Kapalua Plantation Renovation?

[rjsimper]

Saw this on the Kapalua Website -

One (1) hour lesson per person at The Kapalua Golf Academy during renovation of The Plantation Course 4/1/05 - 7/31/05

What did they do?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Here is the answer:

from pga.com

The Kapalua Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui has completed a series of improvements to its famed Plantation Course in preparation for the Mercedes Championships. The season-opening event on the PGA Tour is set for Jan. 5-8, 2006.

The Plantation Course, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, now sports Ultradwarf TifEagle greens, while new Bermuda grass can be maintained with lower mowing heights, allowing for a truer roll on the greens.

The renovation project also included a re-contouring of several greens, enabling more hole locations for tournament and daily operations. Additionally, 30 fairway bunkers were renovated to the original Crenshaw/Coore design characteristics and new bunkers were added on Nos. 15 and 16. The teeing areas on Nos. 2, 4, 8, 11 and 17 were expanded and the 15th fairway was reshaped to give players an improved second-shot landing area.

Coore and Crenshaw, along with Kapalua Superintendent Craig Trenholme, supervised all renovations of the 7,411-yard, par-73 course, which opened in 1991. The Plantation Course is one of three courses at the Kapalua Resort, the other two being the Bay Course and the Village Course, each designed by Arnold Palmer.

In addition to the Plantation Course enhancements, a GPS system was added to the golf carts to provide yardages from anywhere on the course. Other improvements were made to the golf shop, locker rooms and the Plantation House Restaurant that overlooks the first and 18th holes.

[Joel_Stewart]

Golf Channel reported that Ben Crenshaw was on site this week observing players and their shots.

The insinuation was that C&C would renovate the course.

[Kyle Henderson]

Mark Rolfing stated that the trade winds which blew in a predictable direction and velocity 300 days per year have become erratic in the past decade, so it may be that they will add more variety to the teeing grounds to account for the dramatically different conditions that can arise from one day to the next in that corner of the world.

[Matt Kardash]

I know I might get crucified for this one but I have always found the bunkering on the plantation course to be generally very ugly. Some bunkers look ok, but there are others that I think look terrible and amateurish. Besides that, it is one of the coolest courses on the PGA Tour.

[mike_beene]

Crenshaw was at Lakewood the other day where they are redoing a lot of the course.I ran into him out on the course and he said he was heading to Plantation for the weekend but did not say it was to work on the course but it makes sense.He is heading to big island for the senior event after that.

[Morgan Clawson]

On the Friday telecast they said Crenshaw would be on the air on Sunday. They also said they would talk about Pinehurst.

[Joel_Stewart]

I know I might get crucified for this one but I have always found the bunkering on the plantation course to be generally very ugly. Some bunkers look ok, but there are others that I think look terrible and amateurish. Besides that, it is one of the coolest courses on the PGA Tour.

Is this the only C&C course that does not have the rough edge bunker look?   Some of the bunkers have morphed into ovals and circles. 

[Anthony_Nysse]

Joel,
  When I was working with C&C at Friars Head, I was lead to believe that the shapes changed because of the PGA Tour.  Less chance for rules issues by having a more defined, maintained bunker.

[Mac Plumart]

If this was a different architect would they be getting killed on GCA for renovating one of their own courses?

I think so...

but taking a step back...didn't some of the very best classic courses in the world get constantly tweaked and changed over time by the designer?

[DMoriarty]

I wonder if anyone has looked at the dates of the original two posts?  

Joel suggests maybe they are renovating again, but do we know this is the case?

[Tom_Doak]

If this was a different architect would they be getting killed on GCA for renovating one of their own courses?

I think so...

but taking a step back...didn't some of the very best classic courses in the world get constantly tweaked and changed over time by the designer?

Who gets killed, unless they have to blow up half their greens the first year after the course opens?  [That's not a tweak.]

That said, I can't believe how many courses are letting their original architect talk them into major renovations right now.  The motivation for these tweaks seems pretty obvious, and I don't know how many resorts are making so much money that they need to figure out ways to spend their cash.

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I wonder if anyone has looked at the dates of the original two posts?  

Joel suggests maybe they are renovating again, but do we know this is the case?

Crenshaw said as much during the broadcast.

[Jim Nugent]

If this was a different architect would they be getting killed on GCA for renovating one of their own courses?

I think so...

Sounds like C&C are renovating Kapalua for PGA tournaments.  That's the big lament around here -- the need to change courses to fight off the march of technology for the pro game.  So I'm not sure GCA would take other archies to task for that.

but taking a step back...didn't some of the very best classic courses in the world get constantly tweaked and changed over time by the designer?

Oakmont, ANGC, Pine Valley, Pinehurst #2 immediately come to mind.  Even TOC has had a number of changes to try and keep up with the pro game.  

[mike_beene]

Remember that Kapalua already redid the 15th green prior to the PGA ever bringing the official event there.It was leveled to accept the greens speed the tour wanted. Would 6 work as a cape hole?

[Mac Plumart]

Jim...

I love that list. I'm not suggesting killing C&C. Rather I'm sincere in my thoughts that some of the best courses in the world were life long endeavors by specific architects.

I'm pretty sure Mackenzie discussed that an architect should get it done in one shot for economic reasons. And I totally see his point. But could watching, changing, adjusting the course over time yield the best product in the long term?

[Keith Grande]

Apparently Ross made changes over the years at Pinehurst #2.

During the interview with Crenshaw at the tournament, it appears that they are adding tees to counteract the recent changing winds, where previosuly they were trade winds, they are now encountering Kona winds.  Some of the holes are playing too long, some a bit short.  So they are adding in more flexibility.

[Kyle Henderson]

During the interview with Crenshaw at the tournament, it appears that they are adding tees to counteract the recent changing winds, where previosuly they were trade winds, they are now encountering Kona winds.  Some of the holes are playing too long, some a bit short.  So they are adding in more flexibility.

See reply #3 above... 

[Matthew Petersen]

Remember that Kapalua already redid the 15th green prior to the PGA ever bringing the official event there.It was leveled to accept the greens speed the tour wanted. Would 6 work as a cape hole?

If you put a tee in immediately behind the 5th green, it would be a carry of 300+ to reach even the start of the sixth fairway. So, no. That canyon is just too big.

But moreover, the sixth is one of the most unique holes I've ever played. Wouldn't want to change it.