Ross in Durham, NC

[A.G._Crockett]

Hope Valley Country Club, in Durham, NC is a Donald Ross course dating back to 1926.  It has of course been renovated on several occasions in the past, but the members have viewed the course as being relatively faithful to the original design, and it is a wonderful course.

In January, they are closing down, and Brian Silva will be reworking the greens.  The plan is to restore the greens to "original" specs, and the course will remain closed until Oct. of '03.

I am not familiar with Brian Silva's work, but a friend who is on the Greens Committee at HVCC tells me that Silva is somewhat prominent for this sort of project on a Ross course.  

Are any of you familiar with Mr. Silva's other projects?

[Greg Holland]

In the Jan/Feb 2002 issue of "Links" magazine, the focus is on architecture.  There is an article about renovating Ross courses, and it lists Brian Silva as the architect that renovated the following Ross courses:  Seminole, Biltmore Forest CC (Asheville), Charlotte CC, and Riviera CC in Miami.  In the same issue, Silva also wrote an article entitled "Explaining the 'Raynor Standards'" which describes the Redan, Cape, Punchbowl, Biarritz, Short, Eden, Alps and Double Plateau holes.  It also lists Black Creek in Chattanooga, TN, Cape Cod National, and Redtail GC in Mass. as Silva courses.  He also designed Atlantic CC with Geof. Cornish and restored Flynn's Lancaster CC.  

[Bill_Overdorf]

Can someone direct me toa source for Brian Silva's article
"Explaining the 'Raynor standards'" ?

Merry Christmas to all...Keep them all in the short grass.

[Chris_Clouser]

I talked with the super at the course last summer in doing research on Perry Maxwell and talked with him about the course.  At the time they were still trying to research which greens Maxwell had altered when he was then in the early 1930s.  He was under the impression at the time that they were going to rebuild every green to the original specs or to the best that they could come up with at the time the work would begin.

[jz]

Small point but Brian Silva did not restore Lancaster, it was Gil Hanse, and he did a super job!  Silva did the new third nine approximately 1991 or 92.  Respectfully, jz.

[Greg Holland]

I have no idea if Silva restored Lancaster, but on www.golfcourse.com is the following:

Highlands/Meadowcreek Course at Lancaster Country Club
36-hole (Private)
1466 New Holland Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
United States (Lancaster County)
Phone: (717)393-4064
Fax: (717)393-8724
Year Built 1920  
Designer William S. Flynn & Brian Silva  
Classification Private  
 

[Mike_Cirba]

GregH;

Gil Hanse did restoration work at Lancaster over the past few years, which is understand is fabulous.  

"jz" is correct that Silva was responsible for '92 creation work on the "third nine".  

[Greg Holland]

Thanks

[Brad Klein]

I've seen quite a bit of Silva's Ross restoration work and it is excellent. He did a phenomenal job at Augusta CC (Ga.), Biltmore (NC), and Charlotte (NC). He's also engaged in a serious and very compelling restoration of Brookside (Oh.). What I really like is Silva's refusal to compromise on bringing back carry bunkers, cross-hazards, green sizes and slopes. He's also done fine work recently on two Raynor layouts, Lookout Mountain (Ga.) and Mountain Lake (Fla.).

[A.G._Crockett]

Thanks for the responses.  I played the course today with a member of the Greens Com. who helped to conduct the interviews and made the decision to hire Brian Silva.  They are turning the course over to him in 10 days, and it will be a full restoration, especially the greens.  Brad Klein, my friend especially mentioned Silva's insistence on cross-bunkers, even some not in play, being retained.  He did, however, say that Silva was going to add about a dozen bunkers around the course, so I assume that, to some extent, Silva's plan is to "recreate" rather than restore, so that the overall impact of the course is more Ross-like, whatever that means!

The consensus is that Silva is the leading guy in the country for this type of restoration project.  It's a long way off, but when the course reopens next fall, I'll post an update!