Looking Back at 2010 & Ahead to 2011


 In spite of the doom and gloom hovering over much of the golf course development world, 2010 was a very good year for me. In May, I opened up Champion Hills Golf Course, a new private course located in Victor, New York (a suburb of Rochester, NY) The course has done very well in its inaugural year and the future looks bright. It is a unique type of golf course that I refer to as a “cottage course” and it fits a distinct niche market that adds to the fine palette of golf available in the greater Rochester area.





Champion Hills - 3rd hole

 


Champion Hills - 9th Hole

 
Through the summer months and into the late fall of 2010, I spent more than 45 days on site directing the construction of the final 9 holes at the Lazy Swan Golf and Country Club in Saugerties, NY. These are the final 9 holes for a new 18 hole course (I have been told it is the only new 18 hole course currently being built in the Northeast.) The first nine holes have already opened for play. Four of the second nine holes have been grassed and the earthmoving on the remaining 5 holes are complete. Final grassing will be completed by Memorial Day of this year and a Labor Day opening for the entire course has been set. In addition, more development within the golf course “village” is planned. Stay tuned for this and other announcements in regards to the project. We are all looking forward to a big opening party early in the fall.

Lazy Swan - 9th Hole



Lazy Swan - 10th Hole



Lazy Swan Construction - 3rd hole bunker complex

 


2011 will bring yet another new course construction in New York State. Plans are set for breaking ground on Barrow’s View Golf Course for June of this year. The course will feature several holes that overlook beautiful Skaneateles Lake and the lake valley. My focus for this project will be on the ecological design of the property. We are going above and beyond the governmental requirements of the project to ensure that we protect and enhance the lake watershed. Skaneateles Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in the United States. I will be discussing this project more as the construction gets under way.



In addition to the new courses, several renovation projects are in the works. So while the economy continues to negatively impact recreation such as golf, I feel fortunate to be involved with several great projects. If all goes as planned, I will have opened 3 new golf courses in 3 years during the current economic downturn in which many more courses are closing than are opening in this country. Here’s to hoping the trend continues through 2012 and beyond.



A Ryder Cup Connection

A few weeks back, a friend of mine called after watching Corey Pavin make his picks for the USA Ryder Cup team on ESPN. He said, "Hey, Isn't that the same Jim Remy you worked for in Vermont, sitting next to Pavin?" I told him that it was was. We did an extensive renovation at Tater Hill Country Club under the direction of Jim Remy, current President of the PGA of America. It involved rebuilding 10 green complexes and re-routing several holes. I think my friend was fishing for Ryder Cup tickets, but I am too busy finishing my new course "The Lazy Swan" in Saugerties, New York and planning another new course for next year to make any trips at this point. We'll be busy building untill the snow flies, and busy through the winter preparing for the next one. However, I do want to wish Jim and  team USA good luck in the matches. I always enjoy watching the teams play and there are a  number of good guys on both sides this go around.

After we finished our work at Tater Hill, I received a nice endorsement from Jim. It is always good to be recognized by someone with his credibility. I will post that below. I look forward to working with him again in the near future.

"We retained Barry Jordan's services to conduct a major renovation project at Tater Hill Country Club. Barry was personally committed to the project throughout the process and worked hard to come up with creative design solutions that fit perfectly with our goals and objectives. The project has been enthusiatically received by our members and quests. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Barry and would highly recommend him as a Golf Course Architect".

Jim Remy - President PGA of