By Design – Issue 53, Summer 2021

23 oversaw recent renovations that involved turf reduction. On Quail Ridge’s South course, Weed replaced turf with coquina- like screenings and pine straw. And at Ponte Vedra, he introduced 14 acres of coquina-like screening areas to replace rough grasses. Both projects reduced water usage on the course, saving the clubs time and money. “The new course at Quail Ridge has seen a 15 percent reduction in maintained turf areas,” says Weed. “There has also been a substantial reduction in maintenance problems, which had been linked to irrigation and drainage issues. This affords the agronomy team the flexibility to allocate their human resources to more important areas of the operation, such as greens, bunkers and tees. “Better yet, real estate and membership sales at the club have experienced a strong positive response from prospective buyers. Year-over-year performance includes a 46 percent increase in home and membership sales, while non-resident memberships are up 12 percent.” Leaving a smaller footprint Perhaps the ultimate application of a ‘less is more’ approach is to reduce the number of holes at a club. This might free up land to be sold for real estate, providing some lifeline revenue for clubs that are struggling to operate in their current form, and making way for a golf experience and other facilities that may appeal to a new audience. One such project can be found in Wisconsin, where construction of a thirteen-hole par-three layout is progressing. Pioneer Pointe – designed by Todd Quitno, ASGCA – is being built on the site of the former 18-hole Tumbledown Trails golf course and will become the centerpiece of a new development, which is expected to include 82 home sites, a fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, a restaurant and more. “One factor that led to Pioneer Pointe being a short course was the lack of available land,” says Photo: Larry Lambrecht Image: Michael Benkusky, ASGCA Michael Benkusky, ASGCA, is replacing 12 acres of turf with crushed shells at Palm Aire CC in Florida