RUNNING HEADER
20
|
By Design
T
here were many driving factors for
the renovation of Stevens Park, a
public course owned by the City of
Dallas, but the strongest was competition.
A number of new courses had opened
in the local area and, combined with the
renovation of some existing courses serving
the same market, Stevens Park was finding
it difficult to retain its customer base.
The club employed Colligan Golf
Design to oversee a comprehensive
renovation of the course, and set about
developing a wish list with the city, golf
pro, superintendent and architect. This
would include improving playability for
all levels of golfers, overhauling practice
facilities and rebuilding greens to USGA
specifications. The renovation would
also address erosion within the large
meandering creek that ran through the
site, see the installation of a new irrigation
system which could use treated water,
introduce concrete cart paths and improve
both turf and planting throughout the site.
Colligan Golf Design set
about creating a project plan
that could achieve these
requirements within the
budget that had been set.
John Colligan, ASGCA says:
“We kept earthworks to a
minimum, and were able
to achieve all of the
requirements of
the project,
incorporating new bermudagrasses
throughout the course, adding two new
bridges and renovating three others,
completely overhauling the drainage and
irrigation system and creating a landscape
design that included the planting of 900
trees and 2,000 rose bushes, along with
various other ornamental shrubs.”
The renovation was completed within
budget and has received rave reviews from
players and the media, being touted as
“what public golf should be: affordable,
maintainable, beautiful and playable”. But
perhaps the most compelling evidence
of success is in the numbers:
Stevens Park has increased
the number
of rounds
played
from
30,000 to
60,000.
Location:
Dallas, Texas
Architect:
John Colligan, ASGCA
Colligan Golf Design
Project summary:
John Colligan, ASGCA
completed a comprehensive 18-
hole renovation of the Stevens
Park municipal golf course in
Dallas, Texas in just ten months.
The dramatic transformation
has resulted in a 100 percent
increase in the number of
rounds played.
Partners:
Wadsworth Golf Construction
Rain Bird
Trinity Turf
Irrigation, Planning & Design
The Stevens Park renovation has been described as “what public
golf should be: affordable, maintainable, beautiful and playable”
The club has
doubled the
number of
rounds played
following
Colligan’s
renovation
STEVENS PARK GC
Photos: Trey Kemp
