The cities of Auburn and Opelika in Alabama have hired Bill Bergin to redesign the golf course at the municipal Indian Pines Country Club, to accommodate the expansion of the runway safety area of the nearby Auburn University Regional Airport.
Bergin says his new routing aims to maximise “every inch” of the property at Indian Pines.
An area of land to the southeast of the existing layout, close to the airport runway, will be removed from play and the driving range in the centre of the property will be rotated and expanded. Some corridors from the previous routing will be retained, such as those for consecutive par-five sixteenth and seventeenth holes, but substantial changes throughout will result in an all-new course. It will play to a total distance of between 4,447 and 7,031 yards, with six teeing areas on each hole.
The Federal Aviation Administration, the state of Alabama, and Auburn University have agreed to pay around $2.8 million to purchase the property for the expansion. The renovation of the golf course, which will cost $4 million, will be paid by the city of Opelika, Auburn University Regional Airport, Auburn University, Lee County Commission, and the Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau.
Indian Pines will close at the end of the year for renovation work to begin.