Two years after David Spirk reached an agreement with the member-owned Hellertown, Pa. club to build townhomes on excess land on the property, members voted to sell to him, with a commitment that Silver Creek, which has an 83-year history and a Donald Ross-designed golf course, would stay private and receive at least $2.5 million in capital improvements.
Well-Equipped for Success
A boost from new management under Troon Privé has added to the culinary momentum driven by Executive Chef Denise Caurdy-O’Connor at Knollwood CC.
Sales of Three Clubs Completed…
Pulaski (Va.) Country Club was sold at auction to a local auto auction operator who said he wasn’t sure what his plans might be for the 88-year-old property. The town of Bellaire, Fla. sold Belleview Biltmore GC and its Donald Ross-designed course to Pelican Golf Club, and Nichols College bought the neighboring Dudley Hill GC in Dudley, Mass.
Public Meeting Set to Protest Sale of Warren Valley GC
Wayne County, Mich., has a deal on the table to sell the Dearborn Heights, Mich. club, which includes a golf course designed in 1922 by Donald Ross, to luxury-home developers for $1.8 million. The Save Hines Park group opposes the sale because it would undervalue the land and reduce stormwater control while disrupting parkland and wildlife.
Closing of Winchendon (Mass.) GC Announced
A year after The Winchendon School retained Sterling Golf Management to operate the club, using a Donald Ross course on its grounds that dates to 1926, it announced it would close the course for 2017, explaining that “continuing to drag along a loss-producing golf operation puts unneeded financial pressure on the School.” Options will now be assessed that may include “the slight chance” of preserving a few holes for limited play, the school said.
Lakewood (Colo.) CC Plans $1.5M Golf Course Upgrade
The restoration, designed by Gil Hanse, is expected to begin by the end of the summer and wrap up before the end of the year. Almost half of the 122-acre golf course’s holes will be reworked in some way to bring the course more in line with the original 1916 design by Donald Ross.
No Winter Break This Year for Salem CC’s Grounds Department
Preparing to host the U.S. Senior Open in the summer of 2017 means that the Peabody, Mass. club is doing everything it can this year to protect its golf course and grounds against winter damage, as the staff seeks to avoid the last-minute scrambling it had to do when it last held the event, in 2001.
Course Renovations Will Prepare Seminole GC for 2021 Walker Cup
As the storied Juno Beach, Fla. club completed the first stage of a three-year project that is bringing new bunkering and tee boxes to its Donald Ross-designed golf course, it got the good news that it will be the site of the prestigious amateur competition. It will be Seminole’s first USGA event and the first Walker Cup held in Florida.
French Lick Resort to Host 2017 Senior LPGA Championship
The Indiana resort will host the tournament that is part of the Legends Tour in July 2017. Coupled with the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship that will begin in 2018, there will now be two major championships for senior women players.
Omni Hotels & Resorts Enhances Historic Bedford Springs and Homestead Properties
Omni Bedford Springs (Pa.), a National Historic Landmark established in 1804, will unveil a new 5,000-sq. ft. facility in the summer of 2017 with a restaurant and golf shop. The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va. is enhancing its William Flynn-designed Cascades mountain course. Improvements are also underway at the Omni Orlando (Fla.) Resort at ChampionsGate.
Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort & CC to Redesign No. 4, Add Short Course
The redesigned Pinehurst No. 4 will include exposed sand and native wire grass, wider fairways and natural topography, and is scheduled to begin construction in fall 2017 and reopen in fall 2018. The short course project will be built on 10 acres with 8 to 12 holes, and will begin in summer 2017 and open in fall 2017.
North Carolina Properties Unveil Golf Course Renovations
The project at Mooresville (N.C.) Golf Course called for the development of a new front nine, with the removal of a 16-acre pond to allow holes to route across the land. In Charlotte, N.C., Carmel Country Club opened its North Course following a 10-month renovation that features Champion bermuda greens and 419 bermuda on the tees, fairways and rough.
Aronimink GC to Return to “Vintage Look”
Gil Hanse will restore all bunkers, return some greens to their original dimensions, and make other fixes to the Newtown Square, Pa., golf course, based on recently discovered photographs taken of the original Donald Ross design in 1929. The work, which will be conducted from October to April for the next two years, will be completed in time for the 2018 BMW Championship.
Oakland Hills CC Members Reject $11M Renovation Plan
The project would close and restore the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., club’s iconic South Course to its pre-World War II state, and would have closed the layout for 14 months beginning in March 2018. The project would have been financed through an increase in member dues over time. The vote total and margin were not disclosed.
Exmoor CC to Host 2018 Constellation Championship
The major tournament for senior players will return to the Midwest for the first time since 2006, to be contested at the Highland Park, Ill. club in partnership with the Western Golf Association.