Kenwood CC to begin Kendale course renovation in August
Below are excerpts from an article that originally appeared in Golf Course Architecture.
Clearing work was started this past winter on the Kendale course at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, the first step in a renovation plan created by golf course architecture firm Fry/Straka.
The project was prompted by the need for a new irrigation system for both the Kendale and Kenview courses at Kenwood CC. “But before the irrigation system went in the ground the club wanted to explore what other improvements should be done ahead of time, or in concert with the irrigation installation,” said Jason Straka, a principal of Fry/Straka. “Refurbished bunkers were on their list, as was improved drainage and removing overgrown trees. That said, no one else really knew where the planning would lead to once we got started.
“We gathered a plethora of material from the club’s historic archives, including the original 1930 William Diddle routing and green drawings, old photos, writings, and brochures from the 1933 US Amateur Championship, the 1963 US Women’s Open, and the 51st Western Open.”
“We went through a rigorous interview process and were fortunate to be selected for the project,” said Straka. “I live less than an hour and a half from the club by car, so having a project of this calibre so close to home is especially appealing to me.”
Since the original courses were laid out by Diddle, the expansion of Interstate 71 has seen several holes being removed and relocated. The impact to Kenview was especially dramatic. Kenview now has some original holes, some which are few decades old, and even others which are just a few years old. In contrast, Kendale is a composite of all original holes, so the club decided to focus its first effort on Kendale.
“The design to be implemented is largely restorative, but with some modernisation to be sure,” said Straka. “Some historians may cringe at my statement, but there is a need, for example, to add new tees to accommodate a greater diversity of skills of both low and high handicaps.”
“While a lot of focus will be on putting back the old look and play, there will be a lot of new technologies utilised,” said Straka. “Two-wire irrigation system, Polylast bunker liner, 007 bentgrass greens surrounds, and LIDAR-scanned and reverse-engineered softening of green slopes are just a few. These technologies will aid superintendent Kent Turner and his staff to maintain the course to a high level which, combined with the design improvements, will allow the course to reach its full potential.”
Click here to read the full article on golfcoursearchitecture.net.