By Design - Winter 2014

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18 | By Design
Lying entirely within the Lower Fox
River Watershed and surrounded
by urban development, the Reid
municipal golf course for many years has
served a practical water management
purpose for the city of Appleton, gathering
overflow from the course and also from
the paved streets around it via a concrete
channel. This water was ultimately
delivered into the Lower Fox River, which
flows into the Wisconsin River.
Two problems were faced regularly
however. Firstly, not enough water was
actually making it downstream in an
efficient manner, resulting in localized
flooding, some on course but mainly
off course. Secondly, the water that did
reach the Wisconsin River did not meet
new state standards for water quality.
Working with Todd Quitno, ASGCA
Associate, of Lohmann Golf Designs and
taking two years to plan and build, the
concrete channel was naturalized and
the course’s retention capacity hugely
increased. This involved the creation of four
acres of new ponds, representing 50 acre-
feet of new storage. The newwetlands filter
stormwater as it passes through the on-
course systembefore heading downstream.
In accommodating this, a series of
changes to the course were also made.
“The relocation of four new greens and
the equivalent of four fairways helped
to maximize spatial relationships and
improve risk-reward strategies at the edges
of the water hazards,” explains architect
Quitno. “Green contours were preserved
thanks to thorough mapping prior to
construction, and the greens were built
using a ‘modified push-up’ style that
emulated the profile of the 14 remaining
greens. This allows the new greens to
behave more or less like the old ones in
terms of maintenance and playability.
“These upgrades are expected to increase
the course’s local and regional draw and
breathe some life into a lagging local
golf economy,” adds Quitno. “Given the
positive early response to the re-opening, it
appears things are on the right track.”
“These upgrades
are expected
to increase the
course’s local and
regional draw and
breathe some life
into a lagging local
golf economy”
Location:
Appleton, Wisconsin
Architect:
Todd Quitno, ASGCA Associate
Lohmann Golf Designs
Project summary:
In order to improve water management
and avoid localized flooding,
Todd Quitno, ASGCA Associate
helped increase Reid Municipal’s
retention capacity and simultaneously
made a number of alterations and
improvements to the course.
Partners:
AECOM
T.J. Emmerich Associates
The Toro Company
Ryan Inc. Central
Waupaca Sand and Solutions
REID GC
One of the new ponds comes into play on the transformed twelfth hole,
seen before (left) and after the renovation