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By Design
T
he challenges faced by Island
Hills GC are common throughout
the golf industry: people
are sometimes discouraged from
participating in the game due to the
cost or time it takes to play. The fact
that it can be a difficult game sometimes
compounds these issues–if players are
not enjoying their game, incurring cost
and time seems even less acceptable.
“We felt that by helping to provide
more options for play at Island Hills,
the club would be able to attract new
and returning players and in turn see
improved revenue,” says the club’s
architect Raymond Hearn, ASGCA.
“These objectives could be achieved with
a design approach that would also reduce
the club’s operational costs.”
Hearn created an ingenious new design
that included multiple short course
options within the existing 18-hole
championship course, so that all golfers
had an option to play at a lower cost. This
approach respects the requirement for a
traditional 18-hole layout while providing a
variety of alternative play options.
He also remodelled existing holes to
address the length of time the course was
taking to play, and new teeing options
allow for a shorter round. The project
also saw a reduction in the surface area
of fairways and bunkers, which led to a
reduction in the required applications and
maintenance, and therefore cost savings.
New and remodeled tees and bunkers,
coupled with new grassing limits,
dramatically improved the strategy, shot
value and playability on each hole.
Golfers love the changes, with revenue
having already increased by 19% since
2012. Rounds played at Island Hills
have risen by 37%. The short course
configurations allow for rounds that take
from 40 minutes to three hours to play,
and have been particularly appealing to
senior, women and junior golfers.
To read more about this project, download
Issue 12 of
By Design
from
.
Location
Centreville, Michigan
Architect:
Raymond Hearn, ASGCA
Raymond Hearn Golf
Course Designs, Inc.
Project summary:
The goal of master planning
improvements to Island Hills Golf
Club was to arrest a decline in
play and revenue, with design
changes introduced to make
the course more appealing for
all types of golfer, while also
introducing operational savings.
Partners:
E&M Construction
Rain Bird
“We felt that by helping to provide
more options for play at Island Hills,
the club would be able to attract new
and returning players”
The new design at Island Hills is appealing for all types of players, helping to grow the game
Plan images of the sixth hole before (top) and after the
renovation show a massive reduction in bunker and fairway
surface areas, which reduces maintenance time and cost
ISLAND HILLS GC
Photo: Island Hills GC
