Woodmont reopens front nine following Jemsek renovation
The front nine of the Cypress course at Woodmont Country Club in Tamarac, Florida, will reopen in October following a renovation by Joe Jemsek.
Robert Von Hagge designed two 18-hole courses, the Cypress and Pines, at the residential community in the early 1970s. Between 2016-2019, Jemsek renovated the Pines, transforming it into a nine-hole layout to make way for new development.
Following the Pines project, Jemsek was tasked with completing a renovation of the Cypress course, with the first phase focusing on the front nine.
“Our intent has been to restore some of the original elements of Von Hagge’s design while renovating the course to meet modern standards,” said Jemsek. “I started with the elements I love in Von Hagge’s course, such as the boldly shaped, flash sand bunkers and freeform, contoured greens. I then added modern elements to break up the sometimes-repetitive design concepts utilised in courses from this era.
“Green complexes now allow for players to enjoy tournament-style setups, with tucked pins and forced carries, but new ground contouring offers alternative paths to access pin locations.”
Jemsek has rebuilt greens to their original sizes and shapes with more accentuated corners, but now to USGA specifications.
While Jemsek’s work on the putting surfaces has been more restorative, he has taken a slightly different approach to bunkers. “Previously, greens were fronted and flanked by large bunkers, requiring high lofted shots to access the putting surfaces,” he said. “Reducing the size of front bunkers, shifting them laterally, or in some cases removing them all together, created multiple entranceways and short-grass areas around greens.
“One of the most exciting aspects of the project is our use of the Capillary Flow bunker infrastructure, including Capillary Edge, an artificial turf product that will give the bunkers a clean defined edge all year round. Additionally, it allowed us to recreate the Von Hagge flashed sand style, which previously was unsustainable from a maintenance perspective.”
Woodmont’s owner wanted Jemsek to use local coral rock to accent features and also for the ‘Surrey Wall’ in the middle of the eighth fairway. The 150–foot-long wall stretches down the second landing area and is three feet high in places. Players that hit past the wall with their second shot will have a better approach angle to the green.
“I think we’re going to see mid-20th-century courses like Woodmont come back into fashion,” said Jemsek. “These layouts have the advantage of being close to home, enjoyable, with consistent playing conditions and mature trees. They are comfortable for most golfers and greatly benefit from modernisation.
“Creative design ideas, enhancing shot options and diversifying tee lengths will help modernise these so-called ‘dark age designs’ and appeal to golfers of all levels. Maybe there is some positive momentum for the work of this generation, which has been underappreciated post-Bandon.”
Jemsek will begin a renovation of the back nine in spring 2025, with an anticipated reopening in October 2025. He will return in 2026 to add some new design features to the Pines to bring it up the same standard as the Cypress, allowing the club to offer three interchangeable 18-hole configurations.
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Jemsek Golf Design
The front nine of the Cypress course at Woodmont Country Club in Tamarac, Florida, will reopen in October following a renovation by Joe Jemsek
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Jemsek Golf Design
The third hole plays over water
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Jemsek Golf Design
“I started with the elements I love in Von Hagge’s course, such as the boldly shaped, flash sand bunkers and freeform, contoured greens,” says Jemsek
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Jemsek Golf Design
Jemsek has used local coral rock to build a 150-foot-long wall on the eighth hole
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Jemsek Golf Design
The wall runs down the middle of the fairway around the second landing area
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