By Design - Winter 2019

While comprehensive ‘blow-up’ renovations might grab the headlines, for many golf clubs a phased approach is more appropriate. Richard Humphreys finds out more S ome remarkable golf course transformation projects have taken place over the past decade: from Coore & Crenshaw’s restoration of Pinehurst No. 2, which was ground-breaking in its embrace of a natural aesthetic, to Fazio Design’s employment of advanced technologies to create Augusta-like surfaces in one of the wettest regions of Europe, at Adare Manor in Ireland. But most clubs don’t have the luxury of eight other courses to play on, or an owner happy to bankroll such a radical change. Closing the doors on the course for a year, or more, is usually simply not feasible. “Ripping the band-aid off all at once is the preferred way to go, but sometimes clubs just don’t have the means to make that large of a commitment or investment and they cannot withstand the extended closure,” says Drew Rogers, ASGCA. “Executing projects in smaller, surgical bursts is really the only way they can make progress.” For Kenosha Country Club, one of only two Donald Ross layouts in Wisconsin, a phased approach was the only viable option. The club wanted to spread the cost of changes and remain operational while work was going on. Steps to success PHASED PROJECTS 12 | By Design