ASGCA Past President Greg Muirhead and Rees Jones Golf Course Design have led the way at City Park in New Orleans, where a new 18-hole course is under construction. The course will positively impact an area severely damaged by flooding following Hurricane Katrina.
“Golf Course Architecture” reports, “billions of gallons of saltwater flooded the area” in 2005, which at one point was the site of four courses.
The article states: “‘Our final routing encompasses portions of the old East and West courses, including some of the old hole corridors that are framed by the mature live oaks and bordered by existing lagoons,’ Muirhead told GCA back in October 2014. ‘Accordingly, our design heavily incorporates those site features as strategic elements. In addition, in order to preserve the trees and maintain the existing ‘pastoral’ quality of the site, we will implement a ‘low-profile’ design style that minimizes the amount of fill placed throughout the course.
“’The green complexes will not be super-elevated and the bunkers will not be excessively deep,’ he said. ‘Green contours will be more subtle and understated. Although the course will measure in excess of 7,200 yards from the championship markers, the emphasis will really be on accuracy and positioning the ball in the proper portion of the fairway off the tee, in order to have the best angle into the green.’
“The course will be complemented by a new clubhouse, and construction is slated to finish in February 2017.”