The Resort at La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio has closed for extensive renovations that are expected to be complete by late October, with a reopening scheduled for November 1. Earthwork and shaping is underway at the new South Course at Arcadia (Mich.) Bluffs, and the course is expected to open in 2019.
The Resort Course at La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio has closed for extensive renovations.
The property features two championship 18-hole golf courses, the Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish-designed Resort Course and the Arnold Palmer-designed Palmer Course. Renovation projects are expected to be completed late October and the Resort Course is scheduled to reopen November 1.
The renovation will include new green complexes, tee complexes and bunkers. Tee boxes are being leveled and enlarged to gain additional tee space, while greens are returning to original sizes and will be resurfaced with TifEagle grass. Green contours also will change to match the increased green speeds.
The total number of bunkers will be reduced and locations changed to better define the direction of holes and accommodate the advancements in golf equipment and distance. Bunkers will be regraded, reshaped and rebuilt incorporating a technically advanced drainage and liner system. White sand will be used to create a more appealing aesthetic.
“The Resort Course opened in 1995 and has consistently been rated one of the top courses in Texas ever since,” said Steve Shields, PGA, Director of Golf. “This renovation strikes a good balance between playing strategy, course aesthetics and environment. Once complete, golfers will experience the game with the challenges they’ve come to expect and the same spectacular views of the Texas Hill Country and San Antonio skyline. It will feel as though their playing a brand new course.”
While the course is closed, crews will trim trees and lift tree canopies, repair cart paths and renovate course restrooms. Off course, the Resort Golf Shop will be updated, while the Resort Grille and Snack Shop will also be refurbished. Additionally, the practice range and tee area will be leveled and resurfaced.
In Michigan, the new South Course at Arcadia (Mich.) Bluffs is taking shape. Initiated in early April, the earthwork and shaping process is now fully underway on the open, 310-acre site. Upon completion, grassing will commence and the course will open in 2019.
Designed as a low-profile course that is a throwback to the style of golf courses that were built in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s, the course will feature wide fairways and flat-bottomed bunkers with steep grass faces that at times jut out into the center line of play with several routes into the greens. In addition, the greens will feature many false fronts and squared off edges, with different quadrants of the green being protected by steep slopes. The incorporation of this design will require the golfer to hit his approach in the right location in order to have a birdie putt.
The greens, tees and fairways will be 007 Bentgrass, and the primary roughs will be 90% turf-type tall fescues and 10% bluegrass. The course will also include vast native areas between the golf holes, made up of two fine fescues (Quatro and SR3150) and hard and sheep fescues.
“The ultimate goal of this course is that it feels timeless in its design, and will provide golfers an ‘Old World’ golf course feel that few golfers have ever experienced,” said course architect Dana Fry.
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