Changes at PVGC

[SPDB]

Archie,
What bunkers did they build along the right sides of 4 and 9? To my eye, it looks like they extended or connected some bunkers,which may have decreased rough/native areas and replaced with sand, but I don't think there was any narrowing of fairway lines (in fact I think mowing patterns may have increased fairway width). It seems like some of the luck you reference on 4 if you happen to hit is the fact some areas that used to be between bunkers (and may have have, with luck, propelled the ball down the hill) are now bunkers.

[Anton]

Anton very early pictures show Pine Valley looking almost like an early English heathland course. There were no trees between the 18th fairway and the railway line, now you can only hear the trains not see them.

Ah yes.  Those early pics are beautiful.  It must've been a tremendous undertaking to clear so much and drain the swamps there without modern conveniences.  Personally I like the high trees to the right on 18 because they somewhat shelter balls from finding the ponds and swamps bordering the property.  The tired swing of a right hander leads to a slice at that stage of the round.     Though I do like a topping of the trees so the skyline 9th green gets a good sightline. 


I am in favor of the calculated tree removal program.  Like with many courses lately it seems to be the 'in thing to do' but many have gone overboard in my opinion.  Many of the great courses are looking all in all too similar to one another.  So many clubs now are filled completely with template holes, squared greens, scruffy bunkers, and scarce trees as part of their renovation processes.  If my home clubs renovate to this model, I'm out.     PV is the benchmark for variety, strategy, and randomness, and I hope it stays in that form.   

[Ryan Farrow]

Who is doing the work?

I believe it's MacDonald and Sons

Hmmm... ok. I guess. Sure. Why not.

[archie_struthers]

 


SPDB   


the bunkers at the top of the hill on #4 might be ten or twelve years old, beautifully integrated but definitely a new addition from my days working there. The pro always gives me the business about whether I hit it in there whenever I visit .  He knows they aren't my favorite lol


I think the ones to the right of the tee shot landing area on nine might have been a year or two after those on four > they certainly were not an extension of any previous bunkers or a renovation . On both holes there was nothing but grass in the area the bunkers now occupy . You could hug the tree line on four if you wanted to and get a big bounce down the hill, or leave a hanging lie in the rough . On #9 , there is a stand of trees surrounding a bunker that was a pitchout approximate 225 off the tee on the right . You could get lucky and bounce it off the hill or hit a cut that skirted around said trees/bunker and end up with a wide open shot fro an extended fairway . it was a very pleasant surprise when it happened on either hole.


From the new back tee on #4 it is approximately 240 yards uphill to get to the fairway so in many ways makes those bunkers moot except for incredibly long hitters> however they will punish us mere mortals playing form the daily tees.

[Josh Stevens]

The bunkers look like they were man made.  Is that not what they were trying to avoid at PV?

[JESII]

Not sure what they were trying for although it's worth noting that they are man-made.

[Tim_Weiman]

Archie,


#5 is quite striking. Do folks at the club consider it a better hole now?

[archie_struthers]

 




Tim I haven't got much feedback on #5 but the hole is all world, similar in reputation to Calamity at Portrush. It's an iconic hole amongst a bevy of great ones at PV.


When the caddies start  coming down for our  Monday afternoon game at the Jersey Shore  sill be sure to report back.  It looks quite menacing in the pictures , more so when there were trees left of the green . The shot there is a hard draw so I'm guessing the visual of the pots left will cause a lot of hang on and block right .  It's death down there so it will be interesting to see if the hole plays even harder than before.


When I was a kid enjoyed the strategy of the  late Warner Shelly , who hit a layup short of the road , hit a little wedge or nine iron from there and made four most times with an occasional three.  I'd venture to,say he often beat  better players on this hole with that strategy .  Quite a man he was!  Author of the original history book on the club.


As to Sully and Josh's comments on the bunkers I'm assuming they mean e new ones on #5. Although I'm not the biggest fan of the bunkers on #4and #9  for aforementioned reasons , they are wonderfully integrated into the landscape. Just liked the old look more

[archie_struthers]

 




So far for me the best change is the removal of trees behind the 9th green.   Really stunning look after the pine backdrop all thru the years .  Pretty sure a lot of posters  would agree .


Still hoping for the chainsaws to rumble left of #12 . If it happens lots,of greta bunkers will be exposed and long hitters just won't be able to resist taking a shot at the green .  They will pay more often than not but it will be exciting to watch.


Would love to see the green on #10 be reconfigured back to the early days when you could putt into the DA. Realize there are some maintenance issues involved with the storms that rumble up the Delaware oN occasion but think there is an answer to that problem. It would make the front right pin frightful once again.

[JESII]

Archie - I was responding to Josh's comment which I presume was about the pictures of #'s 2 and 18 in the opening post.


They don't look perfectly natural, but much more so than those they replaced to me.

[Rick Shefchik]

Jerry Tarde posted to his Instagram some photos of the changes at PVGC that were made this past winter. In some cases, the work looks pretty dramatic/substantial.


I think the work on #3 looks fantastic (and appears to consist mainly of tree clearing). Same goes for #5 (although there does appear to be a little bunker expansion where they took trees out on the left):





All photos courtesy of Jerry Tarde (https://www.instagram.com/jerrytarde/)

Looks like they missed a few here. If you're going to clear trees for sand and grass, why leave a couple of trees in a cluster of bunkers and waste areas?

[Mark McKeever]

Paging Steve Lapper..

[Josh Stevens]

What can they do with grassing here?

I don't know how things work up there, but one thing that is a bit jarring is the massive contrast from green to white.  Are there no brown grasses that can tone things down a bit?