Oak Valley makes upgrades


The completed bunker renovation of the fourth hole at Oak Valley Golf Club.


By JOHN BRASIER


a 1935 Donald Ross Classic RIDE AND PLAY 18


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flash for dramatically improved play- ability and playing conditions. In a renovation expected to be


W


complete by early March, Pinnacle Golf, which manages the Arnold Palmer design, is replacing the original sand with a white, G-Angle variety and converting many of the hazards’ steep lips to grass for easier maintenance and improved drainage. The original bunkers, encroached


upon by clay that caused ruts and created puddles, now stay free of standing water. “Our big objective is to make it


421 Country Club Dr., Asheboro 336.625.4158


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fun,” said Pinnacle’s Geoff Dail, a golf course superintendent who has worked on construction and renova- tion projects with architects such as Tom Fazio, Greg Norman and Davis Love III. “We want our golf patrons to enjoy the golf course.” “It’s very playable sand,” agreed


Oak Valley director of golf Randall James. “It’s like what you see on TV.”


ith its new white sand bunkers, Oak Valley Golf Club traded a little


Renovation of 40-something Oak


Valley bunkers began in December. Two bunkers on the par-4 fourth


hole that sat beyond the landing area but well short of the green were taken out because they penalized only high handicappers. “It won’t make a difference in


play,” James said. “Those bunkers had become obsolete. We didn’t want to continue to penalize anyone who was already penalized by their shot.” By decreasing the height of lips


on the bunkers and replacing the area with grass, Dail said the changes not only eliminate the difficulty of bunker shots for high handicappers, but also flattened out lies within the hazard. The flash of the sand stretching up


toward the greens has been replaced with less flashy, more practical green complexes. “We’ve eliminated a lot of the


flash that would wash out in big storms,” Dail said. Meanwhile, the depth of the


G-Angle sand will be maintained at between 6 and 7 inches for optimal playability, Dail said. As of early February, the project was about half completed, and had


generated rave reviews, according to James, who praised Pinnacle’s work. “Boy, have they done a good


job,” James said. “Everyone who has played the course has been extremely excited about it.” James said that over the years,


clay had mixed with the sand, caus- ing severe drainage problems com- mon in the Triad area. The problems are compounded by organic elements from surrounding trees that also mix into bunkers over the years. The increasing clay and organic


debris at Oak Valley left many bun- ker shots unplayable after rainfall, frustrating players as their rounds were altered by the conditions. It was hard for players hitting


into unplayable bunkers to replicate the type of shot they should have faced. Though relief often gave play- ers a break, the correct point of relief sometimes made the shot tougher, especially if it required a shot over the same hazard. “The bunkers would just fill up


with water, and you would have to take relief,” James said. “You could lose a ball in the bunker.”


Continued on page 15 www.triadgolf.com


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