Golf Course Architecture - Issue 78, October 2024

The global journal of golf design and development I SSUE 78 OCTOBER 2024

IN THE GROUND. ON THE GROUND. BY YOUR SIDE.

1 I received an email recently from someone who had just reread a GCA article from our January 2018 issue that tried to predict how the golf design industry would evolve over the next few years. They asked if our predictions had proved accurate. I naturally went back to the article itself (you can too by visiting bit.ly/3A3CqgK). There was one big hole in our prognostications, though it was perhaps a forgivable one. We did not foresee the global pandemic, and the dramatic effect it had on the golf industry. For whatever reasons, the rebound in golf after the pandemic was remarkable, and it has transformed the golf architecture industry. Around the world, architects are busier than they have been in over 20 years; several are booked up for the foreseeable future. We suggested that the design and shape construction model pioneered by architects such as Tom Doak and Coore & Crenshaw would probably continue to prosper, and it has. Several architects have gone a step further and taken on full-scale design and build contracts, even when the job involved large-scale earthmoving. We also suggested that technology would play a larger role in golf design in the future, and here I would suggest we were clearly correct. Doak’s reconstruction of CB Macdonald’s lost Lido course at Sand Valley in Wisconsin, which involved GPS-enabled bulldozers shaping the site according to a detailed computer model of the original creation, is the most obvious example of this trend, but it is hardly the only one. Chad Goetz of Nicklaus Design is creating Rocabarra Cliffs, a ‘metaverse’ course that will be playable only by members of the virtual Hyperscapes Golf Club. And the closing page of this issue has a Holing Out story about three golf course architects who have contributed to a tech-fused golf project. For certain we have not seen the end of this trend. Reviewing the future WELCOME ADAM LAWRENCE

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Donegal Golf Club is one of the very best canvasses of any golf course in the world, and that what both excites and motivates me to best utilize the terrain while also honoring the history, routing and flow of this magnificent Links. PAUL MCGINLEY PRINCIPAL DESIGNER paulmcginleydesign.com joe@golfmcginley.com Dublin, D11 KP73 Ireland Design • Renovation • Restoration Founded 2005

5 PEFC Certi ed This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources www.pefc.org PEFC/16-33-576 Follow Golf Course Architecture: Golf Course Architecture is published with the support and guidance of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, and GEO Foundation. In 2023, the EIGCA presented Golf Course Architecture with its Harry Colt Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to golf or golf development. Contributing Editor Adam Lawrence News Editor Richard Humphreys Editorial team Alice Chambers, Rebecca Gibson, Amber Hickman, Laura Hyde, Alex Smith Contributor Daniel Freidman Design Bruce Graham, Libby Sidebotham, Dhanika Vansia Subscribe www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/subscribe Publisher Toby Ingleton Publication & Sales Manager Benedict Pask Production Manager Stuart Fairbrother Website Development Chris Jackson Circulation Sophia Brinkley Photography Adare Manor, ASGCA, Azalea Group, Bergin Golf Design, Brian Curley, Curley-Wagner Golf Design, Golf at Goodwood, Golf de La Grande Motte, Vaughn Halyard, Harris Kalinka, International Design Group, Inwood Country Club, Patrick Jacobsen, Jemsek Golf Design, Brandon Johnson, Kawonu Golf Club, Trey Kemp, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Russell Kirk, Tim Liddy, Mackenzie & Ebert, Kevin Murray, North Ranch CC, Pete Dye Golf Club, Piza Golf, Red Sea Global, Robert Trent Jones II, Jerry Rossi, Evan Schiller, Jacob Sjoman, Southwest Greens UK, The Sea Pines Resort, Turfgrass, Vidauban Golf Club, WAC Golf, Wentworth Published by Tudor Rose Tudor House, 6 Friar Lane Leicester LE1 5RA Tel: +44 116 222 9900 www.tudor-rose.co.uk ISSN 1745-3585 (print) ISSN 2754-9828 (online) Printed in Great Britain by Micropress Printers. © 2024 Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored or transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means, including whether by photocopying, scanning, downloading onto computer or otherwise without the prior written permission from Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. Views expressed in Golf Course Architecture are not necessarily those of the publishers. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/or omissions. Readers should take appropriate professional advice before acting on any issue raised herein. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject advertising material and editorial contributions. The publisher assumes no liability for the return of unsolicited art, photography or manuscripts. It is assumed that any images taken from sources which are widely distributed, such as on the Web, are in the public domain. It is recognised though that since such images tend to be passed freely between sources it is not always possible to track the original source. If copyrighted material has ended up being treated as public domain due to the original source not being identified please contact the publisher, Tudor Rose. Golf Course Architecture (ISSN No: 1745-3585) is published quarterly by Tudor Rose, and distributed in the USA by Asendia USA, 701 Ashland Ave, Folcroft PA. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is pending at Philadelphia, PA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Golf Course Architecture, 701 Ashland Ave, Folcroft, PA. 19032.

