Course news

Course news

Construction ready for golf course in Sunshine State

Lakeland, Fla. – With Community Development District funding approved, developers of a new golf course community called Bridgewater began construction of a Steve Smyers-designed golf course.

The CDD, a private agency that sells and manages community bonds to pay for the common areas of developments including golf courses, gave the approval after meeting with Bridgewater’s developers. The group is led by Riverview, Fla.-based site developer Kearney Development Co. and Phillips Development of Raleigh, N.C.

The 600-acre Bridgewater property contains 228 acres of lakes and will devote 200 acres to a daily-fee golf course, leaving the remaining land to develop 800 houses around the lakes. The housing, restaurant and clubhouse are being built by Kearney, and the golf course will be constructed by Niebur Golf of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Twenty-four acres of overgrown, distressed wetlands will be dug up and improved by clearing out trash growth and planting native materials.
The project will create a 165-acre wildlife corridor consisting of 64 acres of upland native tree and grass plantings, such as slash pines, sabal palms, cord grass and paspalum, and the lowlands and wetlands. Only 67 acres of turfgrass will be maintained, and wetlands will mark low areas. Trees, grasses and shrubs will delineate high areas.

 

Brasada Ranch in development on West Coast

Redmond, Ore. – Eagle Crest, a division of Jeld-Wen Corp., broke ground on an 18-hole layout at Brasada Ranch, a resort community.

Brasada Ranch will feature 900 real-estate units spread throughout 1,800 acres, half of which will be preserved as open space. The course will occupy about 200 acres, winding its way through the property’s high-desert landscape replete with miniature canyons and sage brush.

The resort sits 3,500 feet above sea level on the western slope of the Cascades.

“The canyons here presented us a tremendous opportunity for invention,” says Peter Jacobsen, a partner with Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design, the architectural firm that designed the course. “We’ve routed several holes down in the canyons, while other holes play across the tops and along the edges.

“The site has an old trestle bridge coming off the 18th hole,” he adds. “We’ll be using this elevated structure to bring golf carts back to the clubhouse. The club’s entry drive will pass right underneath the trestle.”

Weather permitting, course construction will continue through 2005. A grand opening is scheduled for early 2006.

The irrigation system, which will use effluent water, will be tied into a central weather system on site to adjust for weather patterns automatically. The sewer treatment plant will produce the cleanest effluent possible, and the gray water will be reused to irrigate the golf course. Plans also include moving 100,000 cubic yards of dirt – mostly to create an irrigation pond. Additionally, limited turf acreage will be used.

“On many holes, we’ll be building perimeter tees where you walk through desert areas back to a series of pods,” says Jim Hardy, a partner with Jacobsen Hardy who estimated that less than 100 acres of the course will be maintained as turf. “Basically, we’ve kept grassing to a minimum, which reduces overall irrigation allotments.”

 

Glacier Club features new holes

Durango, Colo. – The former Tamarron Resort was transformed into the new 27-hole Glacier Club, which features a new clubhouse and golf community amid the San Juan Mountains. It opened in late July. The centerpiece of the course is the new nine holes and 18 redesigned holes designed by Design Workshop.

The course weaves through conifer forest and protected wetlands. With five sets of tees, the course is designed to be comfortable for golfers of all abilities. For environmental and aesthetic reasons, the designers – Todd Schoeder and Jeff Zimmermann – rejected conventional culverts and piping to manage surface water, instead structuring the course with an underlayment of six inches of sand and a natural filtration system of constructed wetlands that increase the site’s wetlands. The course is irrigated by reclaimed water. Less than one-half acre of wetlands was disturbed in its making.

Play on Glacier 9 will require equity membership in The Glacier Club, which will encompass a resort village of 170 luxury town homes and 170 custom homes, as well as hiking trails, swimming and clubhouse restaurants.

 

Skylinks course reopens after $6-million facelift

Long Beach, Calif. – The Skylinks at Long Beach Golf Course reopened in October following a $6-million renovation initiated by the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine in collaboration with golf course operator American Golf.

Course designer Cal Olson worked with Wadsworth Golf Construction to transform the flat course into an undulating layout that will play 600 yards longer – 6,973 yards from the championship tees – than the original. The par-72 course features larger, bentgrass greens, Bermuda-grass tees and fairways, four lakes with fountains, 80 bunkers, 700 new trees and more than 1,000 shrubs. Also, a waterfall was added between the first and 10th tees.

Complementing the course is a new short-game facility that includes a chipping green, practice bunker and enhanced driving range. Additionally, the property’s new expansive banquet facility is expected to open during the fourth quarter this year.

 

Mattaponi Springs opens in Virginia after five years

Ruther Glen, Va. – Mattaponi Springs Golf Club, the first East Coast design from Chicago-based architect Bob Lohmann, opened in October on the former Rose Hill estate, a 330-acre property an hour south of Washington.
Developed the past five years by Bellemount Development Corp., 18-hole Mattaponi Springs is an upscale daily-fee course featuring zoysiagrass fairways that cut through wooded terrain.

