Renovation of #6, 7 and 8 (1995)

Some more photos of the 1995 renovation at Leslie Park. Previous editions can be found HERE and HERE.

The biggest improvements to come about during the renovation were centered around drainage. Some of the other improvements were smaller in scope, but impacted play-ability no matter how much rain occurred.

The fairways on #5 and #6 were severely sloped and did not have any flat areas. These two fairways were shaped in such a way as to offer a thoughtful, well struck shot to land on a moderately flat area.

The view from #6 tee before. The fairway slopes from left to right and has a ridge running across.

They have started to shape the ridge.

Here, the tee has been final graded and the fairway is taking shape.

The view from the tee in 2017. If you look closely, you can see the flag on the green, something that could not happen before the renovation.

On this picture of #7, you can see the new bunker in front of the green as well as the trench where the new irrigation line was laid.

#7 from 2016

Here is a before picture of where the current green on #8 is located. It is deceiving, because I don't think there was actually a pond here. It was just an area that held water after rains.

The old green was covered over and an actual pond dug out.

The new green taking shape. The area right above the man's head is about where the old green was.

The fairway was graded and shaped, as well.

#8 green in 2009.

A shot from behind the green in 2011.

More 1995 renovation photos.

To read more about the renovation project and CLICK HERE.

One of the major reasons to undertake the renovation of Leslie Park Golf Course back in the 1990's was to alleviate some drainage issues the course had.

This is a picture of #3 fairway before the renovation.

These exposed culverts were in the middle of the fairway. You can also see the ultra-modern cart barn that was immediately behind the green.

A large underground drainage system was put in across most of the front 9.

The culverts were removed.

The drains start at the pond on #8 and run through the low areas on #6, 5 and 4, before daylighting at a holding pond to the left of #4 fairway. It the flows through a culvert under the railroad, where it goes back underground across #3 and #1 fairway. This is on the left side of #4 fairway.

Here is a closer look at the cart barn behind #3 green as well as the new bunker to the right of the green.

Renovation (1995)

During this winter, I undertook the process of re-configuring my office. It looked exactly the same as it had when I started my tenure with the city more than 9 years ago. Part of this process was cleaning out some old files. When I first began the job, I spent a week looking through the many files that I inherited and deciding  which I needed, which I didn't and which I was not sure about. After nearly a decade, I figured that anything in the last category that I had not looked at since 2009, probably was in the "not needed" category.

A bunch of these file folders were filled with pictures from 1994 and 1995, when Arthur Hills redesigned Leslie Park. This involved enlarging tee boxes, reducing the number of blind shots, enhancing drainage and constructing five greens. These pictures were unlabeled and haphazardly thrown in to the folders. Sometimes the pictures location was not at all obvious.

Although I had not needed these pictures, they are a valuable part of the history of Leslie Park, so we started sorting the pictures into hole numbers. When this happened, the pictures started telling a story, which we then turned into a picture album. Technology has progressed quite a bit in the last 20 plus years, so I scanned a lot of the pictures into digital copies. I will probably share some of these on this blog over a couple of posts.

The view from #1 Tee at Leslie Park in 1994

#1 Tee in 2009 (Notice the fairway bunker on the left. The silver maples between #1 and #3 are gone.)

Looking at #1 tee

This is where the current green for #1 is. You can see the old green and a bunker to the right of the picture.

Constructing the green and approach (1995)

#1 green complex in 2012.

Here is the old green complex. #2 tee sits behind the pine trees.

#1 fairway looking back toward the tee. This was taken about 100 yards from the green.

#1 fairway from about 150 yards from the green in 2012.

The construction of the first fairway bunker on #1.