8 CONTENTS TEE BOX 10 Our Tee Box section includes news from Trump Aberdeen, Wentworth, Turnberry and CC Lincoln in Nebraska. ON SITE 60 Richard Humphreys reports on a new layout that is destined to catch the eye. Designed by Bill Bergin and Rees Jones, The Keep at McLemore occupies a spectacular setting on a mountaintop plateau. Cover photograph courtesy of Evan Schiller

9 FEATURE 54 Adam Lawrence asks why architects who trained with Pete Dye are so dominant in today’s golf design business. ON SITE 68 After an acclaimed 2015 restoration by Ron Prichard, Cedar Rapids thought it was set fair for the future. But Mother Nature had other ideas, says Adam Lawrence. INTERVIEWS 44 Bill Amick has had a long career in golf design. Now retired, he remains active in the ASGCA, of which he has been a member for almost 60 years. Adam Lawrence spoke to him about his life 48 Turfgrass has launched its US arm with a string of high-profile appointments. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more. REPORTS 76 Golf at Goodwood has a new practice facility designed by James Edwards and built by MJ Abbott. 80 Fifty years after it was originally laid out, California’s North Ranch has been re-envisioned by Jackson-Kahn Design and rebuilt by Landscapes Unlimited. HOLING OUT 84 The new TGL golf league tees off in January 2025 on virtual holes created by three design firms. INSIGHT 40 Inwood’s Daniel Friedman details how the New York club and Renaissance Golf Design have spent the last 20 years recapturing the character of the Herbert Strong course

TEE BOX Todd Quitno gets green light for Lincoln overhaul Landscapes Unlimited will start construction at the Nebraska club in July 2025. The Country Club of Lincoln in Nebraska has approved a renovation plan from Todd Quitno and Landscapes Unlimited is expected to begin construction in July 2025. “The club last assessed and commissioned major course renovation work during the 1990s,” said Quitno. “Thirty years is a long time – many first-rate golf and country clubs keep a course architect on a loose retainer, to check in from time to time and offer opinions on the state of holes, safety issues, agronomic health and the ever-evolving state of tree growth, among other issues. CC Lincoln had never gone this route, so the issues have multiplied and piled up over the decades. 10 A visualisation of the revamped sixteenth hole, which, to the left of the putting surface, shares a huge bunker complex with the eleventh green

11 “The greens are 30 years old. The life expectancy of a putting surface is thought to be 20 to 30 years, so this is the appropriate time to be considering an update.” Work on greens will include the resurfacing of all 18 putting surfaces, with some to be expanded and others relocated. Quitno believes the layout at CC Lincoln is ripe for change: “This whole golf course, today, is a bit too much down the middle and one-dimensional – visually and strategically,” he said. “The renovation will add options. More width for higher handicappers to manoeuvre and more teeth in the right spots for better players. The greens are a big part of achieving this balance: we plan to uniformly move greenside bunkers closer to putting surfaces. That’s going to increase challenge across the board. But we’ll also be creating more strategic places to miss, places that are easier to recover from.” A series of design changes will require members to think more strategically when playing tee to green. For example, every green complex will be flanked, to some degree, by closely mowed chipping or collection areas, allowing for a variety of recovery shots. Bunkers will be updated too. “The new bunker design does away with mounding and other obstructions in front. It also flashes sand up on the faces of these bunkers,” said Quitno. “We want golfers to see them and make strategic decisions based on what they see.” One huge bunker will come into play alongside the eleventh and sixteenth greens, part of an aim for golfers to converge and interact more over the course of the round. Tree management is a big part in Quitno’s plan. “Most golf courses occupy a property footprint of some 130 to 150 acres,” he said. “CC Lincoln occupies just 110 acres, where, today, more than 1,000 trees crowdedly take root. Such limited acreage also creates serious risks outside the club footprint – on each of the club’s boundary holes, where golf balls routinely leave the property and endanger Image: Harris Kalinka

