73 work dwarfs that of the front nine. For example, sandcapping the front nine to raise the lower-lying areas by eight to twelve inches required 17,000 tons of sand. On the back nine, the same process required 50,000 tons to raise the affected areas by two to three feet. That work focused on 29 acres between the long dune on the west and the parallel dune along the east. The result in terms of firmness, conditioning and playability is palpable. The ball rolls farther. The ground game is back. The greens also got their robust look back – by a factor of 15 per cent on the back nine, from an average of 6,261 square feet to 7,205 square feet. That’s slightly lower than the 24 per cent expansion of the front nine, simply because the greens on the front shrank more over the years and offered more ground to reclaim. What counts now is that in contouring, positioning and structure, the putting surfaces at Seminole conform to state-of-the-art, USGAspecified construction technique while embodying the complexity and subtlety of Ross’s original design. A crucial aspect of the whole project was simply getting more drainage pipe – over 70 miles of it, varying in structure from seepage lines to 12-inch mains – into the ground so that more water could be moved off. Six drainage pumps and diversion vaults were added to the 19 already in service to handle the anticipated load of peak drainage needs. Ponds were rebuilt, in some cases combined, and their banks reinforced with a combination of fabric, impermeable construction material and plantings designed to stabilise the edge. Bunker construction, combining technology from Better Billy Bunker and CapillaryFlow, was equally rigorous; the goal was to ensure long-term viability in an environment defined by heavy winds, corrosion from salt water and sea spray and the steady presence of stormwater and a high water table. To bind the sand in place, the crew relied upon a combination of a spray-on polymer liner and turf matting on the perimeter. From a playing standpoint, Seminole is now bigger, more varied and more engaging of the ground game. Fairway expansion went hand in hand with an increase in irrigation coverage with the new watering system deploying 2,200 heads, compared to 900 previously. The club’s newly upgraded reverse osmosis water purifying system has also dramatically increased the supply of available irrigation water, thus providing Seminole with more water and with lower overall salt and mineral Photo: courtesy of Autumn Hartshorne On the split-fairway par-five fifteenth, the drive is now more demanding and thought-provoking for elite players
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