Kevin Gomillion was kind enough to forward Go
lfAustin.Org a few photos to keep you updated on the progress being made on the Morris Williams renovation project. You can click on any of these photos to enlarge them, then use the back button to return to the text.
The greens are nearing completion in terms of adding the topsoil and greens mixture and the contouring is done for the most part. Seeding is underway on fairways and greens and the timetable calls for having the entire course seeded by the end of July. Pictured here is the #7 green. You can see that the green is contoured differently than before and will provide a great visual because it is centered with the trees behind the green.
Hole #8 is a Redan design. If you are like many golfers, the word redan is not in your vocabulary even though you've played lots of holes with this design characteristic. A quick internet search yielded the following information.
Definition: A redan hole – or, simply, redan – is a type of golf hole that is among the most copied on golf courses around the world. The key is the green and greens complex.
A redan hole is typically a par 3. Its green is wider than it is deep and angles diagonally away from the tee box right-to-left (that is, the left side of the green is farther from the tee box than the right side). A redan hole's green slopes from the front corner to the back corner, and is protected by a larger bunkers fronting the left portion of the green.
Redan holes are so-called because they are all copies of the original, which is No. 15 on the West Links at North Berwick Golf Links in Scotland. That hole is named "Redan."
Number nine green, shown here to the left, has been expanded and broadened to recapture much of the space at the front of the green that had been lost over the years. Players will remember that the front portion of number nine green had a very narrow entry and was only 15 -20 feet wide. The new green will allow for many more front pin placements as well as being more receptive to incoming shots.
The number 15 hole, shown here to the right, has also been improved visually by better use of the surrounding trees as a backdrop. The green is located slightly right of it's previous location and the slope just short of the green has been somewhat softened to give the green complex more gradual run-off areas. Notice the bunker short right and the back portion of the green which is broad and will allow back right and back left pin placements.
#17 green, which has been moved left of it's previous location will be angled slightly diagonally front left to right with a bunker on the right hand side. The front of the previous green had become so narrow it was hard to have a decent pin placement on the front. This design will offer numerous options to the pin setters.
Looks like great progress is being made on the project. Lets all hope we can get the rain we need in the right amounts and at the right times to promote a good growing environment, not to mention help with the overall drought conditions we are all dealing with in our overall community.
