course going back to original routing

[Joe Bausch]

I was recently asked the following question and cannot yet think of an example:

Are there any examples of a top tier course going back to its original routing, despite years of doing it a new way and having modern day conveniences (range and practice green close to the 1st tee, 9 finishing close to clubhouse, etc)?

[Ally Mcintosh]

Good question Joe...

Lahinch's renovation by Hawtree took it back closer (though certainly not exactly) to Mackenzie's routing which stood only between 1928 and 1935... Can't think of any other examples in Ireland...

[Ed Oden]

Joe, not sure this is the circumstance you are looking for, but I thought that is what happened at SFGC with the holes that were reconfigured for the highway expansion.

[Garland Bayley]

Kalen says that Indian Canyon in Spokane which was a USPL site has reversed their nines a few times over the years.
So it is off again, on again, with the original routing.

[Frank Pont]

At Le Touquet La Mer Patrice Boissonnas and I are leading a concerted effort to bring back the original pre WWII routing over a number of years. I include a composite picture of a 1934 aerial and 2010 aerrial picture, which shows big changes in holes 1,3,8,9,12,13,14,15,16 and17. Biggest surprises are that 17 used to be a dogleg right instead of a dogleg left. Also holes 15 and 16 used to be a par 5 and par 3 instread of par 3 and par 4.

[JC Urbina]

Ed,

You are correct, three holes at SFGC were brought back to the pre 1940's layout.  Holes # 13,14 and 15 were altered prior to the John Daly expressway expansion.  After the a few obstacles were removed including a water storage pond that was located on the original 15th fairway and the idea that these holes were really not affected as they had once thought the club decided to restore the holes.

 Only one green the 15th had to be rebuilt and I used every aerial and ground photo I could get my hands on to recreate the green in its original location.  The famous tarantula bunker located between # 14 and 15 fairways was also restored.  Little Tilly # 13, the short par 3 hole was now playing in its original configuration and the bunkering around the green put back in place.

Does that count as a major routing change I think not but for the club to revert back to its original layout a major plus for the history of this highly regarded  A.W. Tillinghast design.

[Ben Stephens]

Just read an article in UK Today's Golfer magazine that says Stockley Pines (formerly Stockley Park) is under new ownership who have plans to revert back to the original Robert Trent Jones layout which was modified by a poorly planned driving range and landfill scheme.

http://www.stockleypines.com/

Cheers
Ben

[Tony_Muldoon]

Just read an article in UK Today's Golfer magazine that says Stockley Pines (formerly Stockley Park) is under new ownership who have plans to revert back to the original Robert Trent Jones layout which was modified by a poorly planned driving range and landfill scheme.

http://www.stockleypines.com/

Cheers
Ben

Ben does it say when this will happen?   I really enjoyed the course but can't have been there for 5 or more years, when there wasn't a driving range!  I have been trying to lure Mr Arble there as there was a realy interesting layout, with some great holes for £18.  I wonder who did the orignal changes and if they have a proper architect on board to supervise the 'restoration' of the holes.

[Ben Stephens]

Just read an article in UK Today's Golfer magazine that says Stockley Pines (formerly Stockley Park) is under new ownership who have plans to revert back to the original Robert Trent Jones layout which was modified by a poorly planned driving range and landfill scheme.

http://www.stockleypines.com/

Cheers
Ben

Ben does it say when this will happen?   I really enjoyed the course but can't have been there for 5 or more years, when there wasn't a driving range!  I have been trying to lure Mr Arble there as there was a realy interesting layout, with some great holes for £18.  I wonder who did the orignal changes and if they have a proper architect on board to supervise the 'restoration' of the holes.

Not really - possibly in the foreseeable future. I have noticed that the botched up range took away hole 10, hole 18 green was moved and hole 5 was shortened. I used Google Earth timeline and the website sketch of the current layout.

Most of the questions you have enquired above I think is better to ask the club to get the facts.

Cheers
Ben

[Sean_A]

Just read an article in UK Today's Golfer magazine that says Stockley Pines (formerly Stockley Park) is under new ownership who have plans to revert back to the original Robert Trent Jones layout which was modified by a poorly planned driving range and landfill scheme.

http://www.stockleypines.com/

Cheers
Ben

Ben does it say when this will happen?   I really enjoyed the course but can't have been there for 5 or more years, when there wasn't a driving range!  I have been trying to lure Mr Arble there as there was a realy interesting layout, with some great holes for £18.  I wonder who did the orignal changes and if they have a proper architect on board to supervise the 'restoration' of the holes.

Spangles

I played with a Stockley member at Sunny Old.  He said the course was good but ruined by changes.  He must have been referring to the changes Ben mentioned. 

Pick a Sunday and lets have a go.

Ciao 

[Tom_Doak]

Joe:

We did restore the routing of three holes at San Francisco Golf Club, as Jim mentions.  However he failed to mention that it was a very divisive change at the club, and there are still at least a few prominent members who continue to disagree with it, 6-7 years later.  The change had been made so long ago that we were destroying the golf course as they had always known it, history be damned.

From your question, I think you are referring more to where a change was made to accommodate new practice facilities closer to the clubhouse.  I've seen changes like that on a handful of courses in the past 30 years, and it always seems to create controversy, because in every case the new holes that replaced the old ones (to make room for the range) were deemed not to fit in seamlessly with the rest of the course.  The only club I know of that did the work and then reverted to the old holes is Rochester G & CC in Minnesota, a Tillinghast course which Geoffrey Cornish had changed.  I believe that they changed the course back for good, although I haven't been back since to verify that.

[PCCraig]

The only club I know of that did the work and then reverted to the old holes is Rochester G & CC in Minnesota, a Tillinghast course which Geoffrey Cornish had changed.  I believe that they changed the course back for good, although I haven't been back since to verify that.

Tom,

As of last summer they had all but abandoned the "new" Cornish holes and were playing the original routing. It's a good thing too because one of the two Tillinghast holes includes a really neat short, uphill par-3 with an interesting green which I thought was one of the better on the whole course.