The course meanders through forests of beech, oak, holly and pine trees, and over rolling terrain cut by several streams that feed the nearby Mattaponi River. The layout measures more than 6,900 yards from the tips, though five sets of tees make the routing playable for players of all abilities.

With 330 acres to choose from, Lohmann and Mike Benkusky, the senior architect who directed the Mattaponi project for Lohmann Golf Designs, were able to choose the best land for strategy and aesthetics. A good example is the par-3 third hole, which plays 148 yards from an elevated tee that features long views of the surrounding countryside. A rear shelf divides the putting surface in half, and the L93 bentgrass greens are replete with the shelves.

The clubhouse and golf course are new, but many of the surrounding structures are remnants of the property’s history. The 19th Century lodge from the Rose Hill estate has been completely refurbished to accommodate the club’s outings and functions.

 

New course opens to public in Pennsylvania

Bucks County, Pa. – Makefield Highlands Golf Club, an 18-hole public layout, opened in July. Designed by Rick Jacobsen, the course is laid out on the partially wooded, rolling terrain of a former farm. The 166-acre site features underlying rock formations and a small stream that comes into play on several holes. Landforms separate the holes, and the roughs feature native grasses. The course, which feature five sets of tees, measures 7,058 yards from the tips and 5,007 yards from the forward tees. The course features a par-5, 640-yard hole, which is the largest hole ever built by Jacobsen, he says.

 

Deerwood reopens for play after renovation

Jacksonville, Fla. – Deerwood Country Club’s golf course reopened Sept. 3 to members after receiving a $3-million makeover designed by architect Brian Silva. The course features 18 new greens and tee complexes and new bunkers.

“With all new greens, tees, turf, irrigation and drainage, we essentially created a brand new golf course within the previous corridors of play,” says Silva, a partner with Uxbridge, Mass.-based Cornish, Silva & Mungeam. “But we’ve also made far better strategic and aesthetic use of this property, especially its existing water features.”

Working closely with superintendent Dave Amirault, Stuart, Fla-based TDI International tore down and completely renovated a 1961 George Cobb layout. Though it’s technically a renovation, the Deerwood project kept true to the original design.

“This is a new golf course from the first tee to the 18th green, and everything in between,” Silva says. “There’s a new drainage scheme underlying the entire course and a new irrigation system. Overall, the course does what we set out to achieve: It can now be read from the tee – and it tells players something other than ‘hit it down the middle.’ When it reopened, folks familiar with the old design hardly recognized the place, which, from the club’s perspective, was the whole point.”

 

Brookside reopens after architect redesigns course

Canton, Ohio – With 18 of the country’s best-preserved, Donald Ross-designed greens, Brookside Country Club might have seemed an unlikely candidate for restoration. But with the help of architect Brian Silva, Brookside is now a preserved Ross layout, tee to green.

Closed in the fall of 2003, Brookside reopened for member play in June, minus 600 trees and featuring the perpendicular fairway bunkers Ross originally designed – much of which had been abandoned since the course opened in 1920. The club held a rededication ceremony for its course Aug. 13.

Working with MacCurrach Golf Construction of Jacksonville, Fla., Silva also rebuilt all 18 tee complexes and installed a new irrigation system. Yet the bulk of Silva’s work amounted to restorative re-expansion. Fairways had become narrow by excessive tree-planting programs, and fairway bunkers filled in throughout time. Silva also restored Brookside’s trademark greens to their original parameters, recapturing portions of certain putting surfaces that had disappeared following decades of careless mowing practices.

 

Davis Love III designs course on Hampton Island

Hampton Island, Ga. – A Davis Love III-designed golf course will be built on the 4,000-acre Hampton Island nestled along the Georgia coast 35 miles south of Savannah. The island is a low-density, ecologically sensitive community that features natural beauty.

“We plan to create a golf experience that fits seamlessly within the natural environment – one that reflects not only the history and traditions of the game of golf, but the history of the area itself,” says Love, a PGA Tour pro and golf course designer.

The 18-hole course will weave through the island’s historic rice fields and equestrian plantations.

“We are equally committed to protecting our rich coastal history and to preserving the coastal sanctuary that is Hampton Island, while creating a unique golf experience that even the most sophisticated golfer can appreciate,” says Wade Shealy, managing partner of Hampton Island.

 

Golf course at Patriots Point acquired by Ginn

Charleston, S.C. – The Ginn Co., a Florida-based resort development company, acquired the golf course at Patriots Point. Presently, The Ginn Co. owns and operates RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, S.C., which features the area’s only Arnold Palmer signature golf course design.

Patriots Point is situated on land with a number of undeveloped parcels, which makes it suited for company’s Charleston expansion plan that includes two other major acquisitions, according to Bobby Ginn, president and c.e.o. of The Ginn Co.

