25 TEE BOX Nagle Design Works is leading a renovation of NCR Country Club’s North course in Dayton, Ohio. Architect Dick Wilson designed both the North and South courses in 1954, with the South becoming more renowned for hosting multiple major championships. The North has remained largely untouched since opening and had now reached a point where a renovation was needed – greens had shrunk, it was overcrowded with trees, and bunkers no longer influenced play as Wilson intended. “The North is a museum piece,” said architect Jim Nagle. “Our intent is to adjust for today’s maintenance standards and play.” Nagle has worked from aerial photography from the 1950s and 1960s, supplemented by 3D laser scans from GreenScan 3D and other imagery, to identify the original edges and contours of Wilson’s greens. “The scans suggested where the original surfaces likely were, and I then scaled the 1956 aerial to today’s course and overlaid it in the computer,” said Nagle. “That gave us another layer of detail and helps to confirm, as accurately as possible where the greens originally were.” A programme of green expansion is underway, revealing lost edges and restoring Wilson’s irregular putting surfaces. “There’s a reinstatement of a lot of strategies and approach angles, because the swales and ridges are becoming more prominent,” said Nagle. “If you’re coming from the wrong angle, it’ll be harder to get to some of the new or restored hole locations.” Many of Wilson’s bunkers had become no longer relevant in the modern game and were small. Nagle’s plan repositions and expands sand traps and, in several cases, adding the paired, or ‘duet’ style that Wilson used. “Our work will bring a greater variety in bunkers,” said Nagle. “And, as you look across that landscape, the amount of sand that you see will be varied, which provides a certain aesthetic and something more memorable.” Read more about North course project on the GCA website, including insight about work on tees, fairways and trees. The North course at NCR Country Club FROM THE ARCHIVE Image: NCR Country Club
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