By ALAN HOSKINS
The much-awaited and much-anticipated re-opening of Painted Hills Golf Club will come Friday, June 14.
“Just in time for Father’s Day,” said Steve Price. The Director of Operations for Proformance Golf, which also operates Falcon Lakes, Royal Meadows and Stone Canyon, said golfers will be able to go to www.paintedhillsgolfclub.com for advanced tee times.
“The change is dramatic, 18 holes that have been completely redesigned and no longer resembles the 1927 course,” says Marty Streiff, President of Proformance Golf. “There’s a minimum of four sets of zoysia tees on every hole, large USGA bent grass greens and a new blend of bluegrass in the fairways. For those who have played Painted Hills, they will be impressed when they step to the tee of every hole.”
Closed since last August, the renovation of the course includes the reconstruction and enlargement of 10 greens not effected in a renovation in 1994; the removal of more than 150 trees to make it more appealing and speed up play; all new zoysia tee complexes; an updated and expanded irrigation system; and construction of more than 7,000 linear feet of cart paths.
At least a half dozen holes will have new fairway designs shaped to today’s modern design and all fairways have been converted to new strains of bluegrass in order to provide a denser stand of turf. Also, 24 new fairway and greenside bunkers have been added.
Major course changes are at the par 4 No, 7, where removal on 20 large trees on the right side of the fairway enabled the fairway to be widened and re-shaped into a dogleg; the par 3 No. 8 where the green has been enlarged and moved to the edge of a small lake; and No. 14, a par 4 hole where 30 large trees on the right side of the fairway have been removed to dramatically widen the fairway.
The two closing holes, No. 9 and No. 18, along with the par 5 No. 5, have all been lowered and large mounds and bunkers added while No. 15 will offer golfers a two-tiered fairway to an enlarged green.
“Our goal is to have a fun, friendly, beautiful golf course that can be played in less than four hours most days,” says Price. Photos of the renovation and additional information can be found on the Painted Hills website.
