Projects

Northwood G.C. Bunker Restoration Project

Monte Rio CA, 1928

Northwood is a gem of public golf. An Alister MacKenzie course open to the public itself is a rare opportunity. I played Northwood many times thanks to this, and when I became more interested in golf course design and learned that it was a MacKenzie, I began to wonder about its history. In 2023, my interest in Northwood peaked and I attempted to learn all I could about the course. The course’s manager, Gaylord Schapp, and his son Trevor Schapp, the superintendent, gave me a few old postcards showing the course in the early days. This, along with more photos and aerial flyovers I found in county archives and other resources enabled me to create a map of what I believe the course would have looked like as the original MacKenzie design.

Gaylord and other staff at Northwood were also excited by the historical findings, and the map was hung up in the pro shop where it gained even more attention from visiting golfers. My experience playing the course made me think about what it would have been like back in the day, and how the bunkers would affect strategy. I had been eager to do some sort of design project of my own and I wondered if it would be a possibility to restore a MacKenzie bunker at Northwood. I talked to Trevor, the superintendent, about the idea and he was excited by the possibility of bringing back a bunker, so the only thing left to do was come up with an official plan and approval from the board. Trevor and I went out on March 27th, determined the original bunker shape, got measurements, which I used to form a proposal for the board of directors. By emphasizing the significance of bringing the bunker back and the benefits it would bring (aesthetic beauty, strategy for the hole, balancing pace of play, and bringing interest to the course) the plan was approved.

The longest delay for getting the project started was material sourcing but we were able to begin excavation and initial shaping on April 25th. During excavation we came across layers of sand in the soil, confirming the outline of the original bunker. By May the excavation was finished and drainage and liner were ready to be installed. The bunker was finished on May 8th.

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