13 cars and people on public streets and neighbouring parcels. “The masterplan includes reorienting these boundary holes to direct play more inwardly. In doing so, we recommended the removal of dozens of trees – many from the left side of boundary-hole fairways, to better invite safe play away from the streets. “Though they are certainly an integral part of any golfing landscape, trees on a golf course do pose a multitude of problems. They compete with turfgrass for nutrients, sunshine and water. As they grow, they compete ever more effectively – and obscure play ever more dramatically.” Around 200 trees will be removed, including several cottonwoods that obstruct play. Tree removal will also open long views across the course and allow for more connectivity between holes. This will be evidenced by clearing trees in corridors between holes one and eighteen, seven and eight, and thirteen and fifteen. “On a tight property like CC Lincoln, excessive tree plantings also give a feeling of diminished scale,” said Quitno. “By selectively removing trees in key areas, without sacrificing safety, we can open up long views, giving it more visual connectivity and appeal, while making it seem more expansive than perhaps it is.” The architect has also reconsidered teeing areas. “The tee shot is the only shot that we as architects can even remotely control,” said Quitno. “How and where the hole is played after that will vary for every golfer. So, what we call ‘drive equity’ is our main goal, including the staggering of tees so that everyone is hitting their drives into the same general landing areas, with the more forward tees offset in some areas to have more chance to dodge the hazards.” Quitno identified that the forward tees were playing too long for the club’s shorter hitters, so his plan addresses that issue by shifting them further down the fairway. He also recognised that the distances between tees was too large, so he is aiming to position them so all abilities have a suitable tee. For those playing from the back tees around 100 yards will be added to the course length. The club also wanted to increase car parking capacity, so Quitno has reconfigured holes five and six to create space for 38 new parking spaces and to expand the practice facilities. By moving a maintenance access road to the north, more space for employee parking will be created. Jake Muhleisen, club president, said: “The proposed changes take our most valuable piece of real estate, our greens, to the next level. Each proposed upgrade would put our club in a more favourable position in a competitive golf market for the next 30 years.” TEE BOX Quitno’s plan calls for trees to be cleared from corridors, including at the first and eighteenth (pictured) Image: Harris Kalinka “ By selectively removing trees in key areas, without sacrificing safety, we can open up long views, giving it more visual connectivity”

14 Trump International Golf Links near Balmedie, Scotland, will open a second layout, the MacLeod course, in summer 2025. The design team comprises Martin Hawtree, Christian Lundin and Christine Fraser, with development being overseen by Eric Trump and Sarah Malone, executive vice president of Trump International, Scotland. It has been built to the south and west of the original course, a 2012 Hawtree design. The MacLeod spans hundreds of acres of rugged coastal terrain and has panoramic North Sea views. It has been laid out over three distinct areas: sandy dunesland, heather-clad heathlands and expansive wetlands. The club says the course will have the world’s largest natural bunker, infinity greens, and that the golf architects have incorporated ancient burns into their design. Virtually all materials, other than drainage and irrigation pipework, have been sourced on site. No bulk materials were imported, with on-site sand, stone and soil used to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact of construction work. GolfLink Evolve is the principal golf course contractor and Fairhurst the project engineers. Water from wetlands, ponds and across the site will feed into a drainage system that has been engineered to provide irrigation for all 36 holes at Trump International. More than one million sprigs of native marram grass have been planted and six tons of marram seeds harvested across the new course. Over 10 hectares of natural vegetation has been translocated to allow indigenous plant habitats to thrive and expand. “Over my 30 years’ experience in the industry, this is by far the most environmentally friendly and sustainable golf project we have ever worked on,” said Esie O’Mahoney of GolfLink Evolve. “This course has been built with the utmost respect for the environment. We have harvested and sourced almost all the materials TEE BOX Second layout at Trump Aberdeen to open in summer 2025

15 from the land itself and developed an energy efficient and environmentally sustainable water system that supports both championship courses for the future. The client’s creative approach and standard of excellence has enabled us to bring the best of our industry experience to this project. This is a very special project and one of the great highlights in my career.” Clare Barber, principal director at Fairhurst, said: “Given the outstanding ecological and geomorphological setting of the site, our priority has been to provide engineering solutions which do not just meet the minimum standards, but enhance the natural landscape, with a particular focus on the water environment and biodiversity. Working with academic experts in the field, we have achieved engineering and course morphology designs which not only respect but complement the existing landform, taking account of ongoing natural processes. “Bringing our experience gained from the construction of the existing course and working closely with the client and project team, we have provided sustainable and robust engineering solutions to overcome the challenges faced with working in such an important environment. We are delighted with what has been achieved and the end result has exceeded all expectations.” “Since breaking ground with President Trump and Eric Trump last spring, we have made extraordinary progress,” said Malone. “This course is unlike any other links course ever built and is exceeding every expectation. There are very few great stretches of developable links land in the world as good as this. “A truly remarkable, world-class team of architects, engineers, environmental scientists and industry specialists have been working tirelessly in the background – etching out every square inch of this phenomenal piece of land to create one of the great wonders in the world of golf.” Photos: Jacob Sjoman Part of the MacLeod course plays among rugged dunes alongside the North Sea

