The fourth hole at Hillcrest Golf Club has a little of everything.
And soon, a good part of that everything will be enhanced as part of a major renovation project at the course this summer and fall.
Starting in late August, as many as 10 tee box complexes will be overhauled and all of the course’s bunkers redone – except for a few that will be eliminated.
The most visible change on the tees will come on No. 4, turning a subtle dogleg left into a much more severe left turn on the already-challenging par-4 hole, which measures 477 yards from the back tees, 432 from the blues, 408 from the golds and 361 from the whites. The two greenside bunkers, which could be even more of a factor on approach shots with the increased dogleg, are among the three dozen or so sand traps that will be renovated.
Besides replenishing sand when needed and the usual grooming of the traps, the bunkers essentially are as they were when the first nine holes opened in 1969 and the second nine nearly 10 years later, as are the tee boxes, according to Hillcrest superintendent Ken Kirby and head pro John Vickers.
“It’s long overdue,” Vickers said. “We hired a consultant, and the biggest thing that came out of it was the quality of the bunkers.”
Plans are to close the front nine for renovations immediately after the club championships, scheduled Aug. 22-23, Vickers and Kirby said. When that’s completed, the front nine will be reopened and work will move to the back nine, which will close for the season. The entire project is expected to last into October, but the back nine will remain closed as “The growing season is shorter (by then) ... We don’t think the back nine will be playable to that extent,” Vickers said.
“It will be all new bunkering, which will include new sand, drainage,” Kirby said. “Every one will be reconstructed or moved, and seven to eight will disappear – mostly fairway bunkers – but the total number still will be about 35.
“We’ll rebuild nine or 10 tee complexes – for sure, Nos. 1, 4, 10, 11, 14 and 15. All will be stripped, leveled, mixed and reseeded. It will change the look (of the course) a little.”
At No. 4 in particular.
“Some (tee box alterations) will change the sightline of the holes so as to be more enjoyable to play – No. 4 in particular,” Vickers said. “The tee gets shifted about 75 feet. It will line up better with the shape of the fairway.”
The project is three years in the making, and Hillcrest announced specifics of the renovation plan in an April 16 email to members.
“When this project is completed this fall, everyone will get to enjoy all new bunkers and potentially up to nine new tee complexes that will not only improve the aesthetics, but also the playability of the course and will help insure our sustainability for the long-term picture as well,” Hillcrest said in the email.
According to Vickers, word of the changes has been well-received.
“Mostly support and questions,” he said of the reaction from Hillcrest golfers. “It’s been positive. People are excited. They know there will be some inconvenience – it won’t be the typical Hillcrest in late summer.”
“You’ll still be able to play 18 holes,” Kirby added. “You’ll just play the same nine twice. They’re saying about seven weeks for the whole project. The goal is easier maintenance.”
“Which keeps costs down,” Vickers added.
Vickers and Kirby said Aspen Golf out of West Virginia is spearheading the project, and that total cost will be about $500,000. And while there may be some inconvenience, as Hillcrest is the Durango area’s only true public course, renovated tees and bunkers will go a long way toward helping the course handle the tens of thousands of rounds it sees each year.
“It’s Durango’s public golf facility,” Vickers said. “To me, having come here from Florida, it’s one of the best courses for enjoyment and affordability. We do 40,000 rounds in a typical year. For an eight-month-plus season, that’s a lot.”
Hillcrest’s marquee event again will be the Navajo Trail Open, scheduled June 18-21 – well before the renovation work.
“It’s truly a regional event,” Vickers said of the tournament, which will draw about 40 professionals and 180 amateurs. “We’ll get amateurs from the East Coast, Texas, California ... It’s one of the oldest pro-am events in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. I’ve been here for 10 years and there have been people who have been playing in the Navajo for 30-plus years. They come back year after year. That speaks of the quality of the golf course and how it (the tournament) is run. They love those fast greens.”
bpeterson@durangoherald.com
