Restoration At Deal G. & C.C. By Rees Jones Is Complete
In the space of two years, Deal Golf and Country Club will have restored all of its bunkering under the auspices of famed course designer Rees Jones.
The project began in late 2012 for Deal, which boasts more than 100 bunkers, and that year the work was completed on holes 1, 2, 3, 6, 17 and 18. By the end of 2013, the work on the other holes was completed.
“We wanted to take bring back some of the Donald Ross design features,” explained Deal superintendent Jim Thomas, who has worked 10 years at the club.
“We wanted to make the golf course more friendly for our membership and overall provide a fun experience for all of our membership,” Thomas said.
Jones is known as the “Open Doctor” for his talent in the redesign of courses in preparation for major championships. His remodeling skills have been applied to seven U.S. Open venues and eight PGA Championship courses.
“The idea is to move and restore bunkers and give the members better targets, new sight lines and better options,” said Jones, who is headquartered in Montclair and has worked on more than 170 courses.
“In many cases, the Donald Ross design was changed before we got here and we’re putting the Donald Ross style back in. He bunkered the entire golf course following the original design of Lawrence Van Etten,” Jones stated.
Van Etten designed the original course in 1895. By 1912, the original owners were forced to sell off land west of Roseld Avenue that held three holes. At that point, Ross was brought in to redesign an 18-hole course over the acreage of 15 original holes. Ross built new fourth, fifth and seventh holes on the property, completing his work in 1915.
“In the 10 years I’ve been here, the course has definitely changed,” Thomas said. “Everything gets better with Rees Jones here. We’re correcting a lot of problems for our maintenance and it’s a great experience working with him.”
The work includes new drainage, deepening of the bunkers, repositioning and new sand. Also, the bunkers will include natural edging “ for a totally different look,” said head professional Jason Lamp, winner of the 2006 NJSGA State Open.
“We have a much more traditional look and the changes have made the course more challenging. The membership is very happy with it,” Lamp said.
New bunkers were added on three holes. On the third hole, two bunkers were added in the fairway. On the 17th hole, a bunker was added in the right corner of the fairway dogleg, providing a different look, and on the 18th hole, two new bunkers fronting the green were added.
“This is a great club with great people, and we’ve made friends with a lot of them” Jones said. “They have a wonderful facility and a really good layout. It’s a very progressive club. We started out last year restoring six holes and the membership liked it so much, they decided to finish the final 12 holes. This project is a credit to the membership.”
