GOLF:

Though the Ocean South Course at Pelican Hill Golf Club was closer to the water, I always thought the Ocean North Course was a better layout.

The South had two holes on the water, and though they provided spectacular views, they were nothing outstanding as far as golf hole design.

Golf course designer, Tom Fazio, who created the courses in the early 90s, designed the back-to-back par threes on purpose to give the golfer two holes on the Pacific Ocean.

The No. 12 is 159 yards from the back tees and the No. 13 hole is 131 yards, though two greens are utilized on that hole to give it a little more characteristic.

The problem with the South Course was largely before and after those two holes you were playing in a canyon and the vegetation obscured the water.

The North Course, though, was above the canyon and provided outstanding, albeit farther, views of the Pacific Ocean.

That was addressed when the Irvine Company made the decision to close the course for two years and work on both 18 holes and develop a resort.

It is hard to imagine a golf course needs a makeover after 15 years, but Pelican Hill was definitely in need of some work.

Fazio’s first task was to assess the facility, especially the South, and see what he could do to aesthetically enhance the golf course.

Crews moved trees and vegetation to other parts of the course to improve the view.

“The beauty and the visual throughout the entire property are sensational,” Fazio said. “And over a period of time because of the amount of vegetation and all the natural plants that grow we always have to go back and make those haircuts as we call it sometimes.”

Acacia shrubs that were at a height of eight feet or more were moved and replaced with identical shrubs that won’t grow more than three feet. That accomplished two objectives. The first was to provide more ocean views and the second was to give the Ocean South Course more of an open feel.

Now the South Course could very well be better than the North course. With the removal of the shrubs and trees there are many more ocean views and it has actually helped open the golf course.

That doesn’t mean the course is a pushover. The staff has actually toughened it up a bit, growing the rough up and on some holes narrowing the fairways.

This is not the pushover, resort facility that it was leaning to in the past and that is for the better. The courses I think are far more challenging and Fazio was given a unique opportunity for a mulligan.

“It’s not often that a designer has a chance to go back and re-look at something they have been involved in the creation with since the beginning,” Fazio said. “Especially in a great weather climate like Southern California where there is no down time. So the golf course is always out there ready for play. Having this opportunity to come back and tweak and update and renovate and add and prune and trim and do all the detail things we’ve been able to accomplish here really is special.”

It would be my recommendation to play this golf course while you can. Golf travelers are always looking for new venues and when the hotel is completed later this year, they will start showing up and discover what many have realized for years. Tom Fazio is one of the best designers in the business and given another chance to improve on a classic, he may have well created a masterpiece.

JOHN REGER’S golf column appears Mondays.