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17 TEE BOX Red Sea Global’s Shura Links on track to open in 2025 Grassing and landscape work is underway at Shura Links, a CurleyWagner Design course being developed by Red Sea Global on an island off the west coast of Saudi Arabia. Around half of the course has already been grassed with Platinum TE paspalum, supplied from the Atlas Turf Arabia turf farm that was set up as a joint venture between course operator Golf Saudi and Atlas Turf International. A Toro irrigation system is also part of the project. Fairways are wide, expansive and feature subtle movement. Many are set at angles to encourage multiple lines of play, particularly during windy conditions. Most greens are quite large and include features like punchbowls, feeder slopes, backstops and falloffs, as architect Brian Curley has aimed to incorporate the ground game and running shots throughout the layout. “The standout holes will likely be those that play alongside, or out to, the large expanses of waterfront and mangroves, which offer spectacular vistas,” said Curley. “A couple of par threes – six and fifteen – play straight to the sea. And there is a great stretch of holes from four to seven that are in a world of their own with massive open sea views.” Image: Curley-Wagner Design Image: Red Sea Global A sketch of the par-three sixth, which plays towards the Red Sea

TEE BOX 18 THE BIG PICTURE The par-four tenth at Blackmoor Golf Club in Hampshire, England, as photographed by Kevin Murray. The Harry Colt-designed course has been renovated by Tim Lobb of Lobb + Partners, working on six holes over the past three winters. “All holes have had their bunkers rebuilt and we used heather on all fairway bunkering,” said Lobb. “The heather was used sparingly on greenside bunkers as our experience has taught us that it is difficult to grow it in high-use bunkers because of sand splash.” About an acre of heather has been added and there is still more to go. Tree clearance is taking place, too. “Holes seven and thirteen were very much in a parkland setting, and we have started removing some trees and integrating heather bunkering and landscape,” said Lobb. “It will take some time to fully restore the heathland landscape in this area, but you always need to start somewhere on these projects.” Lobb has increased the size of the approaches at some of the par threes, expanded several greens to recapture lost space and moved greenside bunkers closer to the putting surfaces. “The third green was an interesting one as we created an extended approach to the right of the putting surface, which, in effect, seemed as if we enlarged the green,” said Lobb. “The same was done for some of the par three likes like fifteen and seventeen.”

Soluptatis ea ilignie nducid modi odi dolum vendem esciant harumenetUptatia vidit etur, optatem porion et queitius erundae rsperum quostrum que audigenisci si recus 19 Photo: Kevin Murray

20 Crown Colony Country Club in East Texas is preparing to reopen following a restoration overseen by architects Trey Kemp and John Colligan. Kemp and Colligan developed a masterplan to restore the original vision of architects Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge and founder Arthur Temple. Contractor Sanders Golf started the project in April 2024 and includes restoring bunkers, grassing greens with TifEagle bermuda, adding several forward tees, improving drainage on three holes, tree removal and replacing five bridges. The course’s existing 53 bunkers (Devlin and Von Hagge originally designed 69) were the biggest focus of the project. “We removed bunkers, The front nine of the King’s North course at Myrtle Beach National in South Carolina has reopened following renovation work by Brandon Johnson. “In addition to restoring the original sizes and shapes of greens, we have undertaken work to fix chronic drainage issues,” said Johnson. “Recapturing lost hole locations and introducing new ones through green expansion has also allowed us to make several new design and contour changes. “The steep slopes of the original greenside mounding were difficult to maintain, presented a dated look and were one dimensional. I saw opportunities to better incorporate that space and material into the holes by creating features and contours that would add more choices and interest, while easing maintenance practices.” All bunkers and waste areas have been completely reshaped and redesigned. “They will have a much stronger visual presence even though we have slightly reduced the overall size and square footage of them,” said Johnson. The back nine at King’s North will be renovated in summer 2025. King’s North reopens front nine TEE BOX so we now have 38 – an almost 30 per cent reduction – and they all have new drainage,” said Wes Danner, chair of the club’s restoration committee. Kemp said: “The bunkers are more visible, playable and visually pleasing.” For the club’s biggest bunker, alongside the fifth green, lining from Bunker Solution was used to provide enhanced drainage and sand stability. Kemp and Colligan have also restored greens to their original sizes. “We also ensured that the green designs would accommodate a full turn of a mower,” said Danner. “Not only to allow for more precise cuts between greens and collars, but also to reduce the time it takes for our team to mow a tight turning radius area. Crown Colony prepares to reopen following Kemp and Colligan renovation

