Golf Course Evolution And New Tees At Washtenaw

One of the delights of consistently playing the same course year after year is observing the way it evolves.

Golf courses are in a constant state of flux. Sometimes the changes are natural; others are more intentional.

Natural changes might be as simple and transient as the weather: a little more dry; a little more wet; cooler; warmer. Less transient is tree growth that changes the lines of play or — in reverse — limbs (and entire trees) downed in storms or from age. Shade from tree growth may turn grassy areas to dirt. The shores of ponds and streams shift. Bunkers can actually migrate. Slopes slide. A safe yardage from a decade ago may no longer be the correct play.

Man, too, changes the landscape — sometimes in unintentional ways. Greens may gradually get smaller as each successive mowing is just a millimeter inside the previous line. Topdressing greens — to maintain their health — can change the contours over time, in some instance creating the crowned green effect. Aging drainage lines will change growth pattens. Cart and foot traffic can thin turf and compact soil.

More intentional, however, are projects such as tree clearing, deliberate changes in fairway width or green size, bunker construction or reconstruction and the like. For example, Washtenaw Golf Club over the last few years has removed a thousand trees, recovering classic lines of play and improving grass growth throughout the course. Washtenaw also has changed some of the green shapes to more nearly approximate the original rectangular designs.

Also intentional is the creation of new tee boxes. Washtenaw Golf Club added several in the 2022 season, and is adding another this year.

The current project adds another tee box to the left, and back of the original ones on the par three twelfth. From that position the new tees are diabolical, creating a partially blind shot to what already is a tricky downhill shot to a mounded green. Par is a very good score on that par three as it is. The new angle will make it even more challenging.

A similar project back in 2022 added a dozen yards to the par three fourth. That hole has a classic volcano green, which demands a carry and stop.

Some clubs notably conduct wholesale changes in one fell swoop, such as at Inverness and Oakland Hills. While those have the wow factor, for me the incremental changes are ultimately more interesting. Whether natural or manmade, the incremental changes allow reflection and appreciation.

A college professor friend of mine — the late Fred Goodman at the University of Michigan — talked on a couple of occasions about an intellectual “game” he played called “Small Changes”: debating the smallest change one could make to a system or institution that would have the biggest effect. I think about that occasionally when I notice a small change at Washtenaw, contemplating what effect that small change have on the bigger picture.

I also am reminded of something the late Dave Kendall, owner of Washtenaw Golf Club, once said to me: that his goal was that each time golfers returned to the course, they would find that it was just a little bit better than the last time they played.

Kendall was talking about the occasional player — the one who might come to Washtenaw once or twice a season. But even regulars, if paying attention, will notice the small changes that add up to a new, and often more meaningful experience.

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