Members will decide on one of two plans that will renovate the back nine, including a floodwall and shifting holes 17 and 18 away from a river. The primary difference between the two plans is the routing of holes 10, 17 and 18, and both carry a price tag of $2.5 million.
After a few years of talking and planning, the Fargo (N.D.) Country Club is ready to take action on flood control, the Fargo (N.D.) Inforum reported.
Members will decide on one of two options that will entail a major renovation of the back nine holes at the historic course in south Fargo. Both carry a price tag of $2.5 million, the funding of which has already been approved, the Inforum reported.
The improvements include a floodwall in the northeast corner of the course and shifting holes 17 and 18 away from the river to the north. A new irrigation system and better drainage is also included, the Inforum reported.
“One of the main selling points of this concept is you maintain the integrity of the back nine,” said club professional Mark Johnson. “The second half of hole 11 and holes 12 through 16 remain the same and when you talk to members, you ask them what they like about the back nine and that area is really secluded with mature trees. So that’s a real positive to say we’re keeping the heart and soul of the back nine.”
Architect Tom Lehman will lead the renovation. The goal is to protect the entire course from a nuisance summer flood that can ruin turf for an entire summer. A spring flood normally doesn’t damage grass since it’s usually in the dormancy stage, the Inforum reported.
With the new holes, the lowest point on the entire course will be a flood stage of 30 feet. There have been nine summer floods since 2005, but only two went higher than 30: a 33-footer in 2013 and a 30.8-footer in 2007. In 2013, the water was on the grass for only three days at the 30-foot stage, and turf normally survives underwater for three days, the Inforum reported.
Favorable results from soil testing by engineers will allow the construction of the floodwall, which will be varying heights. It will be higher along hole 14, but will probably only need to be about two feet high around No. 16 tee box, the Inforum reported.
“We’re aware that on a golf course you don’t want a wall to be in play,” Johnson said. “With shrubbery, trees and the aesthetics, we feel confident we’ll be able to disguise that wall.”
With 17 and 18 moving away from the river, that means Nos. 10 and 11 will also move north. The redesign will engulf the current alternative hole and part of the par-3 course. The par-3 course, then, will be shortened to nine holes of between 80 and 100 yards, the Inforum reported.
The biggest difference in the two options is the routing of holes 10, 17 and 18. One option has 10 starting near the river and No. 18 finishing on what is now the par 3 course. The other has No. 18 finishing where it currently is now and No. 10 tee box and fairway taking a chunk of the par 3 course. No. 17 is a par 5 under one scenario and a par 3 on the other while No. 18 is a par 4 on one plan and a par 5 on the other, the Inforum reported.
A timeline is still in the planning stages. Members are expected to vote on the project in June or July, with the hope of construction starting in the fall. Johnson said optimal floodwall construction would probably be in fall or winter to take advantage of harder soil conditions for all the machinery, the Inforum reported.
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