Good news and bad news in my beloved Ohio...good renovations and bad renovations around the world.
Fountaingrove (Santa Rosa, CA): Fountaingrove’s course renovation has come to an abrupt hold as inspectors on site identified violations of grading and draining codes.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/santa-rosa-fountaingrove-club-permits/Quail Hollow (Oakham, MA): The ‘90s-era course has sold but one of the owners is a former pro / manager so probably staying a golf course.
https://www.telegram.com/story/business/2025/03/25/quail-hollow-golf-course-in-oakham-changing-hands-for-2-3-million/82654285007/Westport, WA: A project aiming to build a David McLay-Kidd course on the coast is about to enter its final environmental review…a number of lawsuits from the public remain for the long-going plan.
https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/environment/westport-golf-course-project-environment-wetlands/281-f1a9b559-b548-48d2-9fcb-ab797bfa214b Mountain Sky Guest Ranch (Emigrant, MT): Davis Love III design will remove 10 bunkers (and add 30 more) in a quick turnaround renovation at this nine-hole resort offering.
https://www.golfcourseindustry.com/news/mountain-sky-guest-ranch-bunker-project/Council Fire (Chattanooga, TN): The state-splitting Cupp course will redesign its final hole under Mike Reilly’s guidance. The rendering makes me wonder if there’s new real estate to blame…
https://www.chattanoogan.com/2025/3/23/501123/Renovation-To-Closing-Hole-Among-Major.aspx Broadmoor (Colorado Springs, CO): After nature had its way with two attempts at traditional 18-hole courses, the resort has done analysis and found potential to house a par-three course within the area where the Mountain course once sat. Beau Welling will design.
https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/broadmoor-plans-to-build-par-3-short-course-at-site-of-defunct-mountain-courseMills Creek (Sandusky, Ohio): The actual news is that the municipal course is making cart path repairs but the part that amused me, a guy with too many journalism degrees, was the
Sandusky Register’s decision to present this as the world’s most mundane Q&A feature.
https://sanduskyregister.com/news/572816/golf-course-getting-trails/Meadowood (Westlake, Ohio): The town is moving along with plans for a plan put forward years ago by Straka/Fry and local golf celebrity Jimmy Hanlin to convert this municipal into a reversible routing accompanied by training facilities.
https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/westlake-plans-5-million-practice-facility-meadowoodDesert Hawk (Pueblo, CO): Desert Hawk has major irrigation issues (using about 60% more water than expected) but the estimate to fix the problem is a few million too high for the government’s tastes. Not as much room for rewilding rough as elsewhere.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/replacing-desert-hawk-golf-course-150040156.htmlSugar Creek (Waukee, IA): City council approved a $400 million development that would, among other things, expand the existing Sugar Creek nine-holer to 18. I don’t know if it’s far enough along to have a name attached yet.
https://www.kcci.com/article/waukee-city-council-approves-400-million-civic-campus-project/64212880Virginia (Virginia, MN): If you read the attached link, you’ll get a microcosmic look at the considerations for small courses dealing with off-course damages and potential solutions. Virginia is looking at a net for hole No. 2 but much to be discussed.
https://www.mesabitribune.com/news/local/virginia-looks-into-netting-barrier-along-golf-course-hole/article_a00af6a4-040f-11f0-b7d1-03d2aaadab3f.htmlBrookside (Pasadena, CA): The Rose Bowl’s neighborhood course has more concrete news on the funding of its safety netting project.
https://pasadenanow.com/main/brookside-golf-course-netting-other-amendments-to-2025-capital-improvement-program-budget-on-council-agendaAsheville (Asheville, NC): The city is soliciting pitches to rebuild the nine holes ravaged by Helene and develop plans to mitigate future weather issues. Although a restoration seems to be the plan, based on all the Ross references, it’s also notable that there’s a profit motive…the course operates significantly in the red as a nine-hole operation.
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2025/03/24/asheville-seeks-team-to-restore-historic-muni-golf-course-after-storm/82571816007/Beaver Brook (Williamsburg, MA): A local land trust is hoping to raise funds, purchase this Central Massachusetts course and re-wild.
https://www.gazettenet.com/Trustees-campaign-to-buy-Beaver-Brook-Golf-Course-60075226Kyber Run (Johnstown, Ohio): The owners of this north-of-Columbus local are debating selling the course or annexing to Johnstown but it seems likely that either results in housing development as the region looks to house the incoming Intel employees…if that ever ends up happening.
https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2025/03/23/kyber-run-golf-course-could-be-annexed-into-johnstown-become-housing/82545949007/