Restoration & Renovation

Work on existing golf courses requires patience and understanding to ensure that damage is not inflicted on the golf course. Clubs often look for change, frequently in the guise of staying current with the latest golf design trends, but careful deliberation is appropriate.

DeVries Designs’ approach to work on existing courses is to first understand the history of the course. This helps determine whether there is a need to restore historically significant or unique features and to develop a philosophy that will guide the golf course in the years to come. From this, a long range plan for the golf course is developed, providing a solid foundation that will prioritize what should be restored, renovated, or altered, and when it should be undertaken.

DeVries Designs, Inc. takes seriously the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of the following distinguished golf courses:

Meadow Club St. Charles Country Club Sunningdale Country Club Siwanoy Country Club Redlands Country Club Walloon Lake Country Club Walnut Hills Country Club Big Sky Golf Course Moor Course at Boyne Highlands

Fairfax, California Winnipeg, Manitoba Scarsdale, New York Bronxville, New York Redlands, California Petoskey, Michigan East Lansing, Michigan Big Sky, Montana Petoskey, Michigan

1999-present 1999-present 2002-present 2007-present 2003-present 2005-present 2001-present 2007-present 2007-present

Meadow Club
Fairfax, California
Alister MacKenzie’s first design in North America is set in a high mountain meadow in Marin county, just north of San Francisco, California. A Long Range Restoration Plan was completed in 2000 to restore the course's distinctive MacKenzie features which had been lost due to economics, typical maintenance, and changing use patterns. Each year, two to five holes were restored back to their original dimensions with the flair that MacKenzie brought to this dramatic golf setting. Construction was done in-house under the direction of Mike DeVries and superintendent David Sexton.

  

St. Charles Country Club
Winnipeg, Manitoba
A new Short Game Practice Facility was constructed in 2000. A Long Range Master Plan assessment of the golf course has been completed with the goal to restore and maintain the distinction of the club’s three nines, one designed by Alister MacKenzie, one by Donald Ross, and one by Norman Woods. Restoration of some greens and bunkers, along with a major drainage network, has been completed on the MacKenzie nine, mowing contours have been adjusted, and selective tree cutting and relocation has been implemented.

Sunningdale Country Club
Scarsdale, New York
A Long Range Golf Course Improvement Plan for the renovation of this fine course, set amongst the rolling countryside of Westchester County. Originally designed by Seth Raynor, and subsequently modified by Walter Travis, A.W. Tillinghast, and others, Sunningdale occupies great ground and needs to allow its features to bring out the best traditional golf course possible.

     

 

Siwanoy Country Club
Bronxville, New York
A Long Range Golf Course Improvement Plan for the renovation of this Donald Ross course was completed in 2007. Restoration of lost flagstick locations, re-establishment of traditional mowing patterns, bunker reconstruction, and tree and water management will be the main actions in restoring this classic golf course, site of the first PGA Championship in 1916 and home course of Jess Sweetser, US and British Amateur champion in the 1920’s.

Redlands Country Club
Redlands, California
A Long Range Golf Course Improvement Plan for the renovation of this Norman Macbeth course has been completed. Construction of an irrigation pond, in conjunction with the re-routing and renovation of several holes and the driving range, has been completed.

Walloon Lake Country Club
Petoskey, Michigan
Renovation of the first green and second tees, along with selective tree removals, was accomplished in Fall, 2005. A Long Range Golf Course Improvement Plan for the renovation of this old northern Michigan golf course is underway and will be completed in 2007.

Walnut Hills Country Club
East Lansing, Michigan
A Long Range Golf Course Improvement Plan was completed in 2001. The green and fairway mowing patterns have been adjusted to reflect the traditional nature of the course and a complete bunker renovation was carried out from late 2002 to early 2003. Tree management and drainage in critical areas are the main issues to contend with in the future.

Big Sky Golf Course and the Moor Course at Boyne Highlands
Big Sky, Montana/Petoskey, Michigan
Boyne USA, the ski and golf resort company based in northern Michigan, has hired DeVries Designs to do Long Range Golf Course Improvement Plans for two of their courses: the Big Sky Golf Course at the Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, Montana, and the Moor Course at Boyne Highlands Resort in Petoskey, Michigan. Both courses are 30-35 years old and have been affected by encroaching residential development and changing technology. A full analysis of the golf courses will look at the rejuvenation and renovation of features, equipment, and holes to best serve the needs of the resorts and their golf patrons.

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