Club close to Augusta National set for $12m revamp

A golf club not far from Augusta National has begun work on a huge restoration project.

Lookout Mountain – which is nearing its centenary – is spending $12million in order to bring the course up to date.

Work has already begun, and both the course and its Fairyland clubhouse are in line for a full restoration. The course will be resurfaced with new turf, cart paths and an irrigation system, while bunkers will be redesigned.

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Greens will also be rebuilt as part of the programme, which is expected to last until next spring.

“This is such a defining moment in the narrative of Lookout Mountain Club,” said president Caroline Williams.

“Our membership, board and team have overwhelmingly embraced the opportunity to invest in our future by partnering with the best in their fields to thoughtfully restore our historic golf course and clubhouse.

“The project will allow us to provide generations of members and their families an experience like no other – one that is distinctly Lookout and decidedly extraordinary.”

Plans for the work were approved last year, and are being carried out by Tyler Rae, Kyle Franz and Jim Ryan.

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Lookout Mountain, which lies on Georgia’s border with Tennessee, is one of the last courses designed by the legendary Seth Raynor, who died two months after completing his final plans for the layout.

Some alterations were carried out in the mid-1990s, but the latest round of work constitutes a full restoration of Raynor’s original vision.