Tripp Davis, ASGCA, (Tripp Davis and Associates) is overseeing a major bunker restoration project at The Powelton Club in Newburgh, New York. The historic club in the Hudson River Valley was founded in 1892 and is one of the oldest clubs in the U.S. The course was originally designed by Devereux Emmet in 1926.
Davis’ plan is to rebuild the bunkers in Emmet’s style with steep grass faces and strategic positioning, while keeping the overall square footage more manageable. The bunkers at Powelton had become too large, historically speaking, and Davis and team will carefully downsize the overall square footage throughout the golf course, in keeping with Emmet’s style of designing slender bunkers. Functionally, Davis, along with golf course builder Frank O’Dowd of Intergolf, is installing better drainage, bunker liners and a better grade of sand so that the playing quality of the bunkers is better and the sand is easier to maintain over time.
“We were honored to be selected for this renovation and restoration work at The Powelton Club and it was because of our knowledge of Devereux Emmet and our overall reputation for historical work and a track record of staying on budget,” said Davis. “Once we have completed our work, the members are going to see their golf course suddenly look ‘older’ with a more classic bunker style but with much better sand. Even though bunkers are supposed to be places to avoid strategically, I am really looking forward to seeing the members play out of them.”
Construction started in early October of 2018 and should be completed by Spring 2019.