Corey,
Thanks for your interest.
I work with 5 clubs: Lookout Point in Fonthill, Cherry Hill north of Buffalo, Orchard Park south of Buffalo, Stafford CC near Rochester and CC of Scranton in Scranton.
Lookout Point
-the course is largely intact, with two lost holes and 6 rebuilt greens
-the holes are there but will not be brought back (too bad!)
-the bunkers and mounds have been mostly restored back to the original condition.
-fortunately much was intact when I got involved, and they understand the preservation of what they have.
-there is some green recapturing and chipping area recapturing going on currently
Where else can you find a 150 yard hole that favours a bounce in approach. This green is 2,800 sq. ft. even after the green recapturing to the corners.
Cherry Hill
-18 original greens and the routing is completely intact. Property is flat as flat gets.
-we have 18 holes of working drawing available for a restoration (which they are into)
-bunkers are completely different from Travis, lots of work to do
-they will be entirely slit drained before we begin with
-they are taking out about 200-300 large trees to return playability
The first with Robinson bunkering
typical working drawing
Orchard Park
-they removed two holes for a range so the course will never be completely intact
-this club I ended up through Bruce Hepner, it’s a shame he didn’t have the time to continue. His work on current 18 was excellent.
-the priority is to remove the two new holes by a different architect, which are so incredibly out of character, the really hurt the course
-we have just begun with them and are currently creating a master plan
-it will involve major tree removal, restoring the 12th back to a par 5, more green recapturing, chipping areas that run the next tees, returning the Travis bunkers (we have great old aerials)
The origional bunker right of 10, the left side ones are gone.
Stafford
-the routing is mostly intact, with one hole changed from a great short four to a long three, but that’s basically it.
-Most greens are there but all the mounds were completely gone except around the awesome 14th.
We did our best to add mounding to recreate the Travis mounds, but the bunkering has high faces which takes away from the look (club’s insistence- sodding could undue this easily)
-nothing but a few tees and tree removals going on currently
-there is a plan to rebuild the awesome old 18th green back
the only mounding left at Stafford, the amazing par 3 14th
the old 18th from the past with the bathtub green (this will be restored with the green site
the current 18th, by green superintendent, not an inch of fall
the proposed 18th, hopefuly we will get to do this soon, there is an image that gave us the old bunkering, so this is quite accurate
CC of Scranton
-generally the original layout with 15 of 18 original greens
-6,000 trees removed to restore views
-all greens have been recaptured and all chipping areas restored
-the fairways have been widened (but not quite to original width on some holes
-all new tees are built, front and back
-80% of long grasses returned, but still controversial
-creek returned, where it used to be piped
-still to come: major drainage, rebuild 3 greens to original contours (research still on going on two), and finally the most important thing to come is the bunker work
the 10th in front with the 11th to the right. You could not see any hole but the one you were on when I first started with the club. Origionally you could see the entire course from the clubhouse. We are very close.
the 18th green, the best green I have seen by Travis, and why he is so highly regarded.
Corey I'm lucky to spend this much time with Travis, but I have to admit that I still haven't fully figured him out. Hollywood is such a large departure in style, and there are excentricities at each club that suprise me. I need to see Round Hill, I have been told that it is wonderful. I do know that Westchester looks a lot different from when I played it in 1988. I will say this much, I think he is a better architect than most people realize.