The completion of the remodeling works at Royal Pines will undoubtedly be one of the talking points as a lead up to the 2015 PGA Championship of Australia commencing on the 3rd of December.

Holes 1 through 9 which were completed for the tournament in 2014 certainly gave somewhat of a glimpse of what to expect.

Statistically these holes were more challenging in 2014 than the prior year. Over the four days players on average posted higher scores on the remodeled nine holes.

Perhaps what was even more remarkable, the scores posted on this remodeled front nine in 2014 were also higher than those posted on holes 10 -18. Remarkable because holes 10 – 18 were yet to be remodeled and the length of the back nine is approximately ( 150m ) longer than the front nine.

Whilst from the outset it was not my intent to make the golf course demonstratively more difficult it was certainly my intent to craft a design that would bring more of the field into contention.   

Prior to construction commencing in 2013 my evaluation of the old Royal Pines layout was that it offered far too much advantage for the long hitters and precious little opportunity for the more competent ball strikers to exhibit their skills. Quality shots were not rewarded and power hitting was being given a free pass.  The excessive out of play shallow bunkering was the main culprit. Previously the course devoted 2.2 ha of area to bunkers. The redesign reflects only 0.9 ha of space to sand. Less than half, yet far more challenging for the skilled golfer.

Players could unleash all the power they wished with little or no concern of outcome. There was always an opportunity to find it and hit it towards the target. Grip it and rip it was the catch phrase of the event.

There is no denying in most sports that a talented powerful person will always have the drop over one of equal talent but less power. In the modern world of professional golf this can translate into a distance advantage of upward of more than 50 meters on the tee ball alone.

The Royal Pines redesign is an attempt to level the playing field. The explicit goal is to bring  players of lesser power back into the game by offering them the chance to excel with superior shot making and distance control.

The power hitters must now master their direction from the tee and control the tempo of their swing to finesse their iron shots to the many subtle pin placements the putting surfaces have to offer. Failure to do so will result in balls be repelled from the putting surfaces thus making birdies more difficult to accumulate.

The redesign is by no means an attempt to take the long hitters out of the game. It is simply putting them on notice that to score well on Royal Pines they must show far more aptitude than in the past. They will always have an advantage but it will not be dictated by length alone.

Since the event has been moved to the Royal Pines course in 2013  we have had two outstanding winners of the Joe Kirkwood cup. Adam Scott in 2013 and Greg Charmers last year. Both pedigreed players with vastly different games.

I will be exciting for me to watch the tournament evolve this year as the players take on an entirely new challenge. With the remodeling of holes 10-18 in play it will virtually be a start again for the entire field of participants. No home course advantage.

Who will conjure up the best game strategy for the new layout and who will have nerves of steel to hold their game together over the final holes when potential victory becomes possible?

It will be a hotly contested title full of twists and turns with the golf course testing every aspect of a player’s shot making ability along with his intestinal fortitude.