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John Nixon

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Doak to restore Broadmoor - from today's Indpls Star
« on: July 31, 2003, 01:13:26 PM »
My apologies if this has been posted already. Only thing that concerns me is the impression the article gives that the primary reason to restore the course is to regain a magazine ranking.

"Broadmoor set for a restoration

By Phil Richards
phil.richards@indystar.com
July 31, 2003
 

Tom Doak's assignment at Broadmoor Country Club is to restore the venerable Donald Ross-designed golf course to its old glory. The hope is that he also will restore its ratings.

Broadmoor ranked No. 79 when GolfWeek magazine in 1997 first published its listing of America's top 100 Classic Courses, those built prior to 1960. The Westside club was No. 89 a year later, and out of the rankings in 1999.

"We think there's no question we'll make it back on that list," said Ted Sturges, a member of Broadmoor's greens committee, and an early advocate of bringing in Doak, a golf course architect with a reputation for artful restorations. "I think it might even make Golf Digest's top 100 list."

Broadmoor is one year into a three-year program. A state-of-the-art, triple-row irrigation system has been installed and some trees have been removed. What remains is restoration of the fairways and greens to Ross' 1922 specifications, some bunker work and further tree removal.

Through the years, Broadmoor's mowing patterns changed and playing areas changed with them. Fairways became narrower and trees grew, lots of them, sometimes around fairway bunkers. Some of Ross' best hole locations were lost as corners and lobes of greens went from bent grass to bluegrass.

"Really, the membership has done a great job with the course," said Broadmoor superintendent Sam MacKenzie. "This is the first time they've ever brought in an architect and it isn't to change the course; it's to return it to what it was."

Doak was in Tasmania, where he is building a golf course, and couldn't be reached for comment."

Chris_Clouser

Re:Doak to restore Broadmoor - from today's Indpls Star
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2003, 01:35:23 PM »
Congratulations Tom.  

I am so delighted to hear someone will be doing this.  Finally Indianapolis will be able to see what a true gem this is and that not everything has to be a Pete Dye design to be really great.  Please let me know when you are in town.  

Tom_Doak

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Re:Doak to restore Broadmoor - from today's Indpls Star
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2003, 12:24:27 PM »
We've actually been doing the master planning work there for 18 months ... funny that it's news this week.

They have never said anything to me directly about the course's ranking, or lack of it.  Maybe they are telling their members about rankings to justify taking out some of the trees we've recommended for the chainsaw.

John Nixon

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Re:Doak to restore Broadmoor - from today's Indpls Star
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2003, 12:44:36 PM »
We've actually been doing the master planning work there for 18 months ... funny that it's news this week.
Well, the Star's golf coverage doesn't exactly warrant any awards for breadth, depth, timeliness, or anything else...

They have never said anything to me directly about the course's ranking, or lack of it. Good to hear

 Maybe they are telling their members about rankings to justify taking out some of the trees we've recommended for the chainsaw. Did they specifically mention you might get some negative response to tree removal? I've not played the course, but drive by it occasionally. From what I've seen, I can't imagine not wanting to clean the course up a bit.

RJ_Daley

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Re:Doak to restore Broadmoor - from today's Indpls Star
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2003, 01:17:59 PM »
Tom D., I'm just curious about how you approach a green restoration on a classic course like this with what I assume are Ross like crowned greens and perhaps interesting skyline profiles to the horizon.  The article indicates that you are bringing out the green surfaces to recapture lost lobes and corners and I assume they mean Annual Bluegrass, (Poa) has encroached over the years to have lost those areas.  Do you strip off the sod on the margins only and embark on a turf species conversion over time with verticutting and overseeding and poa suppression chemical measures, or strip away and replant the whole green?  If the latter, do you then go into the core and start remodelling the drainage lines, requiring new root zone mixes and a recontouring to attempt to re-establish the near original contours and slopes, or due to faster putting speeds, allow the contours to soften a bit in their % of slope in a regrade operation?  What do you prefer to re-establish the turf, seed or sod, washed sod?
« Last Edit: August 01, 2003, 01:19:44 PM by RJ_Daley »
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Paul Richards

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Re:Doak to restore Broadmoor - from today's Indpls Star
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2003, 06:58:48 AM »
After Doak gets through restoring Broadmoor, I have little doubt that this Ross gem will shine once again!
"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

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