Interviews

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Blasi leads rerouting of golf course at Santa Ana Country Club
Sean Dudley
/ Categories: News

Blasi leads rerouting of golf course at Santa Ana Country Club

Golf course architect Jay Blasi is leading a project at the Santa Ana Country Club that involves the rerouting of the club’s golf course.

Located in California’s Orange County, Santa Ana CC has been at its current location since 1923. The original course at this site is largely attributed to John Duncan Dunn in terms of design, but Ted Robinson updated the layout in the 1980s and the course as it currently stands is mainly his work.

Blasi was hired to develop a new masterplan for the golf course by the club back in 2014.

“While working on the masterplan, we conducted an audit of the current course and determined there was about US$5 million in deferred maintenance, including irrigation, drainage, bunkers and greens,” Blasi told GCA. “At that point, we studied all options for renovating the golf course. We developed multiple concepts that ranged from no rerouting, to partial rerouting, to a complete rerouting. The project committee was almost unanimous in support of the complete rerouting as it best met the goals outlined.”

Blasi identified four main benefits of rerouting the course: improved safety, better natural landforms, added variety, and enhanced practice facilities.

“In terms of safety, the boundary holes now slice into the property where the old holes were slice side out,” Blasi explained. “The new routing takes full advantage of some great slopes, bowls, hillsides, and valleys, and there will be greater variety thanks to the range of par three, four and five holes in the new layout.”

Previously, Santa Ana CC had a short driving range featuring 80ft tall nets and poles, which limited golfers practice options. As part of Blasi’s masterplan, the course will gain a short game area, putting green, chipping green, a full-length, double-ended range and wedge practice area.

Pre-construction work got underway at Santa Ana CC in January 2016, with full construction work set to get underway this month.

Blasi said: “We are planning to complete the construction in summer 2016 and reopen the golf course in autumn 2016.”

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Sean Dudley

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