21 Photo: Trey Kemp Photo: Brandon Johnson Synthetic turf specialist Southwest Greens has collaborated with short-game coach James Ridyard for a new practice area at Pavenham Park Golf Club in Bedfordshire, England. “James provided a 20-kilogram clay model of what he had in mind and that formed the basis of the internal and external shaping,” said Warren Bailey, managing partner of Southwest Greens UK & Ireland. “Regular input throughout the process between both parties took place.” Ridyard said: “I have no design experience, I just had shots in mind that I pushed with thumbs in a clay model. Southwest Greens created not only a great synthetic putting surface but also the surrounds to enable me to cater all the shots. I didn’t want funky green complexes, so we found a great balance between variety and natural look and feel.” Tees, greens and bunkers have been built with synthetic systems from Southwest Greens. A ‘wedge stadium’ was created so pitch shots from 40 to 80 yards, at five-yard increments, can be practiced. Bailey said: “The greens include slopes and gradients and are reached from multiple pods, each fitted with varying lengths of artificial grass and set at assorted inclines to ensure that every shot is catered for. “Normally we work off a drawing from an architect and have a more traditional position in the supply chain. In this case, the in-the-field approach was the right solution but a challenge as Ridyard’s demands where very specific with regards to degrees of slope, distance of shots and landing zones, mounds and runoffs.” Southwest Greens completes new short-game area at Pavenham Photo: Southwest Greens UK

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23 TEE BOX International Design Group (IDG) has completed designs for three golf courses for the proposed Tarafo Bay development on the island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde. UK-based industrialist and entrepreneur Tim Strawson is leading the development on the southern coast of the island, which includes the golf courses, resorts, villas and other amenities. This vision has planning consent and, once additional funding has been raised, is expected to be completed over a 25-year timespan. How did this opportunity come about? The land for the development was originally split into 18 individual parcels that could hold standalone resorts. Strawson bought one of the parcels around 10 years ago, then decided in 2021 that this part of the island would benefit from one, big integrated resort rather than 18 individual properties, and set out to develop a more ambitious plan. What is the site like for the golf courses? The site includes an area of rocky terrain with some environmental designations that prevent hotels from being built, so is now reserved for golf. A visualisation of the Tarafo Bay development, with golf courses designed by International Design Group “ The site and location couldn’t be more perfect for golf” International Design Group receives planning permission for three golf courses at Tarafo Bay, a planned development in Cape Verde. Q&A with Jon Hunt Image: International Design Group

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25 It is an incredible, tropical location that is on the same time zone as most of Europe. It’s 28C (82F) most of the year, has some cloud cover and a nice breeze – the site and location couldn’t be more perfect for golf. Tim knew you can’t just build one golf course; you must build three or four to make it a destination. Can you provide some insight into what the course will be like? The golf will be built first on the western side of the development, with the resorts to follow. The first layout will be a linksy style championship course. Linksy in terms of the general shaping, but we’ve also got five coastal holes. The rest will wind through quite rocky lunar landscapes, a bit like Black Desert in Utah, which is an absolute masterpiece, and that is 100 per cent the sort of visual that I would be going for. We have exactly that type of volcanic terrain to allow us to do a similar combination of the perfect turfgrass contrasting with the rocky, lunar landscape. Every parcel has a boundary that is preordained, so we had to fit our golf within those boundaries. I wanted to get as far away from the clubhouse as I could with a view to pulling in as much of the coastline… and our plan pretty much achieves that. We’ve got a green finishing on the coast, a par three and par four alongside it, a tee that plays away from the beach but the hole after then plays back towards the coast and will provide a fantastic sunset view. This first course will be around 7,200 yards and will be the resort’s jewel in the crown. A second will be around 7,000 yards and slightly less challenging, with the third, which will be built further from the coast in the ‘backlands’, around 6,800 yards. How will this project be sustainable? All the water will be created by reverse osmosis (RO) desalinisation, powered by a massive solar farm. The entirety of the development is aiming to be hydrocarbon-free and not reliant on any diesel backup or grid support for electricity. Water will be generated by our own machines – this is why you won’t see many lakes on the courses, because we don’t want to lose it to evaporation. We have some around the clubhouse, but these will be saltwater lakes. We’re going to be using salt tolerant grasses, so we don’t have to squeeze every last drop of salt out of the RO delivery. TEE BOX The first phase will include construction of the Tarafo Bay Links course Image: International Design Group

