Construction phase completed as part of major project at Algonquin GC
The construction phase of a major project at the Algonquin Golf Club in New Brunswick, Canada, has reached completion.
Led by architects Rod Whitman and Keith Cutten, the focus will now shift to the course’s bunkering.
The project team has had to negotiate substantial periods of wet weather thus far, but Cutten confirmed to GCA that the work was still very much on schedule.
“We hope to finish this phase before the snow flies this winter,” he said. “The full 18 holes will be playable next July.”
The project’s scope includes the reworking of the first hole’s green complex and approach, with the aim of promoting a ground game and the removal of a penal water crossing in front of the green.
A new green complex and tees are being introduced on the fourth hole, while the sixth hole is being lengthened and having a new green complex added.
Completely new tenth and eleventh holes are being added, while significant changes are also being made to the twelfth and thirteenth holes.
The sixteenth hole is also being lengthened, while a new green and tees are being added.
The course’s bunker scheme and style is being reworked, with the aim of reflecting Algonquin’s design history – particularly its link to Donald Ross. The course was renovated in the 1920s based on plans by Ross.
“This redesign is about revealing the vistas which led to the course being built in the first place,” Cutten said. “Play will be moved closer to the bodies of water – St. Croix River and Passamaquoddy Bay. Our main goals are to create a fun test of golf, while adding to the existing shot making challenges, and to create a more esthetically pleasing experience. We believe that these objectives are best achieved through the application of classic strategic design principles, adequate width, and interesting ground contour.”