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Did the old guy have all white hair? May have been my bro-in-law.
This from the announcement of the "For All Bicentennial Campaign" capital campaign:
Link
"A renovation of the IU golf course will establish a destination, championship 18-hole golf course and renovated clubhouse worthy of the IU brand. This renovation will not only enable our intercollegiate golf teams to compete at the highest levels but will provide a quality of life and economic development amenity for the entire University and Bloomington communities. This renovation's estimated cost is $11 million, and its completion date is dependent on securing a lead gift."
The range is going to be where the par 3 course currently is.i find the "all or nothing" thing a little strange, but i'll assume that's being a little dramatic, and they plan to get it done.
since they have a number in mind, i'll presume they already have the plans on what they are going to do.
would love some detail on what all they plan.
wonder if they have another spot picked out for a range.
as for the new club house, surely they'll build it approx where the original one was, as like i said before, no longer a reason to have it where it now is anymore.
the original site makes it walkable again, plus having it where so many holes start and end in that one general spot is very cool.
they definitely need to do the 13th at Augusta thing with now 9, (originally 8) green, with the high back traps behind/beside the green, and if you're going to have 1 water feature, in front of that green is the place.
that's definitely where you make your signature hole.
would hit me really hard to see that course go away, just way too much potential that pretty much can't be duplicated elsewhere.
Thanks for a worthless addition to this thread.
Was glad to see that a renovation of the golf course is part of the facility master plan and that they are planning to adequately fund it. Prior to the IU Health move, Inthought that the university would be well-served to build a new hotel and conference center on the driving range site, along with a renovation of the course to create a destination "resort" in town, such as at Duke, but it's not to be.
The course has good "bones", a nice piece of land and a decent layout, with some additional room throughout. New drainage/irrigation, new grass, rebuilt greens, tree removal, and additional bunkering are the biggest needs. My guess is that Tim Liddy, if he's still around, will do the work, as he designed the golf teams' practice facility. Previously, Liddy's website listed the IU Golf Course renovation as a project for his firm. I'd love to see someone like Tom Doak or Coore/Crenshaw get the project, as they would build a nice, low-profile redesign. I love C&C's work at the Warren Course at ND and Doak has done a number of great courses and has done university work at Texas Tech.
A renovated course can certainly provide opportunities to the school to field high-level teams (Illinois has been a championship level program for a while), as well as driving increased play during football weekends, summer, etc. College tournaments and state amateur and professional events can also bring more people and money into town during the summer months, as well.
Overall, this is exciting news for IU and Bloomington.
My preference would be for whoever is tapped for the renovation to come in and make it the best course possible, whether that entails keeping the same feel and aesthetic or making it their own. Liddy did a nice job in the renovation of Sultan's Run in Jasper, and he really changed the look without ruining a great piece of property. He was also deeply involved with Pete Dye in renovating The Fort. I wouldn't mind the renovation at IU reflecting the look, feel, and challenge of those courses.
The biggest thing will be modernization of the drainage/irrigation, re-grassing, and tree removal. Just doing those things alone would make a world of difference, even if nothing else were changed.
Being in Indiana, I'd be surprised if Dye, Liddy, or Kern don't get the job. With said said, I wouldn't be shocked to see Fuzzy brought in for the work. He's a booster and would probably do it for free. Maybe we could get Dye for the Purdue discount...
I'd pass on Fuzzy too. His courses are fun and playable, but not particularly distinctive or challenging. But, you know how this works. If a big booster comes in and wants to do the work, are you going to turn him down and potentially insult him?
If the IU Golf Course ends up anything like The Fort, I'd be ecstatic. Challenging, playable, looks great, and takes advantage of the property. Liddy has done great work on his own and with Dye. Rock Hollow is a solo design of his that could also be an interesting comp, without the quarry.
I'd pass on Fuzzy too. His courses are fun and playable, but not particularly distinctive or challenging. But, you know how this works. If a big booster comes in and wants to do the work, are you going to turn him down and potentially insult him?
If the IU Golf Course ends up anything like The Fort, I'd be ecstatic. Challenging, playable, looks great, and takes advantage of the property. Liddy has done great work on his own and with Dye. Rock Hollow is a solo design of his that could also be an interesting comp, without the quarry.
i've played The Fort a few times, and there is absolutely nothing impressive about it imo. (albeit, not a great piece of land to work with).
was very disappointed with it, after hearing what a great course it was when i was younger. (pre renovation).
that said, i never played it pre renovation, so i can't make a 1st person before and after comparison. but it's sure nothing special now. (but i definitely can make a 1st person before/after comparison with Coffin, and it's not positive.).
i have though talked to several who did play The Fort before and after, (all good players, one an ex IU golfer), who all told me they liked it much better pre renovation.
yes, due to connections, wouldn't be surprised if Dye or Liddy or Fuzzy was involved. (no idea what FZ's concepts are).
just saying, after seeing what Dye's and Liddy's concepts are, i don't think they are a good fit for IU, and would lose the old school character of the course. (don't think they could stop themselves if they wanted to).
and after seeing what they did to that piece of land in French Lick, i can only wonder, WTF were they thinking.
but the Dye formula guys want to apply their "formula" everywhere, because it's what they know, what they do, and artistically who they are.
and no offense, Jackson Pollock is absolutely brillant, but i wouldn't bring him in if what i'm going for is Michelangelo.
no offense, i think the Dye formula definitely has it's place, especially when dealing with flat non wooded piece of land that needs some bling built into it, (contouring, water, mounds, lots of sand, etc), so it doesn't still look like a plain flat piece of land after the fact.
but like i said above, Augusta National is far and away the most desired course in the country, and unfortunately, there are very very few courses anywhere that could capture anything like that feel.
but IU is one of the very very few that actually could, and it would be criminal not to seize that potential to it's fullest.
I hear what you are saying about the "Augustaesque" qualities that the IU Golf Course potentially possesses, as there are some similarities in the land. That said, I really would prefer that the architect didn't create a copy of Augusta, inferior to the real thing. Check out Tiger's new course in Texas, Bluejack National. It looks like one of those cheesy courses that replicates famous holes. Total ripoff of the unique look and feel of Augusta.
I think that Dye or Liddy will get the job, but I would still prefer that it go to Doak or Coore & Crenshaw. Love what they do and would certainly be unique in that part of the state, particularly due to the incredible number of Dye/Liddy courses in Indiana.
Doak is excellent. I've looked at a few of his courses in Michigan, and those courses have some of the same topography as IU.I hear what you are saying about the "Augustaesque" qualities that the IU Golf Course potentially possesses, as there are some similarities in the land. That said, I really would prefer that the architect didn't create a copy of Augusta, inferior to the real thing. Check out Tiger's new course in Texas, Bluejack National. It looks like one of those cheesy courses that replicates famous holes. Total ripoff of the unique look and feel of Augusta.
I think that Dye or Liddy will get the job, but I would still prefer that it go to Doak or Coore & Crenshaw. Love what they do and would certainly be unique in that part of the state, particularly due to the incredible number of Dye/Liddy courses in Indiana.