Golf Course Infrasturcture RefurbishmentEnhancement ProjectLONDON HUNT AND COUNTRY CLUB&
THE PLAN:PROCESS
OVERVIEW OF THE PLANNING PROCESSSTEP 1DEVELOP MANDATEOF THE LRP COMMITTEECOMPLETEDSTEP 2SELECTION OF GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTCOMPLETEDSTEP 3ENGAGEMENT WITH ARCHITECT FOR VERSION 1COMPLETEDSTEP 4MEMBERSHIP TOWN HALLCOMPLETEDSTEP 5DEVELOP VERSION 2BASED ON MEMBER FEEDBACKCOMPLETEDSTEP 6DEVELOP VERSION 3BASED ON COMMITTEE FEEDBACKCOMPLETEDSTEP 7MEMBERCOURSETOURSCOMPLETEDSTEP 8DEVELOPA VERSION 4COMPLETEDSTEP 9MEMBERSHIP TOWN HALLWITH HURDZANCOMPLETEDSTEP 10CONSTRUCTION GRADE COSTINGCOMPLETEDSTEP 11FURTHER PLAN REFINEMENT/REFINE TIMING/CAPITALFUNDING APPROACHCOMPLETEDSTEP 12COMMUNICATION OF BOARD RECOMMENDED PLAN TO THE MEMBERSHIPSTEP 13TOWN HALLS TO REVIEW WITH MEMBERSHIPSTEP 14MEMBERVOTEFALL 2017 APRIL 2018 SEPTEMBER 2018 OCTOBER 2018 JANUARY 2019 APRIL 2019 SEPTEMBER 2019 OCTOBER 2019 OCTOBER 2019 MARCH 2020 SEPTEMBER 2020 DECEMBER 2020OCTOBER 2020 NOVEMBER 2020
THE PLAN:COURSE ISSUES
COURSE ISSUESOVERVIEWThe basic routing and structure of the London Hunt golf course is sound. The variety and distribution of hole lengths and par is excellent with no more than two par 4s in a row. There is one long and one shorter par 5 and par 3 on each nine and they play in different compass directions which is highly desirable, and unusual. There is a good mix of right and left dogleg holes, and par and yardage are well balanced on the front and back nines. The golf course is very walkable even for the considerable amount of roll and undulation of the land. The following descriptions are excerpts from reports submitted by Drs. Hurdzan.
IRRIGATION 37% OF PROJECTThe irrigation system is over 30-years old, which well exceeds the life expectancy of a system manufactured during that time period. Unlike modern irrigation heads that are controlled by electricity and are in a normally closed or “no run” position, the London Hunt and Country Club system is controlled by requiring a constant water pressure to keep the head closed. In other words if one of the small pressure control tubes is cut or broken, the irrigation head will go on and run until manually turned-off, or water pressure in the tube is restored. Pressure control tubes can be cut or broken by aerification equipment or by heavy equipment running on soft soils such as tree maintenance trucks. All irrigation heads today are designed in the normally closed position because of this problem.The irrigation control at London Hunt and Country Club is such that three or four heads are on one station or switch, whereas modern irrigation has individual head control to permit putting water down from a single head only where it is needed. As it is now, if only one small spot needs water, then three or four sprinkler heads will have to run. The alternative is to have a workman take a hose to that dry area and hand water it. This is a poor use of labor and could be costly as hourly wages rise. A new irrigation system is a high priority for long-term maintenance improvementThe heart of the irrigation system is the pumping plant and control valves. A modern, new irrigation system can typically operate at a lower water pressure which is easier on the irrigation heads, valves, pipes, and pumps. This means longer life expectancy, less power requirement, less wasted water and greater efficiency. One of the nations most respected and sought after Certified Irrigation Designers has been engaged by the Club to design and implement the new system.
