Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands Course)

Atlanta Athletic Club Highlands Course Rees Jones Redesign Summary - 1994 To 2010

Hole No. 18 - Photo Courtesy of Bob Maynard

Summary of 1994 and 1995 scope of work prior to the 2001 PGA Championship:

• All tees were rebuilt, realigned, leveled and grassed.
• All sand bunkers were rebuilt.
• All greens were rebuilt, with new green designs and new contours.
• Limited amount of fairway grading occurred.

Summary of 2006 scope of work:

• Leveling of all existing tees.
• Addition of new tees and the lengthening of existing tees. The course was stretched by 273 yards. For the 2011 PGA Championship, the Highlands Course will play 7,467 yards, par 70.
• Major regrading of the fairways and rough to improve site lines and drainage.
• New irrigation system.
• Agronomic overhaul of the entire layout was achieved by installing Diamond Zoysia in the fairways and Tifton10 bermudagrass in the rough.
• An old bunker style was restored throughout the golf course.
• Additional fairway and greenside bunkers were created to improve strategy in some locations.
• Existing fairway and greenside bunkers were rebuilt, repositioned, reshaped and redefined.
• Select greenside bunkers were shifted closer to the putting surfaces to bring them into play.
• Created chipping areas around select greens.
• Some green surfaces were expanded to create additional pin locations.

Note: Except where stipulated, all course changes described below were completed in 2006 as part of a major rebuild of the Highlands Course.

Detailed Description of Changes:

No. 1 Par 4 454 yards

A new championship tee was added to give players a better angle for the tee shot. The outside frame of the landing zone was reshaped, and the right fairway bunker was rebuilt and expanded towards the green. The front right section of the green was expanded to add a new pin position. A new greenside bunker was added behind the middle section of the green to protect the back pin location. In addition, the back right greenside bunker that defended the front section of the green was expanded and wrapped around the new front right section of green. A grass pocket was created in the back left area behind the green and the front left greenside bunker was reshaped.

2009: The championship tee was rebuilt, moved to the right 20 feet and pushed back 10 yards to bring the hole’s total length to 454 yards.

No. 2 Par 4 512 yards

The championship tee was expanded to bring the hole’s total length to 512 yards. Club members play this golf hole as a par 5. (It played as a par 4 at the last PGA Championship). In order to improve visibility of the landing area from the tee, part of the left hillside in the first landing zone was removed. The existing two right fairway bunkers were reshaped and a new right bunker (past the existing bunkers) was strategically located for the longer hitters. The greenside bunkers were substantially changed. The front three greenside bunkers were resculptured and converted into two. The back bunker was deepened and reshaped to prevent errant shots from tumbling down the drop-off behind the green. The front left greenside bunker was expanded. A back right section of the green surface was created to allow for a new back hole placement.

No. 3 Par 4 475 yards

The two back tees were lowered to create a new championship tee for this demanding par 4. The front left of the fairway was regraded and lowered to improve visibility of the fairway from the tee. Two new fairway bunkers were added on the right (the first bunker is 260-280 yards and the second bunker is 310-328 yards from back tee). The front left greenside bunker was rebuilt and expanded, creating a deep sculptured bunker that protects the entire left section of the green. The right greenside bunker was reshaped. The frame behind the green was lowered and reshaped, and a grass pocket was created.

No. 4 Par 3 219 yards

Hole No. 4 - Photo Courtesy of Bob Maynard

This par 3 dramatically changed both from a visual and playability perspective. A new championship tee added 15 yards to this hole. The fairway approach was lowered and reshaped. The back left greenside bunker and frame behind the green was removed and replaced with a chipping area. The green was expanded by creating a new back left section, allowing for a new hole placement. The right greenside bunker was enlarged and deepened.

No. 5 Par 5 565 yards

The tee complex was lowered and a new championship tee was constructed, lengthening the hole by 25 yards. In the first landing zone, the existing four right fairway bunkers were reshaped, lowered below fairway level and converted to two bunkers. A new left fairway bunker was added in the hillside in the first landing zone. In the second landing zone, a bold new carry bunker was created on the left 100 yards short of the green. The two front right greenside bunkers were reshaped and converted to three bunkers. The left greenside bunker was expanded to protect the left section of the green, and the back greenside bunker was rebuilt and reshaped.

No. 6 Par 4 425 yards (296)

The existing tee surfaces were rebuilt. The first fairway bunker on the right was removed, and the second bunker was rebuilt and reshaped. Past the existing bunker on the right, three additional bunkers were created for the longer hitters. A new pond was created on the left between the landing zone and the green to guard the left hand side of the fairway and green. The pond was extended to guard the left section of the green and replaced the existing three front left greenside bunkers. This is a significant visual and dramatic change to the golf hole. No. 6 becomes a classic risk/reward hole when the tees are played forward. The two front right greenside bunkers were replaced with one new bunker. A grass pocket was added behind and left of the green. The back right section of the putting surface was expanded to create additional hole placements, and a new back left greenside bunker was added.

