WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - Local knowledge and past experience are invaluable advantages when it comes to playing competitive golf.
But PGA Tour golfers who will compete in this year's Greenbrier Classic can ditch their notes concerning the Old White TPC, especially on the course's back nine.
In the spirit of finding opportunity in tragedy, several structural and design changes were made to the Old White as part of the massive restoration effort after the June 23 flood devastated the area and forced the cancellation of last year's tournament.
At the Classic's media day Monday in the Champions Room of The Greenbrier's clubhouse, a handful of dignitaries discussed the tournament's comeback.
Pro emeritus Lee Trevino and Phil Mickelson, a five-time major champion and The Greenbrier's PGA Tour ambassador, were on hand, as were Greenbrier president Dr. Jill Justice, executive tournament director Habibi Mamone and vice president of golf Burt Baine.
Several topics were discussed, but first and foremost on everyone's minds seemed to be the progress of the resort's golf courses, and the new features fans and players can expect from the Old White TPC.
Course architect Keith Foster, who was in charge of the project, was not in attendance, but Greenbrier director of sports public relations Cam Huffman read a statement from Foster.
"Our goal was to restore the course to a more appropriate version of the original [C.B.] Macdonald design," Foster's statement read. "Among the major changes were to revise many of the greens to an older style with less severe slopes and bunkers moved closer to the putting surfaces. Many bunkers were relocated and all bunker faces were redesigned to provide a penal, but fair challenge. Approach areas were reworked on many holes and some fairways were modified to improve the line of play.
"All tees were relined and in a few cases, tees were added or eliminated as needed. The 14th hole went through a major restoration to create a more dramatic visual impact. The line of play on the 16th hole was modified to create a true cape design. Throughout our work, care was taken to protect and recreate as best we could the original intention of the C.B. Macdonald masterpiece."
Baine also walked the media through drone footage of several holes on the back nine, pointing out changes.
Among the most glaring alterations will be new bunkers down the left side and a new bunker behind the green on No. 14 to catch long approaches, instead of them bouncing hard off the downhill slope in the back.
One of the course's most famous tee shots was par-4 No. 16, on which a player had to clear Swan Lake to find the fairway safely. That box was moved and now the lake will be down the right side of the fairway instead, a change that Baine said will make the hole much more difficult and will force players to think more carefully about club selection and line off the tee.
A big collection area behind a steep slope off the green of the par-5 17th has also been replaced with a bunker, lessening the penalty for an aggressive approach shot and thereby creating more eagle opportunities down the stretch.
The par-3 18th was best-known by a massive hump in the middle of the green that required a player to find the correct side, depending on where the flag was located. But that hump is now gone and the green has more of a horseshoe design, with Baine noting that pin locations inside could result in several birdies and perhaps more holes-in-one.
Baine also said among numerous other changes that the rough has been grown up much thicker, putting much more emphasis on hitting fairways and managing the golf course. Gone is the thick, long grass surrounding bunkers on the course and Baine added that the lessening of slopes on greens should result in faster surfaces.
"I think that some of the nuances are going to be enhanced," said Mickelson, who is also redesigning the nearby Greenbrier course. "I think while maintaining the same character of the golf course for many decades, over time the placement of everything gets a little distorted with the change in equipment. I think this was an opportunity for all the little subtleties and nuances to be more proper on a modern-day scale, so the bunkers are more well placed and the shot value is a more accurate test to today's game."
"I was here when [Foster] was reconstructing this golf course, so I saw the little things he was doing - moving bunkers closer to the greens, bringing some of the lips down," Trevino added. "You notice we always had that grass on top of the bunkers, you'd get out of the bunkers and into the grass and you couldn't find the ball. We finally got rid of that. We can't wait to test it."
Trevino, who was on the grounds when the storms hit nearly a year ago and who witnessed much of the rebuilding efforts, said, "This course will play different now and I'll tell you why. What happens when you get on a new golf course is you haven't had a chance for the fairways to be thatchy - the ball is going to run.
"It's going to play harder. It's going to play shorter, but it's going to play harder because the ball will run into the rough, in other words if you have too much of a draw or a fade. The greens are going to be firm, again because you don't have any thatch in them. It will be a great challenge."
The Greenbrier director of golf maintenance Kelly Shumate and his crew were applauded for their work over the past 11-plus months to return the course to playing condition.
Trevino admitted the course may not be "100 percent" by this year's Classic, but promised that because of Shumate and company's efforts, players and fans won't be disappointed once practice rounds begin July 3.
"When you look out there now, there are a few spots that need to be covered with sod, but I can't say enough for our crew," Trevino said. "Our crew didn't go on vacation, they didn't do anything. They worked for over 100 hours a week putting this thing back together.
"I build courses. I've mowed them, I've worked on them since I was a young man and I know how difficult it is to bring it back. They did a hell of a job."
Admission to the Greenbrier Classic will be free and badges can be secured at greenbrierclassic.com as they are available. No commitment list of players was provided on Monday but Mickelson, Bubba Watson and John Daly have been announced to compete.
Contact Ryan Pritt at 304-348-7948 or ryan.pritt@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @rpritt.