Humbled, Honored and Blessed by Awards
By now you have learned our renovation work at Water’s Edge Golf Club in Fremont, Mich., was recognized by The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) with a 2018 Design Excellence Recognition Award.
It is the fourth ASGCA Design Excellence Award our firm has been honored with in the last six years. The others were for renovation work in 2017 on Golf de Club de Panama in Panama City, renovation of our original design in 2014 at Mistwood Golf Club in Chicago, Ill., and renovation of our original design in 2013 at Island Hills Golf Club in Centreville, Mich.
We could not be prouder of our work at Water’s Edge. To win an award for what we’ve done so far is outstanding, and we feel so fortunate to have won this award four times in six years.
To any designer, regardless of discipline, to be acknowledged by their peers, the media or participants in their discipline is fulfilling. It means that in some sense to certain individuals the design resonated with them. In golf course architecture that means the design was appealing and increased strategy, shot value, playability and aesthetics commonly known as the Big Four. Of course, equally important for our firm is striving for sustainability (economic, environmental and cultural).
The overall goal was to incorporate the high-profile practice facility at Water’s Edge. To do so two existing holes needed to be eliminated. In order for it to happen the owner purchased a parcel of land adjacent to the course so we could accomplish that objective. The results are new holes 5 and 6 for the course, and they are 90 percent grown in and should open at some point this June.
I’ve received some comments like, “Ray, what a great piece of land you had to work with.”
In reality, the parcel I started with was dead flat, a farm field. I’m proud of what we created.
The practice area, which includes a putting course, a chipping course and sand practice area, is under construction and will be completed by September. When completed, the driving range will be multi-functional, operating as an upscale driving range, and when the tee is closed used as a six-hole par 3 course.
The final judge and jury will be the annual members who play and the general public who find what they used to know as Ramshorn Country Club has been transformed and improved. I know the golfers will notice that with some of the changes, like the tee at No. 9 where they can now see two of the nearby lakes (three area lakes are known as First, Second and Third Lakes).
We were selected for the project when Rick Content, the director of golf at Water’s Edge recommended me to the clients. The clients and I just clicked. My clients are great people and they have assembled a great team. Golfers are taking notice of this ambitious and outstanding project.