27 European Golf Design has renovated the East course at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. The 6,200-yard layout was designed by Harry Colt and opened for play in 1924, two years before the West course, which hosts the BMW PGA Championship, was built. European Golf Design has reinstated the layout’s heathland character and restored Colt’s original strategic values. The design team has referenced historic materials from the club’s archives for the project. Work included reshaping bunkers, revamping several green complexes, reshaping fairways and executing a woodland management programme. An overhaul of irrigation was completed by Toro this summer. “We are striving to make a classic heathland test even greater while recognising the original roots that have made the layout so iconic,” said Stuart Boyle, club manager at Wentworth. A new golf academy (pictured) is also in development and will include a parthree course, three indoor teaching studios, a putting studio, a short-game area and nine outdoor hitting bays. TEE BOX Image: Wentworth Plans for second Machrihanish Dunes course receive approval Golf development and management company Southworth has unveiled expansion plans for a new course at Machrihanish Dunes in Argyll, Scotland. The resort has the Machrihanish Dunes course designed by David McLay Kidd, two hotels, five restaurants and eight seaside cottages. The expansion, which has received planning permission, will add a second layout adjacent to Kidd’s course, an extensive golf training facility and practice area, a new hotel and 50 cottages. The new course will have holes on the cliff edge and will meander through rugged dunescape and into the foothills, offering a mix of long-range views, dramatic elevation changes and traditional seaside links. Tommy Southworth, president of Southworth, said: “The addition of another 18-hole links will help turn the Kintyre Peninsula into the next great golfing destination in Scotland.” The project has included input from the local community through contact and focus groups, with Legacy Golf Advisors and KimberGlen International involved in the planning application process. Photo: Courtesy of Azalea Group Wentworth restores Colt values on East

Legacy Golf Course at the 19 in Iowa has opened following Kevin Norby’s renovation of the former Mason City Country Club layout. Norby was appointed in 2008 to prepare a long-range masterplan for Mason City’s 1915 Tom Bendelow design, with the aim of improving conditions and addressing flooding issues. “For the next 16 years, the club struggled to find the resources to make any of the proposed improvements,” said Norby. The club’s financial issues continued until 2022, when local automotive business owner Joe Pritchard – whose companies include Streetrod Golf Cars – purchased Mason City with a goal of rescuing the ailing course. Norby finalised his original plan, which included reinforcing the course’s Golden Age character, instilling more strategy and helping the course drain quicker. “Approximately 400 acres of farmland to the west of the course drains into a narrow area about 100 feet wide on the fourth hole,” said Norby. “Similarly, around 300 acres to the south drains into the third hole. The water converges and runs across the entire golf course before exiting the property to the east of thirteen. Depending on the intensity, even a modest rain event would often flood the course, causing the course to close for a day or two until carts could be used again.” Duininck Golf began construction in December 2022 with the installation of two 36-inch trunk drainage pipes. The contractor returned a year later to build two large ponds and then in spring 2024 began renovating bunkers with liner from Better Billy Bunker, tees and greens. “The greens on one, two and ten were reconstructed by stripping the turf from the existing putting surfaces and reinstalling it on top of a 12-inch deep rootzone mix. Construction of the new greens also allowed us to enhance some of the characteristic false fronts and reinstate some of the square corners and pin positions that had been lost over time.” The project included the construction of 24 new bunkers, some of which were the reinstatement of hazards removed decades ago. “We also repositioned fairway bunkers to make them more relevant for today’s golfer and installed a new irrigation system, relocated the maintenance facility and constructed a new clubhouse,” said Norby. “This was not intended as a strict restoration but rather a renovation directed at modernising the course while respecting and enhancing the classic character of the original layout.” COURSE BLUEPRINT The Legacy at 19 At the fifth, a 115-yard par three, Norby realigned tees and rebuilt the greenside bunkers Photos: Patrick Jacobsen TEE BOX 28 The par-five sixth, with three new fairway bunkers on the inside of the dogleg

29 The opening hole has been lengthened from a par four to a five, with the second shortened from a four to a three. This allowed Norby to reroute stormwater through out-of-play areas By shortening the par-five tenth to a par four, Norby was able to create a new 155-yard par-three eleventh that plays over water to the old tenth green New back tees were added on nine holes, and are now named the ‘Daly’ tees, after pro golfer John Daly, who consulted on the project Eleven new forward tees have been added, allowing the course to be played at 4,690 yards On the par-five sixth, three flanking fairway bunkers were added, while the greenside hazards were repositioned and made deeper On the short par-four fourth, four new bunkers were added with the aim of incorporating more risk-reward

