Lawsonia update

[George Freeman]

From their e-mail blast:

"Our biggest project last winter was the removal of pine trees on hole 14 of the Links. Initially we removed trees to the south side of the green so that the green would receive much-needed sunlight. Then we came across an old picture and quote from Links designer William Langford. In the photo there are no trees around any side of that green. So we decided to restore this golf hole to its original design, continuing on to the back side of the green. The added sunlight help us keep this green in better shape. We have seeded the area to the south with fescue and in time it will become a natural area."

Great news.  That hole always felt a little cramped compared to the rest of the course, even though it is an awesome hole.  Sounds like they are really opening it up.  Should get some great views from 14 tee over the 14th green,  to the 15th beyond.

[George Freeman]

I wonder what Langford's quote was...?

[Greg Clark]

This is a much needed and welcomed development.  This will definitely improve the hole.

[David Kelly]

Lawsonia has come a long way since I first went there and they wondered why we only wanted to play the Links course and not the Woodlands.

[Doug Siebert]

I wonder if they also took out the trees near the tee on the left side.  I hit my irons on such a high trajectory that I have to play a knockdown 9I to keep from hitting the damn thing!

[Rick Shefchik]

This is an excellent decision. I presume that it won't open up the 14th green to errant shots from the 15th tee. Langford must have taken that into account in his treeless layout.

[Jud_T]

who cares, any modern golfer only wants to play the Woodlands anyway.... Besides, it's only a Doak 6....  

[George Freeman]

This is an excellent decision. I presume that it won't open up the 14th green to errant shots from the 15th tee. Langford must have taken that into account in his treeless layout.

Rick - I don't think that will be an issue.  The 14th green is quite a bit higher than the 15th tee, and the line of play of 15 is quite a ways away from the green.  It would take a HUGE (high) pull snap-hook to get anywhere near the green I believe.

[Jud_T]

It took me a minute to realize this was the par 3.  This is awesome news.  That will be one hell of a skyline green.  I thought the issue was protecting the 15th tee from a lefty pull hook on 14.  How far is the closest tee on 15 from the back of 14 green?

[Phil McDade]

The hole in question; this is quite the positive development, as the 14th (not the hole, but the surrounds) is out of character with how the course has evolved in the past several years, with tree reduction a significant part of that.

This is excerpted from Dan Moore's definitive Lawsonia thread of a few years ago:


14th Hole  154/139  (130)

Another fine short hole with a tilted and tiered green that runs hard from back to front.  Hole would benefit significantly from some tree trimming and removal

14 in the 1930’s with no pine trees around the green


14th Green in 1968 surrounded by pines


14th Green Today


14th From Green

[Joe Bausch]

Another pic of 14 green, this from summer 2010.  And you can see the 15th tee to the right.

[Steven Blake]

Wow what a great change! It obvious that the first picture really makes that green complex stand out, so I'm guessing they restored the complex to look similar??

The trees in the other pictures should have been removed for a lot of reasons. But architecturally the visual from the tee is really enhanced if they got the look of the first 1930's picture.  I love that look especially on greens were the pad is raised above the existing topography like 14, it adds a dynamic that is really cool.  It really throws your depth perception off particularly for feel players like me that rely on gut instinct, instead of yardages.  Plus it really shows off Mr. Langford's artistic ability where before it was hidden. 

Agronomically speaking, this will be a huge plus!!  Having that amount of shade and lack of air movement is not a great idea for growing good turf.  It’s a step in the right direction considering a vast majority of their greens are in the open to begin with .. .

Is there anyone who actually thinks the last 2 pictures look better than the first one?  I guess I have a hard time understanding why golf courses continually planted trees like that!  From almost every point of view the 1930's photo is the best rendition of this hole.

Kudos to Mark Lyons the superintendent at Lawsonia!

[Evan Fleisher]

Wow!

The photo above (posted by Phil) of the early incarnation of the hole...is unrecognizable by today's standards.  That rear tree removal will be very welcome and hopefully restore the awesome look of the earliest versions of this gem.

[Joey Chase]

It's also interesting to see that the landform hasn't changed at all from the 30's onward.  Seems like an easy decision to take out the trees.  I am a native to Wisconsin and haven't been to this course.  I really need to see it!

[Steven Blake]

Superintendent Mike Lyons ... sorry had to make that correction! Mike I owe you one!

[George Freeman]

Is it just me or do the trees (a ways) behind the green appear to be too close?  I'm trying to visualize what the hole would look like today with no trees behind it and I am imagining seeing the massive, long view of the treeless field the rest of the back nine was built on.  I can't figure out where that dense of tree cover, that close, could be?  Maybe pre-clearing? 

On a side note, the green on this hole is soooo good.  Having it firm up from better light and airflow will only add to its qualities.

[Ken Fry]

It could be assumed the trees could have protected the 15th tee from shots at the 14th green, but alas I proved you could still end up hitting your 2nd shot to 14 green from 15 tee!

The removal will certainly add to the consistent character throughout the course.

Ken

[Brendan Dolan]

I am looking forward to seeing the improvements sometime this summer.  The approach to 13 and 14 have  always felt a little different then the rest of the course, due to the pines.  I wonder if they removed any trees around the 13th green too.  From a turf perspective that would certainly improve that green as well.

Brendan

[Evan Fleisher]

It's also interesting to see that the landform hasn't changed at all from the 30's onward.  Seems like an easy decision to take out the trees.  I am a native to Wisconsin and haven't been to this course.  I really need to see it!

You owe it to yourself to get there...IMMEDIATELY! 

