While waiting to tee off seasons ago on the White Course at Eisenhower Park, a playing partner derisively labeled the Robert Trent Jones-designed muni as the one "where every hole is the same." Fast forward to 2017 and, thanks to the efforts of park staff, that description no longer fits.
In June, Newsday's Mark Herrmann outlined some of the changes underway at Eisenhower White, and after seeing the significant transformation up close on a perfect first afternoon of October, there is no doubt the course -- once a monotonous march past identical fairway traps and pushed-up greenfront bunkers -- has been modified for the better.
Gone, at least on a handful of holes to date, is rough around the greens. The par-5 third and 18th are two of the approximately half-dozen holes that now feature fairway-cut runoffs all around the elevated greens. There, long and wide approach shots will trickle down beneath the surface rather than get stuck in thick greenside rough.
The most notable and striking change to the White Course, however, is the large-scale addition and restoration of bunkers from fairway to green. No longer are the par-4s and par-5s dotted by one or two traps at the midpoint of the fairway, or the raised greens hidden behind a U-shaped wall of sand. Park crews have built or remodeled dozens of fairway bunkers, giving the appearance of shape and movement to holes that remain almost arrow-straight.
On the 386-yard sixth hole, golfers once looked out to find a single fairway trap less than 200 yards away, too short to affect most solid drives. Today, the hole presents a collection of seven right-side fairway traps, a deterrent that forces players to hug the hole's left side, where they will soon encounter three new traps on the green's left front. In total, the number of bunkers on the hole has jumped from three to 12.
The par-5 12th is one of the few White holes with any bend, and a single wide trap has long protected the turn of the fairway. That trap is now replaced by a chain of four bunkers that create more of a diagonal hazard. Ahead, five sod-walled bunkers (pictured right) protect the approach to the green.
As detailed by Herrmann, these sod walls are another significant part of the White's restoration. The "facelift on the fly," as Herrmann calls it (all work has been done without ever closing the course), includes replacing many of the gaping front bunkers with deeper traps sporting stacked sod walls. Much of the turf used in the walls has come either from other parts of the course or old playing surfaces at nearby Mitchel Field. In some areas, new pot bunkers have been built from scratch to bolster the defenses around the greens. The end result is a more professional, British Open-style look.
On the par-3 fifth, a tiny pot bunker, complete with steps down to the sand, sits in front of two bigger traps short and left of the green. Later on the 18th, two circular, steep-walled traps are hidden deep in the right fairway, only visible from up close. In fact, the 18th itself shows off all aspects of the White's transformation -- new pot-style fairway bunkers, refurbished greenside traps and steep, low-cut runoffs around the surface.
Also of note:
While times are tough for the putting greens on the Red Course, the same can't be said for the White. Rolling smooth and with some unexpected speed, the greens received rave reviews from our group.
As of now, it seems only one hole on each of the double par-3s has received its restoration facelift. The untouched twins remain open for play, except for the left hole on #17, whose green is completely dug up and either awaiting reconstruction or gone for good.
Great job utilzing the field from Mitchell Field in restoring faces of bunkers. Nice look
Posted by: Frank Darby | October 03, 2017 at 10:27 AM
I've noticed these lately, and was like...when did this happen? Good on them for trying to improve our 'home course.'
Posted by: DDM | October 10, 2017 at 10:39 AM