From the increased strategic nature of the course, the significant reduction in bunkering, to the mountainous terrain of the green complexes, the new-look RACV Royal Pines is a far greater test. Pictured is the 10th
Paul Osborne cuts the 11th fairway perimeter
tournament level within a matter of months, achieve consistency between the old and new surfaces and all the while maintain 18 holes for general play, has been a monumental effort. So when Nathan Holman sank his par putt on the first playoff hole last December, the whole crew deserved to reflect for a moment on a job well done and give themselves a bloody good pat on the back. “It has been an amazing project to be involved with,” reflects Coombes. “When you look at what’s happened here over the past two years – a full 18-hole redevelopment and hosting four major PGA and ALPG tournaments – it’s been an unbelievable experience. Sure, there were days during the project when all you wanted to do was get on a bike and pedal off into the sunset, but looking back I think I took it all in my stride. I was certainly a lot more comfortable leading into this tournament than last year’s. Even the wife noticed it! “It has been great to be part of this and see what Graham Marsh has come up with. For me it was such a huge learning curve. I got a tremendous understanding of the many processes, whether it was dealing with local government, what the construction guys had to contend with, managing acid sulphate soils, engineering, solid turfing – the list goes on.
The completion of the back nine works signalled the end of the twoyear redevelopment of the RACV Royal Pines championship course. Pictured is the new-look 12th green
“What made the project were the people involved. We had some good people on board, guys like (project agronomist) John Neylan and (project manager) Rangi Campbell, and having Graham on the ground a lot of the time along with senior designer Marcus Lane meant things went really smoothly. “It has also been a very rewarding experience for the crew who have been fantastic. Everyone chipped in and played their part and without a good bunch of guys this project would never have finished to the level that it has. During the second year it was really noticeable that the guys were asking more questions and taking a greater interest in the construction. They’ve been here and seen it evolve and they’re very proud of the finished product and now want to present it in as best condition as possible.”
LIKE CLOCKWORK
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016
23
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After the relatively smooth manner in which the front nine works unfolded between the 2013 and 2014 PGAs, there was always the fear that such a good run, especially with the weather, wouldn’t translate to the second nine. With more earthworks required, in particular on the 16th, not to mention managing the maturing surfaces of the front nine