too freely in my opinion, over the green.

Hole 14 is my candidate for an alps hole. A high central mound in the fairway obscures the green from most of the tee and shots hit tot he center of the fairway. Two thirds of the front of the green is guarded by beep bunkering and even tho this mound is farther removed from the green at approx 100 yds out , this blind approach fits that alps  template. What really makes the hole is the well done principals nose bunker that guards the top of the mound and prevents most players from bombing teeballs at this feature.

No. 15 is a weak hole made weaker by a two level green that features a crowned  upper plateau that is too small for a decent hole location for even the wedges a green front pond forces most players to layup for.

Sixteen is another unusual template presentation in that a Biarittz style green is incorporated into a beefy par four. The huge green in my recollection is fairly evenly divided by the trademark swale instead of a smaller front/larger back layout typical of Biarritz I have played. Also ,, the bottom of the swale is not level but materially higher at the left side. The rest of the green features more movement in the form of humps and dishes unlike the spines I have seen Raynor use but it is large enough that there seem to be enough hole locations.

Hole 17 is a pretty little par three along the marsh and 18 is an unremarkable , but attractive, double forced carry par four

I generally liked the course and could be play it frequently for a lot of the previously cited reasons of interesting green features, clever use of angles, and some of the internal fairway features.

The course does suffer from too many tight tree margins and a resulting  sense of claustrophobia, fussy bunker margin overdone curves, and a routing that delivers a lack of variety of par four hole lengths

[Eric Smith]

Thanks for the run down, Pappy. Any indication of what the membership thinks of the changes? Sounds like a fairly radical departure from what was there previously.

[ward peyronnin]

Eric

The staff says the members are enjoying the different playing lines and features. Can't say much beyond that.

I think the lads will enjoy the playing characteristics and creativity in Feb as much as i did.

[Eric Smith]

Thanks for reminding me to update the thread for our confab in Feb.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()