20 TEE BOX THE BIG PICTURE The par-five fourteenth at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Victoria, Australia, as photographed by Gary Lisbon, has been remodelled as part of Crafter & Mogford’s work at the club. J.B. Mackenzie designed the course on farmland in Oakleigh, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1908. However, it would be Alister MacKenzie and Dick Wilson who shaped the layout golfers see today. Wilson designed several new holes following the compulsory acquisition of land in the 1950s. Over the past 10 years, Paul Mogford has overseen work across the course, including the nineteenth hole and practice facilities. “This was the first time in the club’s history that an architect had evaluated all holes,” said Mogford. “Fundamental to our vision was unifying the course’s architecture – to imbue the back nine with the unique features MacKenzie bestowed upon the club.” The fourteenth is one Wilson hole that has been remodelled. “Essentially, the hole was redesigned from the approach bunkers onwards,” said Mogford. “The approach was lowered and reshaped, and the bunker lip raised and extended further right to create hidden ground between it and the green. The green bunkering was changed to tighten the approach to one of the course’s easier holes. With the bunkers cutting closer to the green surface, the green was extended back-right to create a new ‘corner’ for more difficult pin locations – a common theme we implemented across the course.”
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