Instead of having a “Yay, Us” party to “stand around and congratulate each other for being splendid,” the Northville, Mich. club decided to commemorate its 100th year by raising $100,000 for four local organizations. It’s now issuing a friendly challenge to other clubs to “copy [our idea and] beat and improve [our success]” when marking their own anniversaries.

The private club in Northville, Mich., has closed its historic golf course for play in 2016 to rebuild greens, tees, and bunkers, re-route some holes, and incorporate better drainage. The golf course is expected to reopen in spring 2017.

At Meadowbrook in Northville, Mich., all 18 greens will be rebuilt as part of a centennial-year project that General Manager Joseph Marini calls “an absolute game-changer.” At Cypress Greens in Lake Alfred, Fla., work is underway to renovate bunkers, level tees and enlarge the teeing areas.

Though superintendents are hoping last year’s brutal winter was an anomaly, they are preparing for another difficult winter in 2015, by covering the greens with special tarps, removing snow as it falls, and applying fungicide late in the season.