What about the rest of the work, Wayne? How do you feel about the job overall? By both Love and the USGA?
Been too busy managing two 5 yr. olds, so haven't been out to the course in since Feb., and that was too early too tell what the changes (i.e. new short grass/chipping areas around greens, new fairway mowing patterns (i.e. #14), new tees (i.e. #16, #17) were going to look like in their full glory. I realize these specific changes/additions, which also inlcude the new and to-be-removed bunker on #17, are purely for this once-every-15 yr. tournament for the best of the very best golfers.
So, i can take these with an understanding that if the club is willing to be beholden, the USGA either directly or indirectly charts a certain course for how the course should look and play... i.e. long and difficult. I, personally, hope that those changes fade away once the Open has left, e.g. Fairway on #14 regains its original width and shape on the right side which has been turned into rough for the tourney.
Now, the changes made by or under the aegis of Bill Love are different as they impact regular member play. And frankly, i think all-in-all are a complete, um, hatchet job. The most egregious is the new #7 and #8... they don't fit at all with the other 16 holes on the course... in look, in the way they're bunkered, the way the greens are shaped, the way they flow into the other holes, the variety of shots they offer. Nothing about these two holes says "welcome to the Olympic Club". And the same can be said for number of other individual items, which taken as a whole, really start to distort the sense of place that the Lake course has enjoyed over the years.
Yes, they've removed a number of trees which has done loads to help the turf. But, they've already begun planting - and i mean heavy re-planting - in areas that will once again result in shaded areas leading to thin turf (e.g. the 6 or 7 new pines planted in a nice, neat straight line to the right of #4 green).
New teebox complexes, because that's what they are, of multiple, square, raised teeing areas on #5, #9, #12, and #8 are completely out of character with the "lay of the land" tee boxes that have been in place for a long time... if not forever then at least since RTJ got his mitts on the course in the early '50s. If i wanted multiple teeing options, i'd go play Wente Vineyards... what i want is the same course over and over and over... that's why i joined the damn place. If i wanted options, I would've saved my money and just played various public courses each week-end.
Bunkers are mishaped in terms of the overall look and play of the course (e.g. the reworked fairway bunker on #6 is silly. It's the only one on the course where the fairway is cut so ball roll into it, which i think is cool in general but is inconsistent with all other bunkers on teh course. And if you're in the bunker, the lip has been lowered and provides a "ramp" like effect. Not going to by any problem for the pros and doesn't provide any issue for any good player that i've seen in there.
The new bunkering on the reworked short #7 makes no sense. They're too big, and out of scale with the hole let alone the course itself. And, while the green was originally two-tier, they eliminated a very good, fun 3-tier green, and installed a cliff more than a ridge.
There are a lot of other things I would do if I were "king of Olympic"... fairway widening among. But this is what i think about in terms of the USGA and Bill Love alterations. With that said can't wait for the Ocean course to re-open