Three troublesome greens on the Donald Ross course caused headaches for golfers, including Ohio Amateur Champion Jason Kokrak, who said they “made a mockery of the game.” But they have been remade as part of a project that has the course ready for a U.S. Open Sectional qualifier on June 4.
Five years ago, the Springfield (Ohio) Country Club got a dose of reality at the Ohio Amateur Championship when winner Jason Kokrak commented on the severity of the greens, noting that they “made a mockery of the game.” Last fall, the club decided to do something about it, the Dayton Daily News reports.
With the help of Pennsylvania firm Forse Design, Inc., the club rebuilt three of its most severe greens, Nos. 4, 8 and 18, as part of a restoration. It also remodeled tees and 45 greenside bunkers.
“We wanted to get the golf course back to the way Donald Ross intended it to play in 1921,” Superintendent Chad Dorrell said.
Before the restoration, criticisms that the greens had slopes that were too severe for modern grasses, mowing techniques and desired green speeds were common. Members found that approach shots would stop on the green and roll off or back toward a golfer.
Often, greenskeepers double-cut other surfaces with mowers while single-cutting the three troublesome greens.
Last October, the putting surface was carefully stripped off the three targeted greens and stored. Then the sub-surface was altered to reduce the slopes’ severity, and bunkers were restored to their original shape. Additionally, drainage and liners were installed, 75 tons of sand was brought in, and some fairways were widened.
After such a mild winter and spring, the scars of the course’s facelift are now barely visible, the Daily News reports, as the club prepares to host a U.S. Open Sectional qualifier on June 4.
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