Michael,
While I agree with your initial respone -that why would a new course make changes?
The tree management however,was always part of the master plan. A new course can't do everything simultaneously the day they open though. I'm sure Sebonack will look considerably different in 3-5 years, as does Friar's Head.(best it's ever looked IMHO)
The golf course itself has been architecturally untouched (except for one cross bunker on the second shot on the par 5 ninth), although the aesthetics have been incredibly enhanced.
I didn't initially comment on Robert's pictures because they are a bit hard to make out and are a bit misleading.
The first picture shows an area where there were never trees and all but the last picture are quite hard to make out.
From looking at Robert's pictures one would think fescue(the defacto "golf course in a can" look) had been planted in areas of tree thinning, which is not the case.
The fescue you see is from Rees' initial use of it to cover scarred areas where the race track and pits once ran.
In Robert's defense he was fighting failing light and took those pictures from the clubhouse
Those who played it in the treelined early days would be shocked to see areas where stunning plantlife to include low bush blueberries, heather, bluestem, bayberry,low mountain laurel ,cactus and other stunning groundcover were merely uncovered from years of unmanaged forest overgrowth which was choking out the sunlight for all but the tallest of trees.
The Bridge has some of the most unique land and groundcover that I've seen in The Hamptons-we've merely uncovered it to reveal striking contrast to what in my opinion was a too green and unvaried enviroment.
The result is one of the most varied and visually stunning natural surrounds of a course I've seen. (I'm talking about the unturfed area of the golf course)
Standing on the 5th green and 6th fairway is one of the most stunning nonwater views in golf. (and in my opinion much better than the much acclaimed water view from the 5th tee)
The wildlife and the Audobon society certainly love it and it's not uncommon in a round to see dozens of wild turkeys as well as the usual suspects such as rabbits,deer, birds, and foxes.
Additionally, now that the trees have been thinned and you can see through them, you can see the rolling hills and mounds IN THE WOODS that match the landscape and tie in to the rolling, mounded rough. Prior to uncoverig this rolling topography I would've guessed many of the mounds on the perimeter of the golf course were disguised 1/2 sided fakes (as Pete Dye diid so brilliantly in transforming the Long Cove landscape -before many of the pines died which revealed his secret)
While I would've liked to have seen of this rolling topogrophy continue into the fairway without so much grading and shaping, that's not the way Rees operates.
However, with the clearing and thinning I have a much better appreciation of the the tie ins to the topography and it looks far better and more natural than it did before.
Those who in the past commented on the mounds at The Bridge, need merely look 50 yards into the woods at the multiple natural untouched mounds covered in native blueberry,heather, and bayberry.
The other thing the trimming has done is reduce a lot of the walks from green to tee, which are still quite challenging (but several tees will be reconfigured to ease the walk further)
I don't really want to discuss the architecture of The Bridge as it's been covered ad nauseum here (some of it justified some of it not)but I did feel compelled to set the record straight for Michael.