Course
Opened –
Course Designer – see below
Special Features - many out of bounds close to playing areas
General Playability - see fairways above
Undulating/Flat - undulating
Treelined/exposed - fairly exposed
Many / few water hazards - water hazards in play on holes 4,5,6,8,9,11,14 & 16
Changes to the Course – see below
Greens
Type of grass - Penncross & Poa Annua
Height of cut - 4.0mm
Speed/stimp reading – Monday 9.10
Any specific comments - New Greens: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9. Modified Greens: 10, 12 & 13.
Fairways
Type of grass – New Fairways 4, 5, 7 & 9: Bermuda 419. Old Fairways: Bermuda & a little bit of rye.
Height of cut – 11mm
General width and contouring – quite contoured & fairly wide
Any specific comments - FAIRWAYS ARE QUITE GENEROUS, HOWEVER THERE ARE MANY OUT OF BOUNDS CLOSE TO PLAYING AREAS THEREFORE HITTING STRAIGHT OFF THE TEE IS VERY IMPORTANT
Tees
Type of grass – predominantly Bermuda with little Penncross
Height of cut - 9mm
Any specific comments - none
Collars
Type of grass - Bent, Poa Annua & Rye grass
Height of cut – 12mm
Rough
Type of grass – Bermuda, Penncross & little bit of Rye Grass
Semi-rough - Height of cut – 36MM - 1 BAND (3M) around fairways & greens
Intermediate – Height of cut –
Rough - Height of cut – New holes 65mm. Old holes 74mm
Any specific comments – The rough was last topped on Tuesday and will be left alone for the rest of the week.
Weather
In advance – Dry and warm
Forecast for tournament – scattered showers & possible T – Storms on Wednesday & Thursday
Other Features
The course is going through a 3 year re-design programme carried out by JM Olazabal
For the 2004 event the following was changed: 1st , 16th , 17th & 18th greens.
FOR THE 2005 EVENT, THE FOLLOWING WAS CHANGED:
Hole 10
- landing area has been flattened. Mounding left & right
- new green
- mounding & new bunkers short left of green
Hole 11
- mounding left & right of landing area
- the green has been extended
- mounding around the green
Hole 12
- new green
Hole 13
- new green
Hole 15
- new green
Hole 17
- new landing area / out of bounds fence moved 15 yds to the right. New bunkers left & right & mounding both sides
Hole 2
- completely new hole
Hole 3
- new tee
- new fairway bunker & mounding both sides of fairway
- new green
FOR THIS YEAR THE FOLLOWING HAS CHANGED:
2nd green
-Top tier extended
3rd green
-Middle tier leveled and back tier extended back and to the right.
4th hole
-New hole with two fairway bunkers to the right. Ditch to the left has been widened and brought closer to the landing area. New green there has been lowered and moved to the left and back from its original position. New front right bunker.
5th hole
-New hole with landing area extended and lake extended towards 6th tee (carry is 302 yards) Tee has moved back 15 metres.
6th hole
-New green complex
7th hole
-New hole that has been extended by 80 metres. The hole is now pretty much straight. Two new fairway bunkers to the left and a new green complex.
8th hole
-New hole that didn’t exist last year. Par 3 of 201 metres with a greenside lake to the left.
9th hole (Old 8th hole)
-The landing area has been extended on to the lake to the right. New fairway bunker to the left. Lake to the left has been filled as it is now the location of the new 7th green and the mounds that separate it from the 9th fairway. The green has been moved back and to the right so that it is visible even from the left of the fairway (not the case in the past)
10th hole
-All 3 tiers of the green have been leveled.
12th hole
-This was a 3 tier green last year. The top tier has been removed so that it is level with the left tier.
13th hole
-The bottom tier has been leveled and the back tier extended towards the left and to the back.
