For fellow golf nerds, explain the process of 
rebuilding the greens.
It’s important to note that we did not completely rebuild our 
greens.  We made some modifications. The 1993 remodel introduced 
the USGA green concept at CCL. After 30 years of sand topdressing, 
our upper zone increased from 12 inches of sand to upwards of 18 
inches in places. We removed some of the excess greens mix and 
successfully restored it closer to our original USGA greens design. 
Then, of course, there was the regrassing. We chose a superior 
variety of Bentgrass, 007XL. Some qualities sought included a 
tighter, smoother putting surface (less layover bent), greater 
disease resistance and improved drought tolerance.
What did the days before opening week look like for 
your crew?
Terrifying! Obviously leading up to opening there were still a lot 
of things that had to be done — details, details, details. Living 
without golf and coming through a major renovation, getting golf 
ready was a huge task. That included building density, fertilizing, 
residual seeding and top dressing.
What does golf mode look like?
We opened fully staffed with 25 guys. Typically, we run six through 
the winter. And we’re right back into the daily routine … mowing, 
changing cups, raking bunkers, all the regular activities.
Will you mow the greens every day?
Yes, that’s the plan provided we can handle the traffic. Our members 
have come to appreciate greens that are very fast (11+ on the 
Stimpmeter). As I said before we may not be able to achieve those 
speeds at first and may have to back off the green speed a bit. It’s 
just all part of managing new grass. 
Do you foresee placing more resources toward 
bunker maintenance?
Hands down with the new construction. The design of these 
bunkers dictates that we will spend more time actually hand 
raking some areas. 
Golf Course Architect Todd Quitno 
was also gracious in providing a few 
thoughts on the renovation process.
High-level observations?
The project exceeded expectations and was a great collaborative 
effort, which was required with such a small construction window. 
I give credit to Landscapes Unlimited and Ryan (and crew) for 
managing a ton of moving parts. The whole process from Master Plan 
to execution was truly a team effort and a very rewarding process.  
Any surprises or unplanned happy accidents?
Hmm ... wracking my brain on this one. There are always things 
you run into underground that alter plans, like the fiber line 
that runs right by Hole 6 green that was known, but we had to 
alter our grades to work around it. I would say that we made 
some good field decisions that greatly improved the project, 
such as the adjustment of the shared bunker between Holes 
11 and 16 greens. Originally, the mound in the middle was 
planned to be high, but it looked awkward when we built it, so 
we lowered it and made small islands. Turned out great. 
Another favorite outcome, the dry ditches. This stemmed 
from the concept on Hole 6, but was then incorporated into 
Holes 2 and 3, and Hole 11. These were created in the field by 
Rocky (shaper) and LU and are dynamic and fun. They were 
planned, but how they evolved was a happy accident!
High-level observations about the new practice areas?
I think the movement of the maintenance drive and consolidation 
of the practice area is one of our best changes. First, we were 
able to "recycle" one of the existing greens (Hole 6) as our 
chipping green, so it matches the rest of the course, and now it 
feels like there is a lot more room to practice all sorts of shots. 
And we decongested the Hole 9 green area ... win, win.
The putting green also turned out great and continued 
to evolve as we went along to properly fit the space. I think 
it has the perfect balance of serious practice and fun play 
that was intended and is a great "front lawn" to the Club.
21

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.