Silva leads restoration of Ross course at Biltmore
Brian Silva will restore the golf course at The Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables near Miami, USA, to the “original grandeur” of the 1925 Donald Ross design, with construction work commencing on 5 July.
The project will see the introduction of new bermuda grass on tees, fairways and greens, new bunkering, and an increase in course length to 7,100 yards.
The hotel will invest £1.9 million on the course and improvements to the driving range and short game practice area. The hotel also plans to establish a “challenging signature hole”.
“The original 1925 Donald Ross golf course routing plan demonstrates a greater number of bunkers than the existing amount on the course. The additional new bunkers will provide more ‘movement’ to fairways that have more twists and turns as it works its way from the tee to the green into the hole. This movement has great impact on both aesthetics as well as the strategic playing interest of the golf course,” said Silva.
“Reacting to this movement, the more accomplished players can take the risky route to shorten the distance from tee to green; which is the ultimate litmus test for a good golf course. And, such a course will maintain the playing interest of the accomplished player while still being entirely manageable for the leisurely player.”
“The ultimate goal of restoring the golf course is to make the intended Donald Ross design an authentic experience for today’s sophisticated golfer, while still allowing for the average player to enjoy this spectacular course,” said Bob Coman, director of golf at the hotel.
Biltmore is still partially open, and the project is expected to be completed in December 2018.