No. 7 Par 3 184 yards

A new championship tee was added to lengthen the hole to its current yardage. The short greenside bunker was removed, and the pond was expanded into that area and towards the back left section of the green complex. The front greenside bunker was rebuilt and replaced with a large deep sculptured bunker. The back greenside bunker was enlarged and reshaped. A deep grass pocket was created front right of the green surface, and the fairway approach was expanded into this pocket. A large fairway chipping area was created left of the green surface.

No. 8 Par 4 467 yards

A new championship tee was added to this right-to-left dogleg par 4. The start of the pond was filled. By removing the two bunkers on the left side of the landing zone and extending the pond into that area, an already dramatic golf hole became even stronger by bringing the water into play on the tee shot. The right fairway bunkers were rebuilt and a new right fairway bunker was added to fortify the dogleg. A back left greenside bunker near the pond was removed to bring the water into play for errant shots. The front three left greenside bunkers were rebuilt as one large deep sculptured bunker. The front right greenside was reshaped and blended into the existing hillside. The frame behind the green was removed and replaced with a deep swale.

2010: The front right greenside bunker was reshaped and moved away from the green surface by two to three yards.

No. 9 Par 4 426 yards

The entire tee complex was lowered and a new championship tee was added. The landing zone was reshaped, and the fairway bunkers were repositioned to create better definition from the tee. The bunkers are staggered, with the one on the right shorter than the one on the left. The entire green complex was reworked, with a new greenside bunker configuration to protect certain sections of the green.

No. 10 Par 4 442 yards

The existing tees were rebuilt. The outside frame of the landing zone was reshaped on this left-to-right dogleg. The left fairway bunkers were rebuilt and repositioned. The new sculptured bunkers define the left side of the landing zone and help turn the golf hole. The area to the right of the green was lowered. The front left greenside bunker was reshaped, lowered and expanded around the left side of the green. This bold sculptured bunker now guards and protects the left section of the green.

No. 11 Par 4 457 yards

Hole No. 11 - Photo Courtesy of Bob Maynard

A new back right championship tee was added. The landing area was reshaped and expanded to the right to soften this sharp dogleg-left par 4. The new tee and reconfigured landing zone give players a more inviting target to drive the ball. The two left fairway bunkers were eliminated and replaced by a single bunker. A new fairway bunker was added long right. The greenside bunkers were reshaped. The front of the pond was enlarged and expanded around the back right section of the long, narrow green in order to better bring water into play. The second shot down to this well- guarded green is visually dramatic and challenging.

No. 12 Par 5 551 yards

A new elevated championship tee was added to lengthen this already dramatic par 5 hole. The right fairway bunkers were reworked. A few select trees left of the second landing zone were removed to create additional fairway width around the pond. The pond located along the right side of the fairway and green from 100 yards out is in play for any golfer trying to reach the green in two, creating a classic risk/reward option. A new back left section of the green surface was created and a back left chipping area was added. The existing greenside bunkers were rebuilt and reshaped.

No. 13 Par 4 372 yards

The left and right fairway bunkers were reshaped, and a new long left fairway bunker was created.

A new fairway approach to the left section of the green was created, replacing a series of three front greenside bunkers. The left greenside bunker was expanded and lowered, and two greenside bunkers were created on the right to protect this section of the green. This challenging par 4 is the shortest on the course.

No. 14 Par 4 468 yards

A new championship tee was added to lengthen this already tough par 4 hole. The left fairway bunker was reworked and a new right fairway bunker was created to fortify the landing zone on this gentle dogleg-right. The greenside bunkers were redone, and a grass pocket was created back left of the green surface.

No. 15 Par 3 260 – 227 yards

Hole No. 15 - Photo Courtesy of Bob Maynard

A new elevated championship tee was added to stretch the hole to 260 yards for this difficult par 3. The front left and back right greenside bunkers were rebuilt and reshaped.

No. 16 Par 4 476 yards

A new championship tee added 35 yards to this narrow, uphill hole. The right two fairway bunkers were reworked, and a right fairway bunker was added for the longer hitters. The back greenside bunker was removed and replaced with a grass chipping area that swings around to the left. The front left greenside bunker was lowered and expanded to protect the left section of the green. The two small right greenside bunkers were replaced with one large bold bunker that guards the right section of the green.

No. 17 Par 3 207 yards

Hole No. 17 - Photo Courtesy of Bob Maynard

This par three is a visually dramatic and challenging hole. The elevated tee complex was rebuilt and the back tee was expanded. The fairway approach area to the right of the green was lowered. In place of the previous three small bunkers behind the green, one large bold deep sculptured bunker was created. The front of the green was expanded towards the lake, creating additional front hole locations.

No. 18 Par 4 507 yards

Hole No. 18 - Photo Courtesy of Bob Maynard

In the first landing zone, the five right fairway bunkers were replaced by four bunkers, and the corner of the pond was expanded towards the tee by 15 to 18 yards. In the second landing zone, a new right cross bunker was created. The small front left greenside bunker was removed and replaced by a new back right greenside bunker. The left greenside bunker was lowered and reshaped. The front section of the green surface was expanded towards the pond.