Course Preview, Drone Video Tour :: Holes 1-3


MGC Members - 

 Welcome to our drone footage video preview tour.  We hope this gets everyone excited for what's to come...

At the bottom of this post, there is a write up and video link for holes 1-3.  We will be releasing 3 holes at a time, next up being Holes 4-6 on June 8, then June 10/12/15/17 for the remaining.

 However, before we begin, please take the time to read the below, a recap of everything that what was done during the re-grass project.
INTRO:
  • The reason for this entire project was to convert our playing surface to bent grass.  Bent is a superior playing surface and is also a much hardier strain of grass with stronger/deeper roots, to help withstand our winters.
  • While we were closed and under construction, we wanted to improve the golf course wherever possible.  As you can imagine, the course has changed a lot over the past 100+ years.  Most noticeably, our fairways and greens had significantly shrunk from their original size, so many of the changes you will notice throughout the course is us recapturing a lot of what was lost.
  • We worked with golf course architect Jeff Mingay, who was instrumental in helping us re-claim many of the original playing characteristics of our golf course.
TURF: 
  • Simply put, bent grass is a superior playing surface for golf.  All tees, fairways and greens were seeded with bent grass.  For the real turf geeks out there, the tees and greens are a mix of 007 and 777 bent grass.  The fairways are Dominant Extreme 7, which is a blend of 3 strains of bent grass.  The rough was left as is, but overseeded with bluegrass and sprayed with fertilizers to remove undesirable species of turf.
  • Bent grass thrives in pure sun and dry conditions.  Poa, and other undesirable species of turf, thrive in shade and moisture.  We had done a great job over the years in creating an environment for bent grass to thrive, however, some additional work was needed.  We installed best-in-class XGD drainage systems in all our greens and also ensured maximum sunlight through selective tree removal, primarily around greens.
FAIRWAYS:

  • Our fairway corridors had gotten quite narrow over the years.  We also had several narrow pinch points, which made it challenging to grow quality turf.  By simply bringing our fairway lines out to the drip line of the trees, we were able to recapture a lot of what was lost. 
  • Our total acreage of fairway grass went from 26 to 34 acres, greatly expanding our playing corridors.  You may initially think more fairway leads to an easier golf course, but keep in mind more fairway causes a poorly hit shot to "run away" from the ideal line of play, and also brings many of our bunkers back into play.

 9 before

9 after

GREENS:
  • Our overarching goal with the greens was to retain their integrity - how they played, the slopes we all know so well, etc.  So while the greens are "new" - think of them as upgraded versions of the greens you know.  Similar to our fairways, our greens had shrunken in size over time.  Through a combination of old aerial photos, soil samples, etc., we were able to expand on our current greens close to their original size, reclaiming some "new" interesting pin positions.    Our greens went from a total of ~85,000 sq. ft to ~110,000 sq ft.  You will notice some of the green expansions in the drone footage.
Finally, as you've likely seen from the clubhouse, and as you'll notice in the video, the course is very green.  With bent grass on our tees, fairways and greens, it is visually striking to see one uniform color across our course, a refreshing change from our previous hodgepodge of different grasses.

Without further ado, here are Holes 1-3.  We hope you enjoy.

 Matt Gibb, Green Committee Chair
HOLES 1-3

Hole 1:

 Our opening hole is unchanged outside of the usual fairway and green expansions.  The biggest difference you will notice is the approach to the first green without any trees surrounding the green.  At the green, you'll notice a slightly larger putting green, but with similar back to front slope as the previous version.
Jeff Mingay - 

 "Bent grass surfaces will inevitably result in quicker greens. This forced us to consider the back-to-front slope of the green, here. To preserve some important pin positions, we softened that slope ever so slightly. You still don’t want to be above the hole at the first, though!” 


 “Additionally, removal of the spruce trees between the first tee and putting green allowed us to significantly expand that green surface to make better use of available space. Removal of the spruce will benefit turf health, too. And it’s also restored a remarkable view across the golf course from the first tee.”

 Hole 1 Video Link - Click HERE
Hole 2:

 This hole underwent the most changes.  With the blue/white tee pushed back, the hole will now play 405 from the middle of the new blue/white tee, and the distance to the right fairway bunker is 245.  This will hopefully keep many more tee shots up top, vs down below in the "divot pit."  We believe lengthening this hole will not only make it more challenging, but also provide a more visually appealing second shot from "up top" vs down below. We also removed the humps/bumps from the old fairway bunker on the left, allowing for a more fair approach shot from the left rough.  The green is also one of the larger expansions, most noticeable back left and back right, reclaiming lost pin positions.  

 Jeff Mingay - “The added length should prevent most longer hitters from driving down into the valley, presenting added challenge and a much more attractive look at the green on approach. Simultaneously, the expanded fairway caters to everyone else’s enjoyment.” 

 Hole 2 Video Link - Click HERE
Hole 3:

 Hole 3 is largely unchanged outside of usual fairway and green expansions.  The most noticeable difference is the new fescue left of the black/blue/white tees, tying into the fescue between 2 green and 5 green, along with the fescue planted behind the 3rd green.  We plan to mow a diagonal strip in the fescue for the walk up to 4 tee, which will be hidden on the approach shot once the fescue grows in...

**There were no bunkers altered on holes 1-3.

 Hole 3 Video Link - Click HERE

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