BUNKERS 28% OF PROJECTSand bunkers are currently the most expensive feature on the golf course to build and maintain. The industry trend is towards smaller and fewer, but well placed bunkers. The emphasis today is on the playing quality of sand surfaces and the ideal goal is 1/2” of fluff over a firm base. Average to weaker players are generally more intimidated by sand and hence penalized more than are better golfers who have mastered the technique of bunker play. In addition with longer hitting golf equipment, many well placed fairway bunkers are now not a challenge to better players who can fly right over them. The right fairway bunker on #9 is a good example.A major breakthrough in bunker construction started about 20-years ago with the introduction of “bunker liners.” These are essentially materials placed below the bunker sand and above the soil floor of the bunker that improve drainage so sand doesn’t wash down slopes in the rain. There are perhaps 12 – 15 different bunker liner concepts ranging from geotextiles to porous cement, with many variations in-between. Jayson has rebuilt the practice bunkers in the short game practice area utilizing some new technology and select sands. This will allow him, the Committee and the membership to see the differences in how they perform before deciding which to use and hence make a truly informed decision. Bunker liners are without question labor saving installations.
GREENS AND DRAINAGE 17% OF PROJECTThe purpose of the green is to be a strategic target area for golf shots and provide true and consistent putting surfaces, with sufficient hole locations to spread out golfer wear patterns. Ideally a green should have 12 – 14 identifiable hole locations with slopes of at least 1.5% to surface drain excess water, but no more than 3% so as not to be too steep for skillful putting when green speeds are high. So hole locations are defined by slope limits. London Hunt Club’s golf greens are approaching 10,000 square feet each, which is nearly double the size of more modern greens. In addition, as micro-survey maps show, the greens appear to be too flat in some places resulting in poor drainage, and too steep in others meaning these areas are not suitable for hole locations. Therefore reducing the size of some greens and improving the surface slope of others is another major part of analyzing the golf course.The fairways seem fairly well drained, except for #4, #5, #6, #10, #11 and #12; where drainage solutions need to be implemented.
TEES, FAIRWAYS AND ENHANCEMENTS 18% OF PROJECTTEESThe championship length from the black tees is 7,249, which while acceptable, presents less challenge today with longer hitting equipment than that same length (or equivalent length) did back in 1960 when the course opened. Opportunities for a few additional back tees should not be ignored, for they present an option, not an obligation, to be exercised during competitive Club events. Gold tees at 6,841 are ideal as are the blue tees (6,391) for better than average players. However there is a gap of about 600-yards going out to the white tees at 5,798. To ensure players get the opportunity to enjoy shots and challenges commensurate with the length that they can hit the ball, golf authorities around the world have endorsed a program called “Tee it Forward” which recommends the length of course a player should play based on their driving distance. With this in mind, the plan would deliver a better course at 6,000 yards as well as a new set of tees aggregating 4,500 yards. We believe these tees will allow more enjoyment as well as improve the pace of play. In our experience, a 6,000-yard course is a good intermediate distance for seniors and faithful effort should be made to create such a course through a strategic, select installation of more tees. The green tees at 5,260 are excellent but the modern trend is to provide a set of tees playing to no more than 4,500-yards because it is better for super seniors. In summary, new tee locations to expand the flexibility of the course will be one focus of the study.Most tees are well aligned with the play line of the hole, fairly level and well drained, and generally large enough. Ideally par 3 tees should be 25% larger than par 4 or 5 tees, especially on shorter ones like #2, #8 and somewhat on #13, where one would expect lots off divots. Expanding these tees will give golfers more options and better turf conditions. Gaining extra space can be easily realized by lowering the tee a foot or two when the tees are releveled.
TEES, FAIRWAYS AND ENHANCEMENTS 18% OF PROJECTFAIRWAYS AND ROUGHMost fairways are about 32-yards wide which is common by today’s standard but not overly generous. In some instances the fairways should be widened or shifted to better fit the topography or natural tendency of balls to roll out. The fairways seem fairly well drained, except for #4, #5, #6, #10, #11 and #12; and all support a pretty healthy stand of Poa/bent turf.The roughs are a bluegrass turf and pretty lush during the times we have observed the golf course. The rough grasses are in constant competition with the trees for light, moisture and fertility, and so the health of the rough is influenced by the trees, and limitations of the fairway irrigation. The Club retained an Arborist who performed an in-depth tree analysis and provided long term recommendations. The study provided an inventory all trees on the property and identified which trees should be given special treatment, replaced or removed, as well as the appropriateness age and health of each tree