It’s been more than 20 years since the club’s course has gone through this extensive of a makeover. Course architect Billy Fuller is redesigning the site, with a focus on replacing bunkers and the drainage system, as well as changing the putting greens. The course will host the Future Masters this year, but the tournament will move to a Robert Trent Jones course in 2023 while work occurs at Dothan.
This year will be the final time the Future Masters will be played on the current version of Dothan (Ala.) Country Club’s course because the course is set to get an overhaul, WTVY reported.
Billy Fuller has spent years working on a golf course, including time at Augusta National.
“Augusta National hired me as their golf course superintendent and I was there from 1981-1985,” said Fuller.
The longtime course architect has now been tasked with redesigning the course at the Dothan CC, WTVY reported.
It’s been over 20 years since the club’s course has gone through this extensive of a makeover.
“What we are going to do is enhance the strategy,” said Fuller. “We’re going to give Steven Smith the tools and the foundation underneath. The bunker, the drainage system. It’s time to be replaced.”
These changes will provide some interesting challenges to the golfers, WTVY reported.
Fuller added, “Probably the most interesting challenge is the putting surfaces. One of the kids who has competed here in the Future Masters was just talking to us and I told him if you come next year, you’re going to have to start all over . . . learning the breaks of the greens. He’s been playing here for several years. So, he knows all those breaks. All of that is going to change. He will not recognize a single putt.”
It’s not all just bunkers and greens though, as Fuller and his group will offer a revamped vision for number 11, WTVY reported.
“There’s no golf hole here,” said Fuller. “They play from the tee to the left to the hole here. Our new hole here will allow us to fix the shade problem on number 10 and give us a downhill short par 3 that we don’t have on our card right now.”
The redesign will begin later this year which means the Future Masters will be moved to Robert Trent Jones in 2023, but everything should be in place for the 75th Annual Press Thornton Future Masters to return in 2024.
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