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31 Image: Mackenzie & Ebert Trump Turnberry in Scotland is about to begin renovation work on its Ailsa course, including a new seventh green on the coastal edge. The project is expected to cost £1 million and take six months to complete, and is being overseen by Martin Ebert of Mackenzie & Ebert, who has completed a major renovation of the course in 2016 and several additional adjustments in 2019. “On the new seventh hole, we wanted to move the green right on the coastal edge,” said Ebert. “There are not many links courses where you have greens right on the cliff edge, so that is very special in its own right.” For the eighth, Ebert said: “It made a lot of sense to move the tees over to the right and produce a much better hole. The tee shot will be improved with the new alignment, making the hole visually stunning from your first shot to your last.” The architect is also planning new banking behind the twelfth and fifteenth greens, tweaks to the thirteenth and tee updates on holes fourteen and seventeen. Nic Oldham of Trump Turnberry, said: “Today’s Ailsa is much changed from the one that first hosted the Open in 1977, and the time felt right to take another leap forward in collaboration with Martin Ebert as we strive and hope to stage the Open once more.” Calgary’s Glencoe club approves WAC Golf renovation plan The Glencoe Golf and Country Club near Calgary, Canada, has approved a renovation plan by Whitman, Axland & Cutten (WAC Golf). Robert Trent Jones designed the 18-hole Forest and 27-hole Meadows courses, which opened in the mid-1980s west of the city, alongside Elbow River. “The approved plan for the Meadows course seeks holistic changes – to maximise necessary investments in infrastructure – through the reimagination of a tired golfing landscape,” said Cutten. “The site will see significant rerouting aimed at shortening green-to-tee walks. An abundance of artificial shaping work will be removed, letting the ‘air’ out of the property and allowing the new golf features to blend seamlessly within the beautiful river valley setting. “Much needed tree clearing in select locations will allow the golf to make the most of several natural ridges that transect the property. Existing wide corridors will provide the canvas needed to create thoughtful and varied strategies on each hole. Standout holes should include the second, sixth and eighth on the Slopes and the second, fifth, seventh and eighth on the Lakes.” Preliminary tree, creek and lake work will begin in autumn 2025, with golf course construction to start in 2026. Ebert to oversee changes to Turnberry’s Ailsa course A visualisation of the new seventh green next to the coast and new eighth tees TEE BOX Image: WAC Golf

32 TEE BOX La Grande Motte reduces water consumption with new irrigation system Golf de La Grande Motte, a 42-hole golf complex on the French Mediterranean coast, has reduced water consumption following the installation of a new Toro irrigation system. Robert Trent Jones designed two 18-hole courses (Pink Flamingos and The Gulls) and the six-hole Seagulls layout at the club in the 1980s. In 2023, La Grande Motte decided to update its infrastructure. Toro worked alongside irrigation designer Frédéric Quillien of K Consult and water technicians Arrosage Concept. “The installation of 1,500 units of Flex 800 series sprinklers equipped with high-performance nozzles became the cornerstone of this comprehensive renovation,” said Roland Demonty of Toro. The project included the integration of Toro LAC decoders, allowing for tailored irrigation adjustments based on real-time weather data, enabling compliance with water restrictions while optimising water usage. Three ‘Smart Hubs’ manage the 1,500 LAC decoders through the Lynx Central Control system.

33 Photo: Golf de La Grande Motte Images: Robert Trent Jones II “The greenkeeping team was able to optimise irrigation schedules and achieve remarkable water savings,” said Demonty. “Indeed, not only has La Grande Motte upgraded its water quality and significantly reduced water consumption, but it has also set a new benchmark for sustainable golf course irrigation practices.” RTJ II to create new course at Panama’s Buenaventura Resort Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort in Panama has appointed Robert Trent Jones II (RTJ II) to design a new golf course, which is expected to open in late 2025. “As they play, golfers will journey through a variety of distinct environments,” said Bruce Charlton, president of RTJ II. “The jungle holes will be surrounded by dense foliage and towering Guanacaste trees, punctuated by a series of running streams, and offering an adventurous experience of navigating winding fairways. The meadow holes, with their wide-open spaces, provide expansive scale and invite bold, strategic play. Players will encounter a breathtaking beach and ocean view hole, a one-of-a-kind challenge comprised of ocean breezes and sandy shores.” Natural streams, barrancas and water features will provide multiple options and angles throughout the round. The design team’s plan ensures that the better golfers will face the risk-reward spots while higher handicappers will find bailout areas and opportunities to play safe. A series of streams weave around and through holes The seventh green and eighth tees are located on a small island The new layout reaches the beachfront at the ninth green

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35 The front nine of the Cypress course at Woodmont Country Club in Tamarac, Florida, has reopened following a renovation by Joe Jemsek. “Our intent has been to restore some of the original elements of Robert Von Hagge’s design while renovating the course to meet modern standards,” said Jemsek. “I started with the elements I love in Von Hagge’s course, such as the boldly shaped, flash sand bunkers and freeform, contoured greens. I then added modern elements to break up the sometimes-repetitive design concepts utilised in courses from this era. Green complexes now allow for players to enjoy tournamentstyle setups, with tucked pins and forced carries, but new ground contouring offers alternative paths to access pin locations.” While Jemsek’s work on the putting surfaces has been more restorative, he has taken a slightly different approach to bunkers. “Previously, greens were fronted and flanked by large bunkers, requiring high lofted shots to access the putting surfaces,” he said. “Reducing the size of front bunkers, shifting them laterally, or in some cases removing them all together, created multiple entranceways and short-grass areas around greens.” Woodmont’s owner wanted Jemsek to use local coral rock to accent features and also for the ‘Surrey Wall’ in the middle of the eighth fairway. The 150–foot-long wall stretches down the second landing area and is three feet high in places. Players that hit past the wall with their second shot will have a better approach angle to the green. Woodmont reopens front nine following Jemsek renovation Sandy was in very exalted settings for the last issue, visiting the storied Seminole club in Florida. Photographing Sandy on very famous courses inevitably increases the number of entries we receive: it was the largest number of correct answers we have had for Gopher Watch in its 19-year history. Englishbased Australian architect Tim Lobb, was the first name out of the hat, and wins the prized GCA golf shirt. This time, Sandy is back on the links, his natural home. A less famous course, though, as the backdrop to the photograph shows, hardly the most anonymous. This writer vividly remembers playing the course on a hugely windy day and seeing a ball swing full 50 yards in the air on his tee shot on a par three. Know where it is? Entries, as ever, to gopher@golfcoursearchitecture.net GOPHER WATCH Photo: Jemsek Golf Design TEE BOX