[Phil McDade]

Is it just me or do the trees (a ways) behind the green appear to be too close?  I'm trying to visualize what the hole would look like today with no trees behind it and I am imagining seeing the massive, long view of the treeless field the rest of the back nine was built on.  I can't figure out where that dense of tree cover, that close, could be?  Maybe pre-clearing? 

On a side note, the green on this hole is soooo good.  Having it firm up from better light and airflow will only add to its qualities.

George:

The 14th hole runs (south)west to (north)east, and that wooded area beyond the hole (the next two holes -- 15 and 16 -- form the eastern boundary of the Lawsonia course, and in particular the eastern border of the long, rectangular parcel of land on which Langford built the back nine) is original dense forest-land that runs all the way to Green Lake. It's now the Woodlands course of the Lawsonia complex, which was built in the 1960s and is pretty much entirely carved out of those woods. That's all original, dense, Wisconsin hardwood forest, much of it oak and maple -- if you look at an aerial of Lawsonia, you'll see much of the grounds of the entire Lawsonia complex is heavily wooded.

One of the interesting things about the back nine of the original links course is that you can't see any of Green Lake due to the dense tree cover between the course and the lake. But the savvy and experienced golfer will always be attuned to where the lake is, especially on the greens, as the lay of the land on the back nine runs toward the lake, which is only a few hundred yards away in some cases.

[RJ_Daley]

I heard the rumor about the intended tree removal around 14, but have not been there this year to see it, either.  Note to self, get there! 

Steven, I get your correction  And, I think it should not go by the wayside of those that know, that Mike is the guy that made the contact with Forse and Nagle and got this extraordinary renovation underway some dozen years ago now.  It is great to hear that Mr. Lyons and the new management company are carrying through with resto of the looks and original architectural intent of Langford and Morreau. 

As others explain, it is possible to airmail one over the green and land on 15 tee.  The white-blue tees are pretty much over the right 1/3rd of the 14 green as you look at the photos.  And, the barrier of the enormous pine trees between the left side of 14 walk out, and behind 13 green have become too high and encroaching on someone that hits the high fading 7-8-9I, or for the big dogs wedges, to 14.

At the very least, I think they should take out about 75% of them.  And, with more removed trees up the left and to extreme left side of the 14 green, both sunlight and a turfed area that can survive (rather than be pine needles) would be a better design feature, IMHO. 

No doubt that over the years, there may have been a few 'close calls' of players teeing off on 15 tee, having a misclubbed 14 tee ball sail on top of them.   It will be an issue, unless they have some other creative idea to prevent it.  It is a rare thing, but liability don't take the rare holiday.

I love the un-treeing of Lawsonia.  The planting of ubiquitous pines on great classic courses were the conventional un-wisdom of the 50s-60s era.

Besides, we all know the greatest playing hazard liability of Lawsonia Links course is, brat slippage on the 10 tee.     

[Jonathan Decker]

Wow what a great change! It obvious that the first picture really makes that green complex stand out, so I'm guessing they restored the complex to look similar??

The trees in the other pictures should have been removed for a lot of reasons. But architecturally the visual from the tee is really enhanced if they got the look of the first 1930's picture.  I love that look especially on greens were the pad is raised above the existing topography like 14, it adds a dynamic that is really cool.  It really throws your depth perception off particularly for feel players like me that rely on gut instinct, instead of yardages.  Plus it really shows off Mr. Langford's artistic ability where before it was hidden. 

Agronomically speaking, this will be a huge plus!!  Having that amount of shade and lack of air movement is not a great idea for growing good turf.  It’s a step in the right direction considering a vast majority of their greens are in the open to begin with .. .

Is there anyone who actually thinks the last 2 pictures look better than the first one?  I guess I have a hard time understanding why golf courses continually planted trees like that!  From almost every point of view the 1930's photo is the best rendition of this hole.

Kudos to Mark Lyons the superintendent at Lawsonia!

Steve,

The pictures don't really show it, but if my memory serves me correctly the 14th plays considerably down hill?  This made the tee shot distance more difficult to guage, in addition to the elevated green.  Reminds me of your work on the 14th at Ridgeway, but with an elevated approach shot:-)

JD

[Ronald Montesano]

Juanathan...

See Phil's fourth picture above... your recollection of the downhill is clear in that one.

[Phil McDade]

Although it's not considerably downhill. I doubt for most players it's a club-length difference. It plays 154 yds from the tips, 139 from the whites. For me, from the white tees, it's always been an "easy" 7-iron -- not a hole that at 139 I have to swing hard at. It has the added advantage of being a green that is of the type that Ran M. describes as a "catcher's mitt," in that the green is tilted toward the player and seems receptive. To me, the 14th has always been the most comfortable tee shot of the course's excellent quintet of par 3s. The key to the 14th is simply not to over-club and overshoot the green -- that's death. But even short or short right is OK, as the up-and-down is not quite as difficult as it is at some of the course's other par 3s, notably the 7th and 4th. I think one of the benefits of the tree clearance is that it will likely make wind more of a factor on the hole -- it sits at the highest point of the back nine, and thus a following wind (the typical summer wind here) might make club selection a bit trickier.

[Steven Blake]

Mr. Decker,

You are correct you get the same feeling  ... this concept of removing trees behind a green is not new and one that Donald Ross wrote about and Tom Doak have discussed if I am not mistaken.  

Phil,

You are correct about the wind now which was not a factor before on this hole.  Also it being the highest point on the back makes this a nice change.

Steven Blake