This year’s Principal Charity Classic, set for May 29-June 2, will look different for golfers, attendees and viewers at home.

Wakonda Club, the home of the Classic, recently completed a $7 million restoration that started last June.

“A couple years ago, the club was getting ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary and kind of at a stage where they wanted to decide what the next 100 years were going to look like as far as what were the major projects that the club wanted to address to improve and get better,” Wakonda Club Director of Golf Aaron Krueger said.

The restoration, led by golf course architect Tyler Rae and his lead design associate, Jim Ryan Jr., includes a new irrigation system; rebuilt tee boxes; the addition of 10 acres of fairways; rebuilt and expanded greens; rebuilt bunkers and new Dominant X-Treme 7 bent grass planted on every tee and fairway.

“We realized that we needed to open up these corridors again because this land is very special, and the course was brilliantly laid out to utilize the land, but we had started to lose some of its features,” Krueger said.

William Langford, the original architect, and Theodore Moreau, the original builder, began designing and building the course in 1921, with it opening for the first time on July 4, 1922.

“Golf course restorations have really focused on bringing back some of that original design, which really when they were built 100 years ago, they were really minimalist in their design,” Krueger said. “They used the land better; they weren’t manufactured as much. Our architects, William Langford and Theodore Moreau, were the first to use a steam shovel in their building of the golf courses.”

Another new element for this year’s Principal Charity Classic will be a sort of reconfiguration of the 18th hole, Jo Christine Miles, director of the Principal Foundation and Principal community relations, said.

“The tents are positioned a little differently, giving viewers both on TV and in person a new view of the golfers’ approach to the 18 hole,” she said.

Non-course additions to the tournament include a Drive for 515 Challenge, a new fundraising initiative to support the Legacy Project.

During the tournament, from May 31-June 2, a donation will be made to the Legacy Project when a PGA Tour Champions player makes a hole-in-one, eagle or birdie on holes 16, 17 and 18.

The Principal Foundation will donate $515 for a birdie on any of those holes and $5,150 for an eagle. It will also donate $51,500 for a hole-in-one on 17.

“It’s a new way to get the spectators, the players and viewers into our charitable purpose, have them hear more about it, hopefully spark some inspiration for them to participate,” Miles said.

The Legacy Project is a community-driven, work-based learning program to prepare youth, particularly those at risk of not graduating or finding employment, for the future of work.

The Principal Charity Classic also partnered with Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa to bring a new KultureCity pop-up tent to the course. It will be located within the Blank Children’s Hospital Family Zone, near the practice area.

The space will provide a quiet place for anyone who needs to step away from the tournament to take a break. KultureCity’s Sensory Inclusive program is designed to help guests with sensory needs like PTSD, autism, dementia and strokes feel welcome.

“We really are a family-friendly event,” Alex McCarty, Principal Charity Classic tournament director, said. “We’ve got an enhanced Family Zone this year, so over by the driving range where kids can get autographs. We’ve also partnered with Blank Children’s Hospital and some other groups to really enhance that area and give activities for golf fans of all ages to participate in the event. All of those different aspects I think will make for a really enjoyable fan experience. And we’re looking forward to revealing some of the changes we’ve made this year, which is a lot of fun.”