LATEST
NEWS

Sean Dudley
/ Categories: News

Bergin’s Minnesota Valley renovation enhances course’s Raynor footprint

Golf course architect Bill Bergin has completed a restoration of the golf course at Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington, Minnesota.

It is thought that Seth Raynor laid out the 1924 course, and that his associate Ralph Barton was the on site construction foreman. Bergin has worked to enhance the course’s Raynor footprint, having worked on a number of historical restoration projects over the past year.

Template holes on the course, such as the Redan, Biarritz, Short, Double Plateau and Prize Dogleg, have either been reintroduced or renovated as part of the recent work.

The course’s greens have been expanded, with corners squared and ramps recovered.

The bunkers have also been rebuilt, and now include Better Billy Bunker liners. The course also features bunkers in the shape of the Principal’s Nose, Snake and numerous long rectangular shapes that are synonymous with Raynor’s design work.

The Minnesota Valley course will be reopening this spring, and follows on from similar restoration projects Bergin has recently led at the Donald Ross-designed Chattanooga Golf & Country Club course in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as at Oaks Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was originally designed by AW Tillinghast.

Previous Article Extension of Golf Course Ahaus from 27 to 36 holes nears completion
Next Article Chris Wilczynski to create masterplan for Chautauqua Golf Club
Print
6848 Rate this article:
5.0
Slideshow HTML
  • Minnesota Valley

    Bergin has worked to enhance the Raynor footprint at the club

  • Minnesota Valley

    The course is set to reopen this spring

  • Minnesota Valley

    An aerial shot of the course at Minnesota Valley taken in 1937

Sean Dudley

Sean DudleySean Dudley

Other posts by Sean Dudley
Contact author

Contact author

x
The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

Includes reports from Maggie Hathaway and Apogee, interviews with Martin Ebert and Dave Axland and a feature on golf art

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Fri 14 Mar, 2025

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New issue asks whether the golf boom has led to an increase in municipal golf investment

FEATURE
ARTICLES

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt
Lukas Michel/CDP
Opinion | Mike Clayton

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt

Mike Clayton discusses Alister MacKenzie’s transformative impact on Australian golf and how clubs can avoid repeating previous mistakes by establishing a long-term plan focused on indigenous plants

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good
Stephen Barton – Second Collective
On site | Adam Lawrence

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good

The reconstruction of the nine-hole course in Los Angeles is the golf industry at its best, says Adam Lawrence

Designs for the big screen
Pizá Golf
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

The ties that bind
Crooked Stick
Opinion | Justin Olmstead

The ties that bind

Justin Olmstead of Profile Products talks about the relationships behind the renovation of Crooked Stick in Indiana

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz
Konrad Borkowski
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build
Kinsale Golf Club
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build

Florida course is a tribute to the Golden Age designs of Raynor and Macdonald

Are bunkers getting too pretty for their own good?
Larry Lambrecht
Feature | Adam Lawrence

Are bunkers getting too pretty for their own good?

Is the beauty of bunkering being over-emphasised at the expense of its function, asks Adam Lawrence

Good Read: The Prairie Raynor
Grant Books Ltd
Good Read | John Moran and Rand Jerris

Good Read: The Prairie Raynor

John Moran and Rand Jerris share insight into their book about Seth Raynor’s design at Chicago Golf Club

Vinpearl Golf Léman: New pearls for Vietnam
Vinpearl Golf Leman
Report | Richard Humphreys

Vinpearl Golf Léman: New pearls for Vietnam

The first of two Golfplan-designed courses at club near Ho Chi Minh City has opened for play

Seven Canyons: Desert drama
Brad Klein
Report | Bradley Klein

Seven Canyons: Desert drama

Brad Klein reports on a Phil Smith Design renovation in Sedona, Arizona

Golf Club Föhr: Reinvented for a new century
Stefan von Stengel
On site | Adam Lawrence

Golf Club Föhr: Reinvented for a new century

Adam Lawrence reports on a visit to the far north of Germany where Christian Althaus has completely rebuilt the 27-hole course over the last 15 years

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES