Bunker Renovation Underway at Griffin Gate


Construction on a $1 million bunker renovation and a greens-refinement project has commenced at Griffin Gate Golf Club in Lexington, Ky. Scheduled for completion in mid-May, course operator Marriott Golf has commissioned golf architect Rees Jones, the original Griffin Gate designer, to oversee the project.

Jones will utilize the highly successful Better Billy Bunker Method throughout the golf course. This innovative bunker system is currently used at many premier courses, including Valhalla in Louisville, Bethpage Black in New York and Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., site of the 2016 Ryder Cup.

The system has also been installed at other Marriott Golf facilities, including The Rookery at Marco, located at the Marco Island Marriott Resort in Florida. (Learn more about the system in an article by Cybergolf's John Torsiello at http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/torsiellos_turf_talk_better_billy_bunkers_a_boon_for_golf_courses.)

"I am happy to be returning to work on Griffin Gate, one of my first designs. It's like seeing an old friend after 34 years," said Jones. "1981 was quite a while back, so a bunker renovation to bring the course 'back to the future' will serve the course well. We are also redefining the fairway lines and creating chipping areas to give the course more varied challenges. We feel the changes will maintain the popularity that Griffin Gate has enjoyed for the last three decades."

"We are extremely excited to have Rees Jones return to Griffin Gate and lead not only the bunker renovation, but the greens complex refinement as well," said Mark Ravenscraft, general manager of Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa.

"Aside of his famed expertise, no one knows the facility better, which means this project will greatly enhance a golf course already known for its competitive play, beauty and environmentally friendly appeal. Griffin Gate enjoys a tremendous history and popularity in the rolling hills of Kentucky and we are excited that Rees Jones will help to take that distinction to another level."

The project will be done in two nine-hole phases, thus allowing half of the course to remain open at all times.