Two questions arose from reading this thread:
1. What happened to the original course, was it just dozed over or are elements incorporated into the new design?
2. Isn't 84 acres of turfed grass a low number for a course designed to eliminate looking for lost balls?
In regard to Q#1 Some quick notes looking over routing.. some of best saved from old layout..
Old # 1 = New #6
Old #2 par 3 up the hill gone, new #7 par 3 uses pond
Old #3 now # 9, great hole saved
Old $4 now new #1, great cape hole, personal favorite saved.. thanks tiger team
Old #5 still # 5, fall away green looks to be changed, area always had drainage issues
Old #6 up the hill gone, was always a tough 2-shotter with big sloping green
Old #7, a long par 3 with highly protected green with left and right deep bunkers is gone, now #4 . Seems a little far walk from # 5 green
Old #8 which was once a 493 yd par 4, which turned to par 5 and had wild hog damage every year in fairway, now #2.. seems a little far walk from new #1 green
Old #9 which was a terror filled 2-shotter with green in hillside above small pond, then neutered into a 3-shotter, now reduced to a one -shotter… is Full Cycle karma happening?
Old #10 , long downhill par 3 signature picture hole with pond right gone… real shame, real shame its gone.
Old # 11 a fun short downhill , right to left curving fairway, 2-shotter with shallow multi-tier green gone. Was a real skill test, too bad.
Old #12 was always quirky going up hill, over to terraced fairway and then testy approach to long green on hillside just above pond. Looks like now a 1-shotter, best part of old hole..
Old #13 which was a fun redan is gone. Once upon a time you could/or had to play 10 yards to right of green to bounce it on and keep it in play.. Now #13 looks to be a 3-shotter with new cutting into the woods..
Old #14 over the lake to a smallish green with death right is gone.
Old #15 2-shotter now part of #11 a 3-shotter. Old #15 was a fun-fav hole with right to left dogleg uphill tee shot and downhill approach to fall away green, which used to require measured ground approach…
Old #16 par 5 with big tee shot up or over hills and 2nd shot to flat creek area and then funky uphill blind shot to green with rr tie front facing route appears reused in reverse direction… we used to redo the #12 to 15 loop by cutting through the woods.. which seems still possible there..
Old #17 a short almost 90 degree risk-reward dogleg right with a corner pond to uphill green appears gone.. many had a love hate relationship with this hole (primarily due to slices into pond) , now looks reversed as New #10
Old #18 a closing par 5 with tough drive with bunkes in hill side right, which used to run S to N is also reversed; now runs N-S … looks like its green is now new #17 green.
In regard to Q#2... lost balls were never really an issue at Blaketree, other than a few holes with water and tall grass..