87 one of the most demanding holes on the golf course,” says Jones. The area behind the green has been reimagined to create more thoughtprovoking strategic options. A smaller bunker behind the left side of the green now defends left-side hole locations, while the space beyond the right side has been reshaped into a receptive chipping area. These changes give players various shot options to hit their second shot depending on where their drive lands. “Approach shots remain demanding, particularly to a front-left hole location,” says Jones. “But average players now have a viable alternative. They can choose the aggressive play to the right portion of the green, while knowing there is a forgiving area beyond it where a missed shot can be recovered.” Increasingly intense rainfall events have placed greater pressure on water features and pond edges, prompting stabilisation work around the course. New retaining walls were constructed near the sixth and seventeenth greens, while ageing infrastructure elsewhere was replaced to protect against erosion. “That’s how golf courses mature,” says Weisser. “The land changes. Even after 15 years, you can see areas that behave differently than they used to.” Regarded by many members as the South course’s most demanding hole, the sixth was significantly altered during earlier work when Jones straightened the hole and brought the pond more directly into play. “The pond didn’t come into play very effectively before,” says Jones. “Now players have to make decisions from the tee depending on their length and the line they choose.” The hole remains one of the course’s sternest tests, but the challenge is driven by angles and options rather than difficulty alone. That balance between championship challenge and member enjoyment has underpinned Carmel’s relationship with Jones for more than 40 years. The result is not a golf course that has been repeatedly reinvented, but one that has been carefully refined. “ Players have to make decisions from the tee depending on their length and the line they choose” The challenge on the sixth hole – one of the sternest on the course – is driven by angles and options REPORT Photo: Carmel CC
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