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David_Tepper

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Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« on: March 23, 2023, 12:43:49 PM »

Peter Flory

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2023, 10:31:33 PM »
Exquisite job on this one.

Ben Stephens

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Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2023, 03:42:14 AM »
Astonishing piece of work what a change a combination of the old and new looks like it has been there for many years.

Mike Bodo

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2023, 09:50:00 PM »
Astonishing piece of work what a change a combination of the old and new looks like it has been there for many years.
Agreed! Gil Hanse is a magician where it concerns getting the details right when it comes to restoring classic golden age courses. There's no one better than him at this currently, IMO. Sadly, in some respects his restoration work gets more praise and acclaim to his his new course work, which is arguably as good.
"90% of all putts left short are missed." - Yogi Berra

Michael Morandi

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2023, 11:07:38 PM »
Who among those commenting here have actually played the Hanse renovated Lake Merced? I would be curious about your comments about the routing and the mix of bunker styles. No doubt Hanse had a challenge trying to restore a course that lost 4 original holes to a highway  years ago.

Matthew Delahunty

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2023, 11:55:00 PM »
Michael,


I haven't played it, but I was fortunate see it in August 2022 in the final stages of construction.  Hanse has done an exceptional job to recapture most of the Mackenzie era routing and features without the course feeling cramped.  The insertion of the par 3 16th has allowed him to route his way into and out of what might otherwise have been a tricky corner of the property.  Moving the practice range to the northern end has released some of the original course land so that he could restore 6 and 7 and lengthen the 10th to a short par 4.  The new double ended range is also really good.  The only hole which felt a little forced to me was the par 3 third hole where the tee is wedged between the maintenance facility and the boundary, but hopefully some screen plantings will help the hole meld into its surrounds.


The bunkering now resembles the Californian Mackenzie style but it is more understated than courses like Cypress Point and Pasatiempo, but I think that's a good thing for this site.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2023, 12:05:36 AM by Matthew Delahunty »

Matthew Delahunty

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Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2023, 12:10:46 AM »
Here are some photos I took during my visit (August 2022):

2nd (looking back from green)



3rd



5th




6th



8th




9th green




10th



12th



13th





15th



16th



18th



Practice range

« Last Edit: March 28, 2023, 01:05:01 AM by Matthew Delahunty »

Michael Morandi

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2023, 09:13:01 AM »
I played it last week, Matthew, and agree that Hanse did a great job in not making the course feel “cramped.”  I did not approach the course as a restoration project and was not as sensitive to the constraints that mandate puts on an architect. Trying to remain faithful to the original design while finding 4 new holes is a very tall task and no doubt impacts the routing, which many around here feel is a bit confusing. 13 is indeed a great triumph for Hanse but, as your photos show, would be even more visually appealing without the cart path. Fitting/finding 16 is also clever but on the day I played it the lower range was full with golfers peering down on it. They were very close. 18 showed the genius of strategic bunkering on what previously was a boring par 5. At 68 years old, I don’t drive it much farther than 240 but on those holes with severe downslopes in the landing area, my drives ended up a mere flip wedge to the green. Walking and playing a course can be distinctly different things.

Kyle Casella

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Restoring MacKenzie At Lake Merced
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2023, 10:05:04 AM »
I grew up playing there but haven't made it out west to check out the new version. I'd be curious to hear how the new routing flows from those who played both iterations? I always thought the old fourth (new driving range) was an abomination of a golf hole for anyone who hit it less than 270 off the tee so I am glad to see that gone.


It looks like a stunning improvement and I am excited to see it in person. Kudos to the Hanse team and the Club. To think they seriously considered selling the entire property to developer in the mid 2000's, it's a big turnaround!

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