This column is dedicated to celebrating outdoor recreation in the Seymour area. Whether you are an adrenaline junkie or a Sunday afternoon ambler, there’s a slice of nature waiting for you to discover in Deep Cove. Every month we ask an outdoor recreation enthusiast east of Seymour to give us some advice on how to navigate nature in our backyard. For August, we get the scoop from Seymour Golf & Country Club superintendent Jim McGarvey about Seymour’s brand-new back nine holes, unveiled on June 17.
What was the impetus for the redesign?
Renovating the golf course has been planned for many years: a desire to improve the design and to update the infrastructure of the course with new greens, tees, ponds, bunkers, irrigation, etc. The front nine was done in 2004, and now the back nine is also complete.
What did the scope of the new back nine project entail?
Pretty much everything rebuilt, within the same routing: new greens, new tees, new bunkers, rebuild and expand all ponds, new irrigation system, reshape fairways, add extensive drainage, add and improve landscaping features.
Who was the architect behind the project and what was their vision?
The architect on both the front nine renovations and the back nine renovations was Ted Locke. His vision was to improve the back nine such that it presented a consistent design to the front nine renovations done in 2004: modernize the design, add fairness, create a more open feel to the back nine, and to add make it more esthetically pleasing.
What were the environmental preservation or sensitive habitat considerations?
We worked with the District of North Vancouver, under the supervision of Diamond Head Consulting Limited, to complete the work while minimizing environmental concerns and while improving habitat. Tree removals were minimized, done during the non-nesting season, and offset by many more being planted in lieu. Extensive silt control was utilized to protect adjacent waterways and neighbouring properties. Large out of play areas in the back nine were identified for habitat improvement, resulting in removal of invasive species and replanting with prescribed vegetation. Fish, amphibians and invertebrates were identified and moved from existing ponds to other ponds on the course, before pond renovations were done.
How many months was the project and when was it completed?
The project began June 3, 2016, and the back nine re-opened June 17, 2017. So it was just over one year.
How does this change the golf game in that section of the course – are there new hazards, different slope to the greens, yardage change for any of the holes?
Holes No. 10 through No. 17 are all significantly changed from a playing perspective, with totally new green shapes, improved bunkering, expanded tee options, expanded water features, added and relocated bunkers, and new fairway contouring.The only hole that was more minimally affected was No. 18, although it also had a new tee added and new fairway bunkering.
The final phase of the project is underway: the renovation of the driving range landing area and the grass tee surfaces on it, followed by a new structure that will cover the artificial teeing area.
