Glaze Meadow’s first hole will undergo some changes

Glaze Meadow’s opening hole will be undergoing a minor facelift next week, and for some, the work make the 395-yard par 4 far more forgiving.

Black Butte Ranch’s maintenance staff will shift the blue (369 yards) and white tees (340 yards) to the right of their current setup. The sand from the fairway bunker that guards the left corner of the dogleg right will be removed. The bunker then will be sodded over, and a mound built.

The changes will make the tee shot quite different: Right-handed golfers who play a fade (or lefties who play a draw) will find a significant and welcome degree of margin for error. Without a bunker protecting the left corner, golfers will have more freedom to play their tee shot down the left side and work the ball back into the center of the fairway.

In all, the Black Butte Ranch staff will lay some 20,000 square feet of fresh sod.

“I really think our golfers are going to like these changes,” said Phil Lagao, Black Butte Ranch’s longtime superintendents. “It really opens up the hole and gives golfers a chance to take a better route to the hole.”

Black Butte Ranch is reacting to some homeowner concerns about wayward golf balls. Amateur golfers, many of whom tend to hit draws or slices, would feel too intimidated to aim their tee shots at the left bunker.

Instead, golfers tended to aim right of the bunkers, and far too many shots would drift into the trees down the right side of the fairway … or worse.

“What we truly want to do is keep people from hitting the houses on the right side,” Lagao said. “It is definitely a safety concern.”

The job will not be easy. In fact, it will be more like a three-day marathon for Lagao and his crew. But amazingly, golfers should be able to enjoy the first hole by the Friday, May 20, when the  Central Oregon Open tees off.

“There is a lot going on there and it will be three very long days,” Lagao said. “But the new tee shot will feel better for our golfers.”

To play Glaze Meadow or Big Meadow, book a tee time online or call 855-210-5305 or the Golf Shop at 541-595-1545.