The 55-year-old Madison, Wis. club is pursuing a $25 million renovation with the goal of becoming the first Tournament Players Club in the state and one of just over 30 in the world. Owner Dennis Tiziani and his son-in-law, pro golfer Steve Stricker, are collaborating with the TPC to work with the state Department of Natural Resources and address drainage issues while preserving three acres of wetlands on the property and restoring over 30 acres in total. Construction alone from the project, which has a goal of getting the renovated course ready for play in August 2023, will carry $39 million in economic impact, Tiziani says.
Cherokee Country Club in Madison, Wis. is now taking steps to preserve wetlands on its property and earn the approval of the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and environmental groups as it pursues a $25 million redesign of its golf course, with the goal of becoming Wisconsin’s first Tournament Players Club (TPC), WMTV of Madison reported.
C+RB reported in November 2021 on the plans of Cherokee’s owner, Dennis Tiziani, to collaborate with his son-in-law, pro golfer Steve Stricker, and the TPC to execute the renovation and turn the club’s 55-year-old golf course into one of just over 30 TPC courses in the world (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/cherokee-cc-moves-closer-to-25m-renovation-approval/).
The first order of business, Tiziani told WMTV, is working with the DNR to take care of the wetlands. “Some of the drainage areas have grown in, [with] a lot of invasive spices,” he said. “That really bothered me; we had water going from the city streets and land developments into the marsh.”
“We got with the TPC, and they provided expertise from a construction standpoint and brought Steve [Stricker] in as the pro designer,” Tiziani added.
The redesign will affect three acres of wetlands, and the club is committing to restoring over 30 acres, WMTV reported. Construction alone will carry $39 million in economic impact, according to Tiziani.
The project will get the renovated course ready to play in August of 2023, Tiziani told WMTV, and once it is open, membership will be capped at 250 in the interest of accessibility.
“For our people here, [the goal is] to be able to play a course that is a championship-level course,” Tiziani said. “[The redesigned course will be] reachable [and] very playable.”
Other environmental organizations in the Madison area are encouraged by the club’s efforts to revitalizatize the property in a responsible manner, WMTV reported.
Vern Stenman, President of the Madison Mallards, a collegiate summer-league baseball team that promotes itself as the “home of your nine-inning vacation,” told WMTV that he was excited about what having a TPC-caliber golf course in the city could mean.
“It’s fun to see the north side of Madison be cool,” Stenman said. “Seeing investments in houses and the neighborhoods are getting [it] to be a cool spot to be.”
In a statement, the Friends of the Cherokee Marsh organization said: “We appreciate the efforts of the DNR staff in requiring changes to reduce wetland disturbance. We urge the DNR to conduct monitoring and compliance as needed over the life of the permit.
The Cherokee Marsh is the most extensive wetlands area in Wisconsin’s Dane County, WMTV reported.
WMTV’s video report updating the progress of Cherokee’s course redesign can be viewed at https://www.nbc15.com/2022/02/10/madison-golf-course-receiving-world-class-redesign/
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