Wisconsin's Westmoor undergoes dramatic renovation -- WWWLT?

[Phil McDade]

A fairly well-written, detailed article on extensive renovations at Westmoor CC in suburban Milwaukee, which flies a bit below the radar of the top-tier Milwaukee-area privates:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/golf/40578087.html

The article describes some interesting decisions made in the renovation -- flattening some dramatic green slopes, but also cutting down a bunch of trees, and renovating much of the course in the style of William Langford, who did work on the course.

I haven't played, but drive past the course at least 20 times a year. Anyone on the board played it? (I'm thinking of a few specific individuals...)

[Mike McGuire]

Phil -

Played Westmoor a dozen times or more. It was a solid course that hosted a state open recently. Langford redid a few holes in the 50's but I believe the work was dozed.

I toured the course last fall with the assistant super who seeded the greens. They grew in excellent.

The work done at Westmoor is very impressive. Tree removal - new tees , bunkers and greens make it a much better course. A few members who were very much against it changed their minds after witnessing the work.

The only negative is you can see more of the busy roads bordering the west and south. Trees that used to block the view were replaced by berms that don't get as high. Interesting they got an incredible amount of free fill (and a dozer operator) from the construction of a nearby interstate exchange.

I am looking forward to playing it this year.

[Scott Witter]

The article clearly states that Lohman Designs did the design work.

We have plenty and I mean plenty of poa in all of the greens in western NY and across the state for that matter and many of the classic courses by Ross, Travis, etc., have some steep and slippery slopes--none of them have felt it necessery to ease the slopes or rebuild their greens. 

[RJ_Daley]

"We sort of grasped onto the William Langford spirit," Quitno said. "The big plateau greens, like at Lawsonia, the deep bunkers. So that was the style we implemented. We added features around the greens, chipping hollows. We extended the bent-grass fringes. It encourages creativeness around the greens."

Has Lohmann Designs started channeling ODGs or was this a unique effort?  Has anyone seen any other Lohmann Designs work lately?  I ask because my impressions were that Bob Lohmann wasn't too particularly into remodelling or original designs that paid too much attention to ODG styles or methods.  If he and his associate Quitno have changed to this more nostalgic look back at classic styling, I wonder if it shows a certain influence of discussions and wider awareness of the old classics.

[Mike McGuire]

I noticed a few greens where the walk off is bent grass all the way to the tee.  A nice touch.

[Dan Moore]

Ironically Lohman did renovation work at an original Langford Moreau 27 holer that was originally called Westmoor now Schaumburg GC.  Maybe they have learned to appreciate L/M since then, but that effort did nothing to retain L/M style and that's a shame because the skeleton of a pretty darn good, but not great, course is still there. 

Here is my Chicago aerial on that one.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,26583.msg498553.html#msg498553

[Bryan Bergner]

Greetings

Westmoor Country Club opened in 1926 and was originally designed by a member, Mr. Lloyd Fitzgerald.  It had not seen any significant changes until Westmoor sold a portion of the south end of the property in the late 50's for the expansion of Interstate 94.  During this period, William Langford redesigned the holes that were wiped out by the freeway.  These were holes 4,5,6,7,& 8.  David gill came in in 1973 and did some work on holes 1,10,15,16,17, & 18.  But of all the holes at Westmoor, it was the Langford stretch that were the "strongest" and better designed. 

As the article states, Lohmann Golf Designs was hired to design our golf course improvement project.  In previous years, they have done an excellent job enhancing a few holes in the middle to late 90's and recently worked on the green surrounds on holes 6 & 8 as well as the west side of our fourth hole. 

The challenge was on Todd Quitno (Senior Project Architect) to create a design that tied in the entire course with the main attributes of a Langford design, mainly cuts and fills that formed plateau greens with flat sand bunkers.   This with 15 of the 20 green SURFACES remaining untouched .  So, in order to take a green that's flat to the ground and make it look like it stands up and presents itself (Lawsonia, Westbend CC) he cored out around the green surface to give the greens the look of a Langford plateaued green.  He definitely accomplished this throughout the course.