36 TEE BOX The Dormie Network has opened GrayBull Club in Maxwell, Nebraska. The new club includes a golf course designed by David McLay Kidd and is the seventh layout in Dormie’s portfolio. GrayBull is Dormie’s first new club, its other six – ArborLinks, Ballyhack, Briggs Ranch, Dormie Club, Hidden Creek and Victoria National – being acquisitions of existing facilities. Kidd helped to select GrayBull’s 600 acres of prairie land, north of the Platte River, in spring 2021. “This site, it’s like the Goldilocks thing: not too flat, not too steep. It’s kind of in a bowl that looks inwards, and there are no bad views,” he said. “It’s wide open, no big roads, no visual contamination – ticks all the boxes.” In February 2024, with construction complete and the course growing in, a wildfire spread across the area. Before it arrived at the course, GrayBull staff turned on the irrigation system to soak the ground, gouged out fire breaks in the native grasses and around employee housing, and made use of a water truck. These measures safeguarded the course, clubhouse and cottages from the fire that would eventually consume more than 70,000 acres of land. “Sitting on top of the ridge by the first tee and the eighteenth green is one of the best views you will ever get in the Sandhills,” said Zach Peed, Dormie Network president. “Seeing hints of the course pop in and out of the rolling hills from the patio is going to be tough to beat.” “From hole four to nine will be perfect for golden hour golf. The experience, and reveals, from green to tee are going to be incredible. Wandering in and out of the hills, you’ll have moments where you’ll wonder where to go next, and the entire round will feel like an adventure.” Dormie Network opens GrayBull Club in Nebraska Sandhills

37 GOOD READ “Links golf is a chess game” For the cover story of the latest issue of By Design magazine – produced for the American Society of Golf Course Architects by the team responsible for GCA – Raymond Hearn, Bill Bergin and Tim Liddy provide insight into their experiences of the British and Irish links courses and how those visits have shaped their careers as designers. “At its best, links golf is a chess game with different pieces and a different board every day,” says Liddy, who worked and lived in St Andrews when remodelling the Dukes course, which overlooks the town, in 2006. The Fall issue of By Design also includes an interview with the new ASGCA executive director Hunki Yun about his career in golf and what he hopes to bring to the Society, and a case study explaining why Tahoma 31 was the ideal choice for The Landing at Torresdale, which was designed by Steve Weisser of Rees Jones, Inc. To download the latest issue and subscribe to By Design, visit www.asgca.org. BY DESIGN Excellence in Golf Design from the American Society of Golf Course Architects ISSUE 67 // FALL 2024 ALSO: // The Landing // ASGCA Donald Ross Award // Trump Lido Indonesia HUNKI YUN The new ASGCA Executive Director speaks about his career and what he hopes to bring to the Society LINKS LEARNINGS How have the links courses of Britain and Ireland inspired today’s architects? Image: Kawonu Golf Club Construction of Kawonu Golf Club in Simpsonville, South Carolina, will begin in early 2025. It will be the first new private club in the Greenville area for more than 30 years and will include a golf course designed by Andrew Green. The development is led by founding partners Scott Ferrell and Barton Tuck. Among Ferrell’s various roles in the golf industry, he has worked for the PGA Tour, managing marketing for TPC properties, and as president of Gary Player Group. Tuck is serving as development partner due to his experience in real estate, developing new courses and managing golf properties. His Wingfield Golf Management Services company has helped to build and manage more than 60 golf courses in the southeast of America. The Kawonu club will be built on a 290-acre property that was once home to the Cherokee people, with the name ‘Kawonu’ deriving from the Cherokee word for the ducks that inhabit the ponds and waterways of the property. The natural water features will be incorporated in the course, which will be laid out over rolling pastures and through mature woodlands. A grand opening is expected to take place in spring 2027. New Andrew Green course to enter construction in 2025 Photo: Evan Schiller

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