Montego Bay, Jamaica - The Roger Rulewich Group, a golf course design and construction partnership, began a two-year remodeling project of the Half Moon Golf Club in Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies.
The back nine of the 1961 Robert Trent Jones design was closed June 1 and will remain closed until October 2004. The front nine remains open this year and will be shut down for remodeling during the same period in 2005.
This is the first time the course has been updated since it opened. Included in the remodeling project is the renovation of all Trent Jones’ runway style tees. They’re being broken up and repositioned to provide daily variety and to create legitimate forward tees for women and seniors. All 35 bunkers will be rebuilt, and several fairway bunkers will be repositioned to accommodate equipment advances and the prevailing winds. The 14th and 18th holes will be lengthened, adding 75 yards to the already 7,000 yard course. The 18th green will be moved to bring a greenside water hazard into play.
Half Moon Golf Club is part of the five-star-rated, 400-acre Half Moon Golf, Tennis & Beach Club. Originally, the golf course was a sugar cane plantation. Throughout the past 43 years, many types of palm trees and other tropical vegetation has been planted and grown there. As part of the remodeling, many of the invasive Casurina trees have been eliminated, opening up vistas throughout the golf course.
The Roger Rulewich Group is comprised of former members of the Robert Trent Jones company. Golf course architect Roger Rulewich was the chief design associate for Trent Jones from 1961 until he opened his own practice in 1995. Rulewich has been involved in the design and renovation of more than 150 golf courses worldwide.