By Design - Fall 2019

17 fairway bunkers, and a 10,000 square foot putting green. The University of Kentucky returned to Rogers to work with golf coaches and players to redesign practice facilities. “That encounter led us to look for ways to enhance and further develop the practice area utilized specifically by the golf teams,” says Rogers. The plans include the creation of more recovery options around the pitching greens, more diverse grass choices from which the teams can prepare for, and the visual enhancement of fairway targets. Public play Most college golf courses must also be appealing to the general public. While his work at Indiana University has focused on testing the high- level collegiate player, Smyers also designed the course with playability for all golfers in mind. “The major contributors to the project comprised many of the university’s alumni,” says Smyers. “It was emphasized that they and their guests—the everyday golfer—had to be able to maneuver around the course and have an enjoyable time doing so.” Similarly, at the University of Oklahoma, Davis has made the course at Jimmie Austin Golf Club Florida State University’s Don Veller Seminole course will reopen in late 2019 following an $8 million renovation overseen by Nicklaus Design. The course is essentially brand new, with the former layout rerouted to generate land for the university, with only the eighteenth left from the original routing. “Our brief was to create a world-class golf facility that would attract the best junior players in the world to attend FSU and a course capable of hosting any major tournament,” says Nicklaus Design’s senior design associate Chris Cochran, ASGCA (pictured above right with the Nicklaus and FSU team). “The course is aimed at being fun to play for the alumni and students, and it has been designed to be easily maintainable while reducing the overall footprint of the golf course by 40 acres in order to create space for a future highway expansion and commercial development. “The golf course has over 50 feet of elevation change on it – which is a lot in Florida. The property is lined with 100-year-old live oaks and giant, stately pine trees. We were able to keep over 99 percent of these. “The course is turning out great. There is over 3,000 yards difference between forward and back tees.” Photo: Courtesy of Florida State University Photo: Nathan Crace Florida State University CASE STUDY