Mountain Lake, a significant landscape design by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. located in Lake Wales, Florida, is undergoing a comprehensive restoration to recapture the original genius of course architect Seth Raynor. Established in 1915, the 1,000-acre property features a golf course that opened in 1917, renowned for its status as a prime example of Golden Age golf and Gilded Age society.
โIt’s a historic rollback in time,โ stated Eric J. von Hofen, the Club’s COO/General Manager. โThatโs what our members and residents truly desire. It forms the core of this propertyโs identity.โ
The current mandate, led by architect Tyler Rae, is to meticulously restore Mountain Lakeโs course to Raynor’s initial vision. While the course has seen previous modifications, including work by Raynor’s protรฉgรฉ Charles Banks in the late 1920s, and later by Brian Silva and Ron Prichard in the early 2000s, Rae’s project is set to be the most extensive to date.
Rae, who has long admired Mountain Lake since his early career, expressed his enthusiasm: โI love being out here. You feel one with nature.โ He highlighted the archaeological discoveries supporting the restoration, noting, โWeโve found some old bunker sand, which gives us validation. And weโve found some old green shapes. The archaeology is truly fascinating.โ
The restoration plan emphasizes enhancing the bunkers and greens. Modernization and improvement are key, with plans to reshape the Tif-Eagle Bermuda greens to match their historical sizes, forms, and characteristics as depicted in archival photographs. While Brian Silva previously utilized aerial photos for his restoration, Rae is delving deeper, examining extensive club archives and newly uncovered historical documents from Olmstedโs files at various universities.
Raeโs in-depth research, including Raynorโs 1915 sketch of the first nine holes, Banks’ revision drawings from 1929, and engineering plans from 1935 and 1941 aerials, has provided invaluable insights. A 1924 aerial photograph, discovered at the University of Florida, showing every bunker on the back nine, proved to be a significant validation for the project.
โThere was a lot of interpretation involved previously,โ von Hofen commented, contrasting the current project with past restorations. โWith the digital resources we have nowโฆ revisiting these files puts us light years ahead.โ
Rae, who has previously restored other Raynor designs, anticipates the Mountain Lake project will be completed by October 2026. Notable renovations include:
- Recreating the original “punch bowl” green on the third hole, as seen in early photos.
- Redesigning the fairway bunkering on the fourth hole to match Raynor’s 1915 routing, featuring a large, strategic bunker to replace multiple smaller ones.
- Restoring the fore bunker at the 12th hole to enhance its visual impact and guide tee shots on this rare blind tee shot in Florida. The 12th green will be rebuilt with a softened tier for improved playability and more flag positions.
- Recreating the “Road Hole” fore bunkers on the 13th hole to encourage strategic tee shots, mirroring the bunker complex at the Old Course at St. Andrews. A fairway bunker approximately 100 yards from the green will also be added.
Raynor’s original course routing will largely be preserved, with the par-70 course playing just over 6,700 yards from the back tees. โThe goal is not to become a championship test,โ Rae clarified. โItโs to restore the strategy. This is a memberโs course. They donโt want it easier or more difficult. Weโre not going to make these bunkers 10 feet deep.โ
Von Hofen emphasized the club’s passion and dedication to preserving the course’s character. He noted the significant interest in Mountain Lake, especially given the rapid growth of golf in Florida, stating, โIt takes a ton of time and years and people to pull off something like this.โ
The project is a testament to preserving historical golf architecture and its inherent value.
