15 Photo: credit Welling oversees big changes at Atlanta CC Atlanta Country Club in Georgia is carrying out the first major renovation of its golf course since it opened in December 1965. The Willard Byrd layout hosted the inaugural Players tournament in 1974 and the Atlanta Classic on the PGA Tour between 1967 and 1996. In late 2019, the club hired Beau Welling Design to develop a renovation masterplan to modernise the course’s infrastructure. “Several components of the irrigation system were well past their useful life,” said Scott Lambert, course superintendent at Atlanta CC. “Bunkers needed rebuilding, drainage was lacking, and the greens were nearing the end of their lifespan. There was also a desire to install a state-ofthe-art hydronics heating and cooling system under the greens as part of their rebuilding process.” Construction work began in February 2023, including a rebuild of bunkers and greens, new forward tees, and a new short-game area. “The holes on the front nine are nearly complete and much of the earthwork has been completed on the back nine,” said Lambert. The club chose bunker liners from Bunker Solution. “The performance and longevity of our liner will deliver what Scott and the club envisioned for the renovation,” said Morris Johnson of Bunker Solution. “The main liner holds the sand in place incredibly well, particularly after any kind of rain event. This allows architects the freedom to create visually striking bunker faces without the worry of creating maintenance issues, as the labour time to reposition the bunker sand after a rain event is dramatically reduced.” The course is expected to reopen by December 2023. Photo: Atlanta CC
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