I was curious about the architectural attribution for Greystone, so I decided to contact Bill Love's company for info. His associate Brian Kington has been very helpful. I've had confirmed that Joe Lee was the original architect of the course. The course itself was built in 2 phases, 9 holes at a time. One phase was supervised by Mr. Lee, the other 9 was built by the County independent of an architect.
Brian was kind enough to give me a detailed report on the bunker renovation, which is given below:
Bunker Renovation Project at Greystone Golf Course
The objectives of the 2007 Bunker Renovation Project at Greystone Golf Course were to maintain the drama and design style of the original Joe Lee bunkers while reducing maintenance requirements. Additional objectives were to improve playability, pace-of-play and aesthetics of the bunkers. To accomplish these goals, all of the bunkers were rebuilt and lowered back into the ground. Each bunker cavity was reconstructed and new materials were installed including state of the art drainage, quality sand and new sod. The result is a golf course with a 30% reduction in overall area of sand and brand new visually dramatic bunkers that are easier to see, play and maintain.
The process began with a detailed study of the existing bunkers for their location, size, configuration, playability and maintenance requirements. Even though generally the bunkering was dramatic and easy to see, several bunkers were blind, others were a maintenance nightmare, and still others caused playability or access issues due to their locations. Based on the study, it was proposed that some bunkers would be eliminated, some would be added, some would be relocated and the rest would be reconstructed in place.
Blind bunkers such as those on the left side of Hole 4 and Hole 18 were eliminated or rebuilt so that they were visible from the tee or landing area. Bunkers that were a maintenance problem typically included bunkers with excessively steep slopes such as the bunkers behind Hole 3 Green, Hole 4 Green and Hole 12 Green. Other bunkers caused playability issues such as the bunkering on the par 5 Hole 10 that did not provide an adequate place for average players to hit their second shots, in which the bunkering and fairway were reconfigured at the second landing area to provide a more reasonable challenge. Other playability issues included the bunkering on Hole 13 which tended to confuse golfers into thinking they were playing to what was actually Hole 14 Green.
Bunkers were added in select areas to enhance the challenge or strategy of a hole such as the bunker that was added in the fairway of Hole 15 which was previously void of any sand. Another example is the increased bunkering around Hole 18 to increase the challenge and drama of the closing hole.
The results of the Bunker Renovation Project were outstanding and speak for themselves. Greystone immediately jumped up in the Maryland rankings for golf courses. Maintenance requirements have been reduced and despite the overall 30% reduction in sand area, there was actually an increase in the amount of sand you could see while playing the holes based on the methodology in which the bunkers were rebuilt. The drama and visual interest of the Joe Lee bunkers was enhanced. And the conditions of the bunkers are much more consistent and playable.
The Project was a great success and provided tremendous value for the Baltimore County Revenue Authority who has been working diligently to improve all of their facilities to enhance the golf experience while keeping greens fees reasonable for everyone.
Brian Kington
Golf Course Architect