Ground has been broken at the Vestavia Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, as a golf course renovation project gets underway.

The work is being led by golf course architect Lester George, who has been tasked with updating the strategy and playability of George Cobb’s original 1951 layout.

Other elements of the work include the elimination of safety issues, improvements to playing conditions, and enhancing the course’s environmental sustainability.

Work commenced in early January, and is set to be completed in 2018.

“I’m really excited to see this come to life after so long.” said George. “I just returned from a site visit, and the work looked fantastic. There’s been a lot of progress in the first six weeks. The club is doing a great job of supporting the project.”

The project will look to enhance the course’s tees, greens and fairways. Bunkering will also be worked on, as will the course’s irrigation system. Landscapes Unlimited is the project contractor. 

“There is a lot of excitement surrounding this project,” said Owen Coulson, golf course superintendent at Vestavia CC. “It’s great to see everything take shape. We took members on a tour to show them the progress, and they were blown away. Lester could always see what the course would look like, but the rest of us are only now getting a glimpse of what he saw all along.”