Golf Course Architecture - Issue 60, April 2020

41 Chris Wilczynski has developed a 36-hole master plan for Chautauqua Golf Club in New York, which includes a full restoration of the Lake course to the design created by Donald Ross in the early 1920s. “We had detailed drawings of the Lake course but, when studied, it was clear that Ross’s original routing had been modified and that individual hole designs were not been fully implemented,” said Wilczynski. “The original course didn’t fully represent his vision, so we tried to be true to that with our master planning recommendations.” Three holes from Ross’s original design were also lost when the club’s Hill course, designed by Xen Hassenplug, was built in the mid-1980s. “We have the three holes that were built to accommodate the Lake course rerouting in the 1980s,” said Wilczynski. “Holes 14-16 on the current Lake course will convert over to the Hill layout. It works perfectly because the layouts will look and play like the same course.” Wilczynski’s recommendations include new forward and back tees, implementing Ross’s strategic bunkering, tree removal, and expanding greens back to their original shapes and design intent. The Hill course plan outlines simpler refinements. “The fifteenth will be a resurrection of the old hole – the corridor still exists,” said Wilczynski. “The other holes are there, we just need to do some renumbering and shifting around. An exception would be the sixteenth on the Lake course master plan. The original green is still in place, but the hole is currently played as the par- four eighteenth on the Hill course. We would need to build new tees to convert it back to a par three, as per the original Lake layout. “The good news is that the entire Hill and Lake courses will look and feel the same,” continued Wilczynski. “Today, there are parts of each course mixed into one another. It creates a very disjointed feeling and diminishes the experience as the Ross holes have an aesthetic.” In the latest issue of By Design magazine – produced for the American Society of Golf Course Architects by the team responsible for GCA – golf writer Joe Passov considers the impact of golf course abandonment on local communities, and the stories of several golf courses that have been, or are being, brought back from the brink. Passov writes: “Horror stories from abandoned golf courses crop up all too frequently.” However, “with persistence and creativity – and the assistance of a golf course architect – even a struggling golf property can be reimagined into something that benefits the greater good.” This issue also sees members of the ASGCA reflect on one of the most influential golf course designers of recent times, Pete Dye, who passed away in January 2020. Architects share their memories of Pete, his ground-breaking designs and the legacy he has left. By Design also interviews Richard Mandell about a concept course he has designed, called The Sandhills Club, which he has showcased on social media. To read more, download the latest issue and subscribe to By Design via www.asgca.org BY DESIGN Excellence inGolfDesign from theAmerican Society ofGolfCourseArchitects Also:Distance research• PeteDye,ASGCA Fellow• Routing a concept course Issue 48 | Spring2020 brink Back from the “Horror stories from abandoned golf courses crop up all too frequently” GOOD READ Greens will be expanded back to their original shapes and design intent “The fifteenth will be a resurrection of the old hole – the corridor still exists,” said Wilczynski