What is it like for you as a designer to revisit a course 25 years later and have the opportunity to work with it again?
As my courses and I get older, it has been rewarding that the owners call me when it is time to make improvements. I guess that means I'm still relevant. But in the case of The Landing, the old Port Armor, the first course on the lake and one of my first after departing the Nicklaus organizations (a departure that took over two years to conclude), I wanted that course to be special. I guess, based on what has happened around the lake in the last quarter of a century is testimony that it was indeed special. I'm very happy and proud about that. Billy Fuller and I had things to prove at Port Armor. The course brought favor to us both and we are pleased to be able to participate in its rejuvenation. Sometimes life just seems to come together.
In what ways does this project help return the course to its original design and vision?
Tactically, the golf ball flies considerably further than it did back in 1985 and keeping the strategic elements current is crucial. From an aesthetic standpoint, there were some lean times over the years. Revisiting the original concept is good, and I'm so pleased that the Reynolds organization was willing to do that. There are many motifs in the game, but if it was great once, it will be great again. It's a special place. Its appearance is almost timeless.
In what ways will the course be substantially different? What significance changes will players notice?
The players will like the refurbished turf, reconstituted tees, the shifting of bunkers to more relevant locations and the conversion of some to grass hollows. But there won't be any doubt it is still the same venerable old layout.
Changes to hole #15 seem to be among the most significant in the current project. Can you tell me about these changes and the thought process behind them?
The questions above will certainly include the "new" fifteenth. Some history is in order here. The pond was not in the original plan. In short, it really wasn't necessary, but it happened and we (read I) had to live with it, and believe me, it has been a thorn in my side all these years. No one is happier than I now that it is gone. But ridding ourselves of that blind hazard also required finding some fill, which was the original fairway. From this standpoint, the solutions made the hole that much better. Now the landing area is completely visible from the tees and there is no hazard lurking out of view. I love it. Now I can say the old girl has finally had the wart cut from her nose. Now all eighteen holes are perfect and she is beautiful.
Are there any other important points that you’d like to share?
As we have moved though this difficult economic time, many courses throughout the country have not survived. The Landing, and indeed all of the Reynolds courses, have proven their worth. Reynolds Lake Oconee and Lake Oconee are of the utmost quality - and quality stands the test of time, even the harshest of times.
