New renovations at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and Deltona Club

Bobby Weed is a fine golf architect in his own right, but where he really shines is doing renovations.

I played two Bobby Weed renovations this week, one in Ponte Vedra Beach and one in Deltona, where he essentially just bulldozed the existing course and came up with a brand new one.

The Lagoon course at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club was the most drastic. He literally dug out five feet deep around the entire course and dumped it in a pile. Then he dug another five feet deep to find the good stuff. Then he flipped: both piles.

The old course is basically gone, replaced with a brand new one. He lengthened it, though it’s still short by modern standards, but it’s a deceivingly short course. There are a couple of long par-5s to make up for the shorter par-4s and par-3s.

The Deltona Club is a little different. The course has been there for a long time, like the Lagoon, and Weed changed quite a few of the holes.

The Deltona Club has to be one of the under-rated gems in the area. Weed added a ton of waste areas, giving the layout the character it lacked before. It has rolling fairways and the elevations changes surprised me.

“I’m floored by what they’ve done out here,” head pro Nathan Wilson said.

I was very impressed as well. It’s an excellent golf course, at least on a par with Victoria Hills, the well-known course in the area that gets most of the accolades.

Look for full reviews of both courses coming soon.