Formerly known as State College Elks Country Club, the Boalsburg, Pa., property will have renovated more than a third of its golf course when all is said and done, including removing hole 18 in favor of a larger driving range.
When Chuck McIntyre and his wife, Martha, purchased the former State College Elks Country Club in Boalsburg in 2012, one of the key items of interest for the new owners was the layout of the golf course, the State College (Pa.) Centre County Gazette reported.
Now named Mountain View Country Club, management has continued to make major changes to the 18-hole golf course, the Gazette reported.
“When we purchased the property we started right away to make renovations and have been very busy doing everything,” said Chuck McIntyre, whose wife is a State College native. “It’s a whole new look at what we feel will be one of the best country clubs in the area, and has a landscaping view that no other country club has.”
“The changes came about after the owners played the course,” said the club’s PGA golf professional, Jack Brennan. “They really did not like hole No. 5, the birdhouse hole where your drive had to go left of the birdhouse. That was the beginning of the changes. To make the point clear, there was no single reason why these (changes) all happened. The changes were rumored, because we are now open to the public, that we were going to make the course easier.
“Well, the handicaps indicate that the course is not much easier, but it did make play maybe a stroke easier now,” said Brennan. “However, we are making some changes to the back nine on hole No. 12 where we are going to lengthen No. 12, make it a semi-island green and look for it to be a signature hole.”
The changes all started because of the fifth hole, the birdhouse hole, and the seventh hole, which was was a par 4 uphill, making it practically impossible for all levels of golfers. Because the green was sloped, it was not receptive to a long iron, mid-iron, a hybrid or fairway wood, and was only designed for a short iron and a short club, the Gazette reported.
“Just to stress that these changes weren’t created just to make changes to the golf course,” said Brennan. “The changes were made to better the golf course. Do we think we have done that? Yes, we do. Does everybody agree? No. Some people do not agree, but we think we have a more fair, more playable and still-challenging golf course. And, by the looks at the scores being posted, we have been able to maintain a challenging golf course.”
The changes that have already been made are to the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh holes. The upcoming changes are to the 12th and 13th holes. When it’s all said and done, Mountain View is going to have changed a third or more of its course, the Gazette reported.
“Last fall we leveled the No. 13 green, so that is an exciting change,” said Brennan. “The green hasn’t healed as of yet, but we are hoping for around May 1 that the green would be playable. We think this is going to be a great change for everybody. So now, anyone that plays here will be able to putt No. 13.
“We are eliminating hole No. 18 (par-3, 194-yards),” said Brennan. “What we found is that we need a larger driving range, and since the course is pretty much set we don’t have many options to build a new range without getting into a whole redesign of the golf course.
“So, the main goal is to increase the size of the driving range, make the driving range larger,” said Brennan. “The bad thing about that is that we are losing No. 18. That will be going away and that’s unfortunate because it is a good golfing hole, but our options are limited for the demand of a range. The members demand a range, the public is demanding a range. Their spare time is more limited so they have time to hit some golf balls, but not necessarily have time to play 18 holes of golf. So, the range is much bigger for practicing.”
The construction disrupted play very little for members and guests playing Mountain View, and play will continue while construction on the remaining holes continues, the Gazette reported.
“So, we are in the middle of construction right now,” said Brennan. “It started last year and we are building a new par 3 that will be between No. 15 and existing No. 16, so that will be our new No. 16 hole, and our current No. 16 will be No. 17, and our current No. 17 will be the 18th hole. We plan on finishing (construction) this year and hope to have the changes in play by September or no later than October 1.”
“Again, unfortunately No. 18 is going away, but we are not only going to increase our range but we are also going to have No. 18 for short game practice area which we do not have here now,” said Brennan. “We have a very poor chipping green behind the pro shop and it’s just a small green on a steep angle slope and it’s not really good for anything other than to loosen up.
“But now, we are going to have a real nice short game area so the members can pitch, putt, chip, sand shots and short game shots that everybody will be able to practice, so we think in the long run it’s going to be a major improvement to the course.”
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