Cedar Rapids Country Club Head Golf Pro Dustin Toner stands just beyond the fully restored sixth hole. PHOTO/Shuva Rahim
By Angela Holmes
angela@corridorbusiness.com
The golf course at the Cedar Rapids Country Club – the only Donald Ross-designed course in Iowa – was an “artifact that needed updating,” according to Vaughn Halyard, chairman of the clubs Golf & Greens Committee.
The course’s three-year, $700,000 restoration project was revealed April 30 to its members, and will take the national stage on May 16 as it hosts a U.S. Open qualifying event – the only location in Iowa selected this year by the U.S. Golf Association.
The qualifier will feature 78 of the best golfers in the state, as well as some from across the country. The top four local qualifiers will head to sectional qualifiers, with the top qualifiers there heading to Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the U.S. Open from June 16-19.
A call for restoration
The Cedar Rapids Country Club’s golf course, nestled in the middle of the city at 550 27th St. Drive SE, was designed in 1915 by Mr. Ross, considered to be one of the premier golf course architects of the 20th century.
Over the years, the course veered from Mr. Ross’ distinctive style as an overabundance of trees were planted and flooding from nearby Indian Creek altered the greens and bunkers.
In 2011, a committee was formed to create a master plan and select an architect to restore Mr. Ross’ vision, which centered around open vistas, cleaner lines of play and more bunkers. The committee chose Ron Prichard, a “Donald Ross whisperer” who has restored more than 70 of his courses, Mr. Halyard said.
Mr. Prichard and associate Tyler Rae worked closely with CRCC Golf Superintendent Tom Feller and his staff to restore the club’s course to its original state while still keeping the budget in check.
“He [Mr. Prichard] can take a nickel and make a dollar out of it,” Mr. Halyard said. “He reinvigorated the essence of the design.”
The result is a course valued at $3 million, but that cost only about $700,000. About 80-90 percent of the work was done by Mr. Feller’s staff. Also keeping the cost down was the use of local suppliers such as Blue Grass Enterprises, a sod farm in Alburnett.
The restoration also included flood mitigation and drainage, and the removal of about 20 percent of the trees on the course. Trees are still being evaluated and thinned out, Mr. Feller said.
The investment in infrastructure should pay for itself in a short amount of time, Mr. Halyard said, explaining that after previous flooding, the course would close for four or five days.
Before the restoration, some of the trees and their overhanging branches made the course more difficult, said Dustin Toner, CRCC’s head golf pro.
“We wanted to bring more enjoyment to course by making it easier,” he said. “It is now more suited for the average player.”
Although the forward tees have all become easier since 2008, the championship tees are now more difficult, Mr. Toner added.
The greens, which become smaller over time due to mowing, have been expanded by 20 percent, Mr. Feller said.
“It gives more pin positions and makes the game more interesting,” he said. “Original greens are not round.”
Rallying back
The game of golf, which peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s with the popularity of pros like Tiger Woods, is making a comeback, Mr. Toner said.
“It bottomed out four or five years ago,” he said. “So many courses were built in 1990s, then everybody got busy with other activities.”
Introducing younger golfers through junior leagues is a prime way to build back the sport, Mr. Toner said.
Carl Granberg, who started as CRCC’s general manager in 2014, said the club is focused on intermediate membership – those under age 40.
“It brings life to the club,” he said of the younger members. “We want to break the reputation of the stuffy old man’s club. We actually have fun here.”
The golf course renovation has already brought a greater interest in the course, Mr. Toner said, adding that it is up 1,166 rounds compared to last year since opening.
A mild, sunny Mother’s Day weekend was indicative of what the upcoming season will be like at the course, Mr. Feller said.
“It was packed,” he said. “You’d never know we are in the middle of the city. It’s such a great piece of property.”
Cedar Rapids Country Club renovations by the numbers:
- 72 – Tee boxes realigned and laser-graded
- 59 – Redesigned and new bunkers
- 18 – Fairways and approaches expanded
- 12 – Green complexes expanded upon and re-contoured to original Ross specifications
- 3 – Completely redesigned and constructed new green complexes
- 1 – Pond removed
