The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at the Auburn, Ala., property will be “at its best” in July, in time for the Barbasol Championships. The golf course has been extended, with several new tee boxes installed, and space has been cleared to accommodate TV crews.
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National in Auburn, Ala., has spent the last six months getting ready for primetime, the Houston (Texas) Chronicle reported.
The course’s renovation project is nearing completion, and according to Director of Golf at Grand National Scott Gomberg, the course will be at its best when it’s time for the Barbasol Championships to tee off in July, the Chronicle reported.
The makeover has been going on since last September, and with most of the heavy lifting out of the way, Gomberg said all that’s left is to put the finishing touches on the course, the Chronicle reported.
“Around the middle of February, we should be done,” Gomberg said. “That’s when we have our traveling golfers come in from out of state, and we don’t want anyone working on the course while we have our customers down there. We’ve done most of the massive work already.”
Over the past few months, Grand National has become a longer course, with several tee boxes being installed or spruced up as well as trees being cleared to make some of the back holes more playable. In addition, the staff cleared off some grounds so that the course would be able to accommodate TV crews, the Chronicle reported.
With the PGA’s input during a course tour, Gomberg said the staff at Grand National had to focus on the changes that were most feasible, as well as ensure that Grand National would look the part of a worthy PGA event host, the Chronicle reported.
“(The reason for the changes was) two-fold. We looked through (the PGA’s suggestions) to decide what was really manageable,” Gomberg said. “Then, you’ve got our side saying, ‘We’re about to put this golf course on TV and broadcast it all over the world. So, what can we do to put our best foot forward?’ You’ve got the PGA’s requests and us being proactive to make sure our golf course stands up the way we want it to.”
According to Gomberg, the layout of the course is expected to change for the tournament. In addition, one of the course’s par 5 holes will be played as a par 4. With this and other factors in mind, Gomberg said it made sense to lengthen the course and offer a challenge to the incoming players, the Chronicle reported.
“These guys hit the ball so far. If it’s too short, they’re just going to tear it up. We wanted to make it more challenging and make it more exciting for the fans,” Gomberg said. “At the same point, the course still has to be playable.”
With the changes in place and those still left to come—Grand National is currently working on its bunkers—Gomberg said fans can expect a difficult yet playable course that will test the mettle and skill of the players, the Chronicle reported.
“The defense of this golf course is the greens. They’re going to give (the players) a challenge, doesn’t matter how long you make it,” Gomberg said. “You want a challenging golf course, but you don’t want to take the ability of a golfer out of play. When a course gets too difficult, it becomes a luck fest. It’s going to be a challenging course that’s very playable.”
The 2015 Barbasol Championship will take place July 16-19, and tickets and sponsorships are still on sale now, the Chronicle reported.
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