Other notables about the project:

1. Closed Aug. 1st, 2008 & scheduled to open May 29th, 2009.
2.  XGD Drainage installation to all greens.
             a.  14 greens done between April and May 28th 2008
             b.  Greens 9,10,14,12 had XGD installed after they were completely reshaped and before they were seeded.
                       1.  This was a rather unique process
3.  Greens that were not reshaped were fumigated with methyl bromide.
4.  All greens seeded with A-1 bentgrass.
5.  16 golf holes received significant changes to green surrounds, fairway bunkers, fairway shape and tee complexes.
6.  The creation of "par equity" between men and women by changing  tee locations and fairway landing areas.


For photos of the project and some articles on the process feel free to visit my grounds & greens website at:
http://www.westmoorgrounds.com

Bryan Bergner
Assistant Superintendent
Westmoor CC






 

[Phil_the_Author]

Bryan,

Were you aware that Tilly redesigned two of the holes at Westmoor? he visited the club on November 13, 1935, at the request of club professional "Blackie" Nelthorpe. In Tilly's report of his visit, he mentions that along with Nelthorpe, also present were the President of the Club Clyde Reed, Greenkeeper Archie Schendel and National P.G.A. Secretary R.W. Tracey.

He wrote that, "At their request I selected an entirely new fourteenth to replace the present hole of 136 yards. The new one, from a new teeing ground to a new green, will measure approximately 160 yards. This change makes possible a new green for the thirteenth across a neglected lake, and altogether an improved hole..."

I'm very curious if this work was done (the notes intimate that it would) and if anything is left after the further course renovations mentioned above...

[Bryan Bergner]

Mr. Young,

I'm not aware of Tilly any Tilly work at Westmoor.  I've just scanned the history book and do not see any reference.
However,  we have a gentleman named Erv "Bert" Bertram who is our "historical greenskeeper" and is on our staff.  His father started working here in 1925.  Bert has been here since he was born.  He and I had a conversation on the last day we were opened last year, (July 31st) on the 14th green as he was changing the hole location for the last time.  He pointed out that the green used to be closer to the tee (about 25 yds) near the oak trees on the south and that the small bumps that are still in that area were the original green banks. 

I will look further and talk to Bert.

If you go to the website and navigate to the web gallery on the welcome page you will find a picture of Bert on the old 14 green.

Thanks

[RJ_Daley]

It looks like the 3rd green channels Langford and Morreau best to me...

[Phil McDade]

Bryan:

Thanks for the update on what looks like a big project, and one that probably took some work with the membership to accomplish. There is something of a Langford cult here on the Discussion Board -- many of its prominent members have weighed in on this thread -- and that's what caught my eye about the original newspaper article. Is the par 3 that RJ Daley references -- is that the same one I look upon with envy from the interstate (at the intersection of I-94 and Moorland)?

Good luck with the rest of the project; sounds like one of the more interesting renovation projects in Wisconsin golf of late.

[Bryan Bergner]

Phil,

The green you see from I-94 is the par 3 5th hole.  This was also tweaked by Lohmann.


DSchmidt,

Chipping and putting greens.

[Dan Moore]

Bryan,

Thank you for the report and welcome to the site.  Great to have another perspective from a Langford course.  

Everyone should look at Bryan's website.  Some great stuff on a renovation project from the inside.  

I recall seeing some photos of Westmoor a few years ago and there was one long slightly uphill par 3 that definitely had the L/M stamp on it.  

Look forward to hearing more about Langford at Westmoor.  Do you any plans, photos from the time he did the work there in the 1950's.  

[Bryan Bergner]

Dan

Thanks for the comments on the website.  It's been a great way for me to communicate with the membership during the project.

I have not seen any of Langfords plans for hole 4-8.  I will see if I can track some down. 

Bryan

[Jeff Shelman]

I drove past here on Friday and thanks to slow traffic on 94, I got to "see" the work here.

I was shocked at how open it looked from the interstate. The tree removal looks good and the bunker work that can be seen from the road looks very cool.

I used to frequently stay at the hotel across the street, so I had driven past the place a bunch of times.

[PThomas]

anybody played here since the work was done??

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