“The third hole last year was a bit controversial,” Horsfield explained. “There was a bunker about 30, 40 yards short, and it would sort of kick down into the water. So they’ve taken that out, flattened that area, which I think is great. When guys are drilling a 4-iron, 5-wood in 10 short of the green, you don’t really want it bouncing in the water when you’ve hit a good shot.”
The other issue from the players perspective was that the tee box on the par-5 13th needed to be adjusted so players weren’t forced to hit less than driver into a reachable par 5. The course listened to the feedback and lengthened the hole, which Horsfield explained.
“[Moving the] tee box on 13 I think is great, the par 5,” he said. “They’ve cleared out all the trees on the left side, and it’s a lot more open now, and I think visually it looks great. Adding a new tee box back, you can hit driver and not worry about running through into the water, whereas last year I hit 3-wood to keep it short of the water and it was – you never really want to hit a 3-wood off a par-5 tee. You’re hitting your driver sort of into the same area, but now it demands a good drive so that you can get there in two. It’s a great risk-reward tee shot hole.”
In addition to the major changes to holes three and 13, there have been some other minor changes made to elevate the spectator viewing experience and make the course more challenging.
The 12th hole tee box has been moved further back; the 14th tee was shifted to the players’ left to make more room for the fan area; and trees were removed near the small pond to the left of the landing zone on the 18th hole.
With the golf course and players working collaboratively to enhance the layout, golf fans should expect an even more exciting tournament in 2025.