Tyler Rae restores punchbowl, Redan and Road characteristics at historic central Florida course
By Toby Ingleton |
The Seth Raynor layout at Mountain Lake in central Florida is on track to reopen in November following a restoration project by golf course architect Tyler Rae.
Rae’s proposals were guided by Raynor’s original sketch of the first nine holes that opened for play in 1917, aerial photographs and drawings from the 1920s and 30s, and historic ground-level photographs.
Read more: Tyler Rae hired by Mountain Lake to ‘polish Seth Raynor gem’ (November 2025)
The Mountain Lake private community was founded in 1915 to attract America’s elite, and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. It now covers more than 1,000 acres of rolling hills with sweeping views of the landscape, including the large central lake and neighbouring Bok Tower Gardens. Its central social hub and golf clubhouse, the Colony House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Several of the changes have focused on the course’s template elements. On the third hole, the original punchbowl green has been recreated. At the eleventh, the approach has been regraded and the fore bunker rebuilt to strengthen its Redan characteristics, while bunkering on the thirteenth has been reconstructed to mirror the strategy of the Road hole seventeenth on the Old course at St Andrews.
Tyler Rae and NMP Golf Construction have recreated the original punchbowl green on the third hole (Photo: Mountain Lake)
Other notable aspects of the restoration include the relocation of the sixth green by more than 20 yards to the right, to its original position, and replacing the pond in front of the ninth green with a dramatic ‘beach’ bunker. The closing hole’s original green size and shape has been restored, featuring a large false front and a distinctive kidney shape wrapped around a deep right bunker, as shown in Raynor’s 1915 routing plan.
The sixth green has been moved 20 yards to the right, to its original position (Photo: Mountain Lake)
“Working on this project has been a rare privilege – reconnecting with Raynor’s original vision through every subtle contour and strategic decision,” said Rae, who has previously worked on restoration of Raynor designs at Lookout Mountain in Georgia and Wanumetonomy in Rhode Island. “What excites me the most is knowing that players will now discover the same drama, deception and joy that defined this course a century ago, yet with a soul that feels completely alive again.”
Watch: Tyler Rae talks about some of the key features of the Mountain Lake project.
Final touches are still in progress, including relandscaping several areas of the golf course with native trees, grasses and indigenous plants, which is designed to “add rich texture, depth and natural beauty” to the golf experience.
The thirteenth has been reconstructed to mirror the strategy of the Road hole seventeenth on the Old course at St Andrews (Photo: Mountain Lake)
Construction work, led by NMP Golf Construction, began in April 2026. “Our goal was to bring to life the historic Raynor features Tyler Rae uncovered from archival photographs while ensuring the finished product is built to withstand the next hundred years,” said Darryl Bartlett of NMP Golf Construction. “We are incredibly proud to have played a part in preserving the course’s character for future generations.”
“There is a genuine sense of excitement at the club with every milestone achieved,” said the club’s general manager Eric von Hofen.
Read more about the renovation on the Mountain Lake website