By Design - Summer 2015

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Lohmann Golf Designs has been
brought in to lead a renovation of the
Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Illinois.
Much of the initial work will focus on the
course’s greens, which have been a cause
of concern in recent times, particularly
during the hot summer months.
Internal drainage capacity will be
improved and surfaces will be expanded to
provide more space for varied pinning and
to help spread wear.
Many holes also suffer from major
drainage issues, and a new mainline
drainage system will be installed. Laterals
will also be introduced to the adjacent
fairways to capture water.
DIGEST
Newman plans course update
to attract wider array of golfers
Renovation
07
Todd Quitno, ASGCA,
senior project architect,
Lohmann Golf Designs
“We feel there is a great opportunity
to make improvements at Newman that
will attract a wider array of golfers,
including more highly-skilled players.
We believe it starts with rectifying the
issue with the greens, the number one
asset on any golf course, then turning
our attention to improvements on the
tees, bunkers and drainage with the
hopes of restoring the facility to local
championship glory. The hope is
that Newman can ultimately cater to
every golfer type, from beginner to
scratch, while preserving the traditional
character that makes it a hallmark
facility for valued, long-standing patrons
like the city’s Progressive League.”
Visualisation of the proposed 12th hole
A new golf course and resort
could soon be coming to Cuba’s
northern coast.
Reuters reports that the Cuban
Government and a Chinese company
named Beijing Enterprise Group have
signed a letter of intent to build a new golf
development on the island.
The planned site lies between the resort
town of Varadero and the country’s
capital, Havana.
A general ban on travel to Cuba is
still in place for US citizens, with only
Cuban-Americans allowed to travel to
the country. However, legislation was
recently introduced in the US Congress
to lift this ban.
The planned resort could pave the way
for a number of similar developments
in Cuba. The country’s government
reportedly indicated it wants at least 12
golf resorts on the island in the future.
Cuba is currently home to only one 18-hole
course, at the Varadero Club on the Hicacos
Peninsula. Les Furber, ASGCA, redesigned
the course at the Varadero Club in 1998.
New golf resort planned for Cuba
New markets
ASGCA Past President enters
Ontario Golf Hall of Fame
The Golf Association of
Ontario (Canada) inducted
Doug Carrick into the
Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in
the builder category during a
ceremony on May 6.
“I was traveling in Austria
when I received a call from
GAO Executive Director
Steve Carroll telling me I
was to be inducted and I
can tell you I was completely
stunned,” said Carrick, who
is joined in the Class of
2015 by Bob Breen, Edie
Creed and Bill Kerr. Garry
McKay received the Lorne
Rubenstein Media Award.
Golfers call for
shorter rounds
More than 60% of golfers
have said that they
would enjoy golf more if
they played in less time,
according to the results of a
recent pace of play survey
by The R&A.
Around a quarter of
respondents said the
round time would need to
improve by between 21
minutes and 39 minutes
per round to increase their
frequency of play.
The survey found the two
biggest factors preventing
people from playing golf are
work commitments (34%) and
family commitments (29%).
The R&A will be discussing
its findings in more depth at
a forum later this year.
e
To see how ASGCA
members address pace
of play, see the flyer at