 

U.S. Amateur finds locations for 2007, 2008

Pinehurst, N.C.  – The Olympic Club in San Francisco will host the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2007, and Pinehurst Resort will host it in 2008. The 2007 championship will be held August 20-26, and the 2008 championship will be held August 18-24.

Olympic, which recently hosted the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur, has been the site of four U.S. Opens, as well as the Amateur in 1958 and 1981. The Lake Course and Ocean Course will be used at the 2007 Amateur.

Pinehurst No. 4 will be used for the first two days of stroke play.

Prior to 2007, the Amateur will be played at Winged Foot (N.Y.) Country Club, August 16-22, 2004, Merion (Pa.) Country Club, Aug. 22-28, 2005 and Hazeltine (Minn.) National Golf Club, Aug. 21-27, 2006.

 

Pebble Beach to host U.S. Open

Pebble Beach, Calif. – The U.S. Golf Association selected Pebble Beach Golf Links to host the 2010 U.S. Open, which will be played June 17-20. Additionally, the Pebble Beach Co. offered to host an undetermined future U.S. Women’s Open.

Opened in 1918 and designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, Pebble Beach has been host to 10 previous USGA championships, including four previous U.S. Opens. Each February, it’s the home of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a PGA Tour event.

Prior to 2010, the Open will be played at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club (No. 2 Course) in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C., June 16-19, 2005; Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., June 15-18, 2006; Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., June 14-17, 2007; Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, June 12-15, 2008; and Bethpage State Park (Black Course) in Farmingdale, N.Y., June 18-21, 2009.

 

Congressional to host U.S. Open

Bethesda, Md. – The Blue Course at Congressional Country Club  will host the 2011 U.S. Open Championship June 16-19. The 2009 U.S. Amateur will be conducted at Congressional Country Club as well, using its Blue and Gold courses for the two rounds of stroke play before shifting to the Blue Course for the six round of match play.

Designed by Devereux Emmett in 1924 and renovated by Rees Jones in 1990, Congressional has been the site of five previous USGA championships, including the 1964 and 1997 U.S. Opens.

 

Rulewich designs two golf courses in Portugal

Bernardston, Mass. – The Roger Rulewich Group, a golf course design and construction partnership, signed a contract to design four 18-hole golf courses at Parque Alqueva in Alentejo, Portugal for Lisbon-based SAIP.

The golf courses will be part of a 5,000-acre master planned resort community located on the banks of a large man-made lake in Europe that recently was created by the construction of the Alqueva Dam. The low-density, ecosensitive community will feature tennis and golf academies, summer camps, marinas, an archaeological park and a vineotherapy spa, in addition to the public and private golf courses.

Architect Roger Rulewich completed routing plans for all four courses for incorporation into the master plan. Construction on the community is scheduled to start in 2006, and the first golf course is scheduled to open in 2007.

 

Hillman Properties to build clubhouse at Wild Herron

Lake Powell, Fla. – Hillman Properties is developing the Shark’s Tooth golf clubhouse for Wild Heron, a 734-acre residential community located along the shores of Lake Powell. Influenced by the Coastal Craftsman architectural style, the clubhouse is ahead of schedule.

The 15,500-square-foot clubhouse will accommodate everything from casual lunches to fine dining as well as social events in the grand dining room. Various features include separate lounges, grilles, and locker areas for men and women, and a golf shop. Golf instruction will be available by appointment.
Part of Wild Heron is the Greg Norman-designed two-year-old Shark’s Tooth Golf Course, which has received the Silver Signature Sanctuary by Audubon International.

 

Ibis Golf Club gets new neighbors

West Palm Beach, Fla. – La Strada, a new neighborhood of 30 homesites with views of Ibis Golf & Country Club’s ninth fairway of The Tradition golf course will be developed by Arthur Rutenberg Homes. Paramount Residential also will develop a 58-home neighborhood with views of the ninth, 10th and 11th fairways of The Tradition golf course. Residents will be able to take advantages of 54 holes of championship golf on three Nicklaus-family designed courses and a 50,000-square-foot clubhouse.

 

Ocean Edge club to offer golf school

Brewster, Mass. – Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club is offering professional golf instruction.  Beginning in May 2005, Ocean Edge will welcome John Jacobs’ Golf Schools to its bayside location overlooking Cape Cod Bay.
Headquartered in Mesa, Ariz., John Jacobs’ Golf Schools emphasize tailored training techniques to meet golfers’ individual needs. The schools’ teaching systems are based on continuity and consistency, and are delivered only by Jacobs-certified PGA and LPGA Pros who have been trained in the schools’ philosophy. About 15,000 students graduate from John Jacobs’ Golf Schools annually at 33 locations throughout the world.

The schools will be offered at Ocean Edge through mid-July, 2005.  Guests at Ocean Edge will be able to enjoy three-day schools with John Jacobs’ instructors.  Schools average five hours per day plus optional playing time, and cover all aspects of the game, including full swing, short game, trouble shots, and on-course play.