it is interesting to trace back the tree clearing a few years. In 2006 I remember the back nine being quite wooded and was almost having a hard time recognizing the much more barren land today. Is this related to the current ownership and these restoration intentions?
The original 10th and 15th holes were cleared through hardwoods; holes 11-14 were in fairly open, rolling, sandy ground which had been planted with small pines for erosion control purposes [which is a property tax abatement strategy]. On those holes, we cleared the trees by wrapping a chain around them and yanking them out of the ground with a bucket loader on the front of an old tractor.
But, I failed to yank the trees in between the holes, and in a matter of a few years they got too big and too costly to clear, and my original client thought that playing between trees was what people from downstate liked, so he left them. I loved the more open look we had to start.
At some point after the course closed, someone came in and harvested the trees in between the holes -- I don't know whether it was before the land was sold off, or done by the farm. But I am certainly not going to miss the trees between 11 and 14. Seeing across those holes is magic.
We did also lose a few big hardwood trees [mostly maples], especially at the 12th hole, which died almost immediately after the course closed. I think they must have gotten used to having irrigation water, and couldn't take the shock when it was turned off.