5 prominent changes being made to the Sea Pines Ocean Course

1. Larger green complexes

In comparison to the small greens of Harbour Town and Heron Point, the Ocean Course greens will be some 50 percent larger. There also will be ample opportunity to run shots onto the putting surface, while skilled players can set up better birdie chances by hitting to advantageous sectors.

2. Switching pars at Nos. 10-11

3. Taking water more out of play

Several lagoons are being strategically reconfigured to reduce the odds of wayward shots ending up wet. Perhaps the most drastic comes at No. 9, where an entire lagoon is being moved from left of the green to right of the approach. In accordance with regulations, the total lagoon volume will come out the same.

4. Putting more "ocean" into the course

Though nothing can be done to place holes closer to the ocean, designers will endeavor to bring an "ocean" feel inland on certain holes by creating small dunes and sandy areas, along with use of native seaside grasses.

5. Restoring George Cobb's finishing sequence

Cobb's original layout made No. 17 a long, demanding par-5 leading to the third-longest par-4 on the course. Mark McCumber's 1995 ravamp, though, used a new 17th green to switch the pars and create a better chance to finish with birdie or even eagle. The Love plan returns the par-5 to No. 17.

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 2:06 PM with the headline "5 prominent changes being made to the Sea Pines Ocean Course."