Kenwood completes course renovation to mark 90-year anniversary
Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, has reopened its Kendale course following a renovation by golf course design firm Fry/Straka.
Pine Valley and Calusa Pines-inspired Union League project takes shape
Golf architecture firm Fry/Straka has completed 12 holes of a huge renovation project on the newly-named Union League National Golf Club in Swainton, New Jersey, and is now working on the club’s ‘Sherman’ nine.
There is So Much Golf to Love in Michigan
The Ohio Golf Journal celebrates some of the best golf in Michigan including the new South Course at Arcadia Bluffs. Check out what they had to say.
Construction begins on new Yas Acres golf course in Abu Dhabi
Construction has started on the first nine holes of the Yas Acres golf course in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, designed by Fry/Straka.
Kenwood CC to begin Kendale course renovation in August
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.
Union League National - 2019 Master Plan
Below are excerpts from the monthly newsletter BANNER published by the Union League of Philadelphia, which provides a spotlight on the Master Plan for Union League National Golf Club.
Climbing the Hill: Calusa Pines
We hear stories of people in all walks of life who chase their dreams, overcome adversity and achieve moments of triumph. These stories provide us with inspiration to tackle our own challenges. To go one large step further, what about a person who stares death in the face while simultaneously working to build something great enough to outlive them? That is the kind of example that stops us in our tracks as if to ask, “What is your excuse for not living your best life today?” Just such a story unfolded outside of Naples, FL, at Calusa Pines Golf Club, and continues today with a vibrant membership, a beautiful golf course, and a surprisingly tall hill.
Inspired Designs – ASGCA Design Excellence Recognition Program
Fry/Straka Global Golf Design is honored to have the South Course at Arcadia Bluffs recognized by the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) Design Excellence Recognition Program.
2018 Design Excellence Recognition Program honorees announced by ASGCA
The South Course at Arcadia Bluffs, Arcadia, Michigan/Dana Fry, ASGCA, and Jason Straka, ASGCAThe project is a unique design inspired by the Chicago Golf Club design from early American golf course architects CB Macdonald and Seth Raynor.
Arcadia Bluffs South Course – A True Modern Classic
Thankfully, public golfers now have another opportunity to play the sort of course Macdonald and Raynor would have designed, the South Course at Arcadia Bluffs, at the resort of the same name in northern Michigan. When pictures of the new layout—a mile inland from the resort’s tremendously popular first course, which fronts Lake Michigan and was designed nearly 20 years ago by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith—began appearing last year, the reaction was almost universal shock and astonishment at the rectangular bunkers cut into wide, straight-edge fairways or bordering huge, square greens, geometric features common to Macdonald/Raynor courses.
New Arcadia Bluffs course offers a fresh take on a familiar idea
Once you start playing the South Course, you’ll realize that all its right angles and parallel lines are less noticeable at ground level than from aerial views or diagrams in the yardage book. What is important isn’t the trigonometry of the various features. It’s their positions on each golf hole that make the difference. In carving this course out of a bland barley field, Dana Fry ran the risk of producing golf’s equivalent of a game of Checkers. But his brilliant bunker placement and green contours elevate Arcadia Bluffs South to a game of three-dimension Chess.
Golf is Better in Pure Michigan
With the sun shining and warm breezes blowing every Golfaholic’s mind wanders to traveling to new and exciting golf destinations.
Dana Fry: The Golftime Interview
Dana Fry discusses his new South Course at Arcadia Bluffs, being a fitness buff, and how the U.S. Open at Erin Hills has changed his life.
A sight for square eyes at Michigan’s Arcadia Bluffs
Last summer, a few photos started to leak out on social media and elsewhere on the internet, to a reaction of ‘What the #$@&! is that?’ from incredulous viewers. The first word that springs to the mind of anyone who sees pictures of Arcadia South is ‘square’. For what Fry has built is a love letter to Chicago Golf Club, one of the oldest clubs in America, possessor of a CB Macdonald/Seth Raynor course that, although rarely seen by outsiders (the club’s membership is tiny and a guest invite is among the most highly sought-after tickets in golf), is universally regarded as among the world’s finest.
Hail to Michigan
Enhancements at Arcadia Bluffs and Belvedere Golf Club make golf even greater in the Great Lakes State.
Changes at former Sand Barrens course following Union League’s purchase
The Union League of Philadelphia has acquired the former Sand Barrens Golf Club in Swainton, New Jersey, and hired Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design to create a masterplan for the club.
The firm has been tasked with beginning the process of moving from a public and resort facility to an upscale private club, which will be known as Union League National Golf Club moving forwards.
GCA spoke to Jason Straka of Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design to find out more about his firm’s plans.
2017 Design Excellence Recognition Program honorees announced by ASGCA
The sixth annual American Society of Golf Course Architects Design Excellence Recognition Program honorees have been named. Projects from 11 courses have been cited for their work with ASGCA members in addressing unique design challenges.
Since its creation, the Design Excellence Recognition Program has highlighted the innovation and problem-solving skills required of today’s golf course designs, from new 18-hole layouts to practice facilities and renovations of various sizes.
The 2017 nominations were reviewed by a panel of golf industry leaders, including representatives of the Club Managers Association of America, Golf Course Builders Association of America and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
Native Grasses Yield Water Savings
The Ambiente golf course at Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, was almost 35 years old and needed renovations. The management team wanted to improve the golfer experience and create a more sustainable golf course by reducing water use.
Less turf + better turf = better for golf
Los Robles Greens Golf Course in Thousand Oaks, Calif., is known for the mighty oak trees that line the fairways (“los robles” translates to “the oaks” in Spanish). But those out-of-play areas under the oaks were a stumbling block for course Superintendent Ron Kerley.
Innovations in golf course construction
Before a summer trip to Brazil to visit a client’s course, Jason Straka reflected on how much his job has changed in the past decade.