Spent a bit of time last Saturday musing over the recent work and conditions at LCC. Each visit seems to reveal something else that grabs my eye. This visit it was the view from the Blue tee (near the bridge crossing the Conestoga) looking down the hole and seeing the cleared hillside nearest the green and below the 2nd tees. What has transpired in recent years is the revealing of the scale of the property and elevation changes that have not been felt for decades. The vistas across the property have been opened up with clusters of trees remaining to frame many of the views.
As for the course itself, a number of holes were slightly altered to account for changes in play due to tree removals, player abilities, and (the all too common) advances in equipment. Some existing bunkers were enlarged and orientations altered to encroach closer to the line-of-play. This occurred on holes 1, 3, 9, 13, 14 and 18. Bunkers were added to holes 1, 2&9, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15. #13 is the one hole receiving most of the changes with bunkers replacing a copse of pines and oak on the inside corner of the 2nd LZ. This opens up the approach to the green and reinstates more shot options rather than a forces lay-up. The single bunkers add to the 1st, 10th, 11th, and 15th holes provide greater challenge to the longer hitters who now have to think about shot placement off the tees. The removal and decline of many trees left some bail-out areas and alternate (not preferred) playing angles into some greens. One change I really like is the removal of the trees between 2 and 9 and the joining of the fairways. A bunker was reinstated between the two holes but brought back closer to the 9th tees. The bunker also provides an aiming point from the 2nd tees and helps frame the hole and completes the visual enhancement of the 2nd hole with the tree removals and fairway expansion to the left. The 3rd and 16th holes involved some shifting of the fairway bunkers in an attempt to enhance the strategies off the tee. With 16, previously there wasn't enough of a shot difference for someone who decided to not tempt the bunkers left versus those that did. A great deal of back and forth on the hole has now created some tension for those opting to play away in the form of a longer approach to the green versus a shorter approach after having played closer to the bunkers. The 14th holes was becoming a bit of a mockery. Elevated tee shot with declining and reduced trees wasn't helping the play of the hole. Now a copse of three bunkers sits to the inside of the dogleg with the two outer bunkers being shifted slightly.
New tees have been implemented on numerous holes. The one tee that seems to have reinstated some challenge is on the 11th hole. Flynn originally set the 11th at around 476 yards. We've got that back and now rather than approaching with a shorter club, we are seeing 4I, 5I and Rescue clubs into the green.
Overall, the course will shine during next years Women's Open. Josh Saunders and his team have the course Tournament ready now. Should be a great event.