The first phase of the major renovation of the course at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Florida, has been completed, with the reopening of the West nine.

The work on the West nine has taken six months and was overseen by architect Robert Walker, with MacCurrach Golf Construction carrying out the construction work.

Ed Seay, a former architect at Arnold Palmer’s design company, originally designed the course. Walker previously worked with Seay at Palmer’s company during his own 12 year tenure at the firm, before setting up on his own in 1986.

Sawgrass Country Club held the Players Championship, from 1977 to 1981, before being relocated to the nearby Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, which remains the tournament’s current home.

The next phase of the renovation project will see work take place on the East nine, set to begin in the Spring of 2014.