Monroe Country Club in Monroe, NC
A Donald Ross Original
|  #1 (par 4; 440 yards): I moved the left greenside bunker to the opposite side and converted it to what Ross called a “wing bunker”. This bunker type was placed with a short side adjacent to the green and acted as a backstop. |
Monroe Country Club is a city-owned golf course west of Charlotte, North Carolina. The back nine was originally designed by Donald Ross and built in 1936 by WPA workers. In 1982, Tom Jackson designed and the City built the second nine holes. I was hired to develop a sand bunker renovation plan and construction documents as well as supervise the renovations in 2003.
The reasons for sand bunker renovation ranged from maintenance concerns to strategic improvement. In addition to those practical reasons, I found it vital to make all eighteen holes reflect the design style of Donald Ross. This was a challenge since the front nine holes were built forty-six years after the Ross nine in an era which was the antithesis of his golden age time. The Jackson nine was characteristic of modern golf architecture with runway tees, large greens, and serpentine flat-sand bunkers often placed in artificial ways (i.e. not properly fitting into the lay of the land).
The Jackson nine had only thirteen sand bunkers, many of which only punished bad shots. Seven of these were removed, four were relocated, and only two were rebuilt in place. In addition, twenty-one new bunkers were proposed as part of the Sand Bunker Renovation Plan. These bunkers were added to challenge the golfer and create a layout with more interesting choices.
The Ross nine (back nine) was more of a restoration of the sand bunkers. I had an original Ross drawing for the nine and uncovered aerial photography from 1939 as well. Overlaying this information with existing topography, it was quickly apparent that most of the bunkers were built exactly to Ross’s drawing and existed in 1939. But the restoration also included the elimination of three bunkers that were not original as well as converting one original sand bunker to grass. That decision was made to make a 212-yard par three more playable for the municipal golfer. The remaining eighteen sand bunkers were restored in place.
The success of this renovation project was a result of strict cost control and detailed planning. Specific construction details and specs left no opportunity for the contractor to require change orders. Daily involvement by Richard Mandell Golf Architecture assured the size and shape of each bunker was never compromised, making sure the City got what they paid for and the contractor made a fair profit. The final result is an eighteen-hole Donald Ross golf course, more “original” than at any time before in Monroe Country Club’s history.
The reasons for sand bunker renovation ranged from maintenance concerns to strategic improvement. In addition to those practical reasons, I found it vital to make all eighteen holes reflect the design style of Donald Ross. This was a challenge since the front nine holes were built forty-six years after the Ross nine in an era which was the antithesis of his golden age time. The Jackson nine was characteristic of modern golf architecture with runway tees, large greens, and serpentine flat-sand bunkers often placed in artificial ways (i.e. not properly fitting into the lay of the land).
The Jackson nine had only thirteen sand bunkers, many of which only punished bad shots. Seven of these were removed, four were relocated, and only two were rebuilt in place. In addition, twenty-one new bunkers were proposed as part of the Sand Bunker Renovation Plan. These bunkers were added to challenge the golfer and create a layout with more interesting choices.
The Ross nine (back nine) was more of a restoration of the sand bunkers. I had an original Ross drawing for the nine and uncovered aerial photography from 1939 as well. Overlaying this information with existing topography, it was quickly apparent that most of the bunkers were built exactly to Ross’s drawing and existed in 1939. But the restoration also included the elimination of three bunkers that were not original as well as converting one original sand bunker to grass. That decision was made to make a 212-yard par three more playable for the municipal golfer. The remaining eighteen sand bunkers were restored in place.
The success of this renovation project was a result of strict cost control and detailed planning. Specific construction details and specs left no opportunity for the contractor to require change orders. Daily involvement by Richard Mandell Golf Architecture assured the size and shape of each bunker was never compromised, making sure the City got what they paid for and the contractor made a fair profit. The final result is an eighteen-hole Donald Ross golf course, more “original” than at any time before in Monroe Country Club’s history.
Richard Mandell Golf Architecture
©2007 All right reserved
©2007 All right reserved
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