A little more than a year after closing for a complete overhaul, Monterey (Calif.) Pines Golf Club will reopen its fairways to both armed service members and the general public this month. Owned by the Navy, the $4.4 million overhaul involved a complete renovation of the 18-hole golf course, construction of a new practice range and the installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system.
In the past, the course has hosted as many as 65,000 rounds per year, making it one of the busiest on the Monterey Peninsula reports the Monterey County Herald. In 2002, the course added a new pro shop, a new cart barn and a completely remodeled clubhouse.
Under the changes, the par-69 layout now features T-1bent grass greens and rye fairways. The course has also actually dropped in length, going from 5,629 yards to 5,556 yards from the blue tees.
In another new look, what was the front nine and back nine have been flipped. On the new front-nine, changes included: converting No. 2 (formerly the par-3 11th) to a 298-yard par-4, converting what was one par-4 (formerly No. 12) into a new 3rd hole (141-yard par-3) and No. 4 (264 yard par-4), the construction of a new No. 6 (369 yard par-4) and making No. 9 (formerly the par-5 18th) a par-4.
On the new back nine, the biggest change involves the lakes adjacent to Nos.10 and 18 (formerly No. 1 and No. 9) and No. 12 and No. 13 (formerly No. 3 and No. 4). Both lakes have increased in size from approximately 2.3 acre feet of water to 20 acre feet of water, bringing the wet stuff more into play.
Originally designed by the late architect Robert Muir Graves, whose work also includes Quail Lodge Golf Club and Lake Merced GC, the course first opened as a 9-hole facility in 1963. In 1972, a back-nine was added. Prior to the renovation, the course had utilized the same irrigation system that was installed in 1963.
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