During my tenure at the Maidstone Club we looked to improve the start to several holes by adding or adjusting the tee box. Below is a summary of each project, each was unique with its own set of challenges that taught many lessons and expanded my skills in planning, design, project management and construction.
Projects are in listed order of completion.
Hole 2 - Par 5 - 562 yards
The teeing area on the second hole is located on a odd parcel of land. You cross a public road to reach it from the first green, and then you walk down the road to reach the fairway via the Dunemere road bridge over Hook Pond. During the Coore-Crenshaw renovation the area was untouched and was still running on the old irrigation system.
In fall of 2019 Bill Coore and the greens committee took focus on the area. Coore's recommendation was followed, and we abandoned the tee that was away from the road. The new design would focus on increasing the size of tee boxes along the road and aiming them properly. The old tee pad was used as the fill to raise the new boxes to abate flooding issues. Moving the tees toward the road and aligning them away from the road has helped to greatly reduce the number of balls hit out of bounds to the left. This benefits the golfer and has kept balls out of traffic. The irrigation was updated with Toro Infinity heads, a new valve, and HDPE piping connecting it all.
Turning the old tee on two into sod.
We were able to “recycle” the turf from the area into several other projects. The rough sod went to cart path ends to repair damage from the previous seasons cart traffic. The short cut bentgrass/poa was a good match for additions to the back tee box on the third and ninth holes.
Hole 3 - 408 yards - par 4
The back tee box on the third hole came to a point in the rear which did not allow for complete usage of the space. We identified that there was the opportunity to add length and another angle to play the hole if we raised up a low area to left of the tee that was mowed rough. This took away some of the view and option to bailout on to the 16th fairway. The third tee shot is a now a proper test with a generous landing area but is heavily bunkered on both sides to catch wayward drives.
Hole 9 - 415 yards - par 4
The project on the 9th hole enhanced one of the best tee shots in golf in my opinion. The new tier of the back tee box lengthens the carry to the fairway, putting driver back in the hands of long hitters, and gives players a full view of and exposure to winds the Atlantic Ocean.
The forward to of the 9th hole on the east course.
east course
On the East Course several tee pads had shrunk as evidenced by the landform and rounded edges of the tee boxes. During the Spring of 2020 we scalped these areas down top dressed and overseeded them.
Hole 13 - 500 yards - par 5
In 2021, I assisted our intern with his project, adding a forward teeing ground on the 13th hole. A challenging par-5 the red tee was moved 70-yards forward. The new tee places players drives in the proper landing area, allowing them to take on the first set of hazards with a drive and not a second shot. The membership was very complimentary on its thoughtful placement as it does not come into view from the other tees.
hole 8 - 155 yards - par 3
Improvements continued in 2022 when we broke ground on the 8th tee box. At this spot in the round golfers take aim south and play a blind shot over a large sand dune. The previous tee was too small to accommodate the amount of play, much of the space was unusable due to a sloped rise in the middle. Our focus was to add as much playable square footage as possible. We expanded it outward in all directions adding nearly 2,000 sq ft. The new tee totaled over 6,000 sq ft and was completely level. The expansion eastward opened up a new way to present the hole showing more of the green. Additions front and back accommodate all lengths of players. March 21st we stripped the old sod, and we started laying bentgrass the new surface on March 30. The irrigation was redone in-house with a HDPE loop around the perimeter. The course opened in April with all players using the forward tee, Memorial Day Weekend we kicked off the summer opening the new tee to rave reviews.
