One at a time, we dropped these 30 ft pines with no trouble at all.  Using a winch and a 5/8" bull rope, the trees went down exactly where we wanted them and landed very soft.  Cutting up and hauling away the wood and debris was very time consuming.  By day's end we had a couple tree trunks and stump grindings remaining on the slope.  The chainsaws were spent and so were our backs, so we packed it up to finish the following morning.

After dropping the first couple of trees, it was obvious how this project would affect the 7th green.  The primary reason for removing these trees was to open up the 8th tee and turn it back into a golf hole.  The trees had grown to crowd in the right side, just off of the tee.  Players were limited to using only the far left portion of the tee and a draw was still impossible.  The new view includes the entire green complex and sets up well from all parts of the tee.  More sunlight to the 7th green was a bonus in this renovation.  The green received limited morning sun and frost was a problem in the heart of winter.  Morning sun is major factor in the overall health and root density of turf and probably any plant.  Other on-course projects have proven this without a doubt.  Two "trouble greens," #6 and #13 both have improved greatly after tree trimming increased exposure to morning sunlight.  These greens went from being trouble spots that needed daily supervision to being the solid variety that you can count on to make it through tough conditions.

Before tree removal

After tree removal 

Doesn't this look like a much easier shot now that the trees are gone?  For some reason, it's not.  The expanded view must get in a player's head because I've seen so many shots end up far right, almost in the lake that is behind the bushes and pump house.  Before the tree removal, these shots would have been knocked down by the pines and end up behind the 7th green.  Another change is the reduction of shots going left of the cart path and out of bounds.