Golf Course Architecture - Issue 58 October 2019

70 F or golfers with the ability to miss a target by a massive distance – thanks to suspect swing planes, an absence of clubface control and modern technology that means we can hit further off line than ever – the prospect of a courseful of claustrophobically narrow fairways can be pretty miserable. At most clubs, and certainly at public courses, the majority of golfers are not highly skilled. If you keep making us miserable, we will return less often, or not at all. Officials at the city of Edina, near Minneapolis, Minnesota, realised this. They also questioned whether cramming as many holes as they could into a golf facility necessarily equates to more revenue, and the impact it had on the environment. By the early part of this decade, conditioning at the city’s 27-hole municipal facility, Braemar Golf Course, had deteriorated to such an extent that golf was becoming unsustainable. Some holes were routed in boggy soils and the course frequently flooded, closing for days at a time. One loop was so bad that golfers would cancel their round if that nine was allocated when booking. Difficult forced carries and narrow fairways led golfers to choose other courses. The city needed a radical plan, and in 2014 turned to Richard Mandell – who had recently completed a highly- regarded renovation at nearby Keller Golf Course, also a municipal – to provide it. “The problem was how to revitalise an under-performing and outdated 27-hole course on an environmentally-sensitive property dismissed by golfers, and seen by citizens as draining tax dollars,” he says. Mandell’s solution was to replace the existing 27 holes with a brand new 18-hole course. It was a big ask for the city – removing a third of its holes would potentially remove a third of its revenue. The golf course would have to be very good for it to pay off. Five years on, the new Braemar course has opened and is more than very good – it is an absolute joy to play. The layout is extremely forgiving from the tee; even the most erratic golfer will have a chance of completing a round without losing a ball. That’s not to say the course is easy. With width comes options, and good choices and accuracy are rewarded. On the first, playing left will open the best angle to the green. On hole two, hug the creek that bisects the fairway for a shorter approach. The pattern continues, with each hole presenting Photo: Peter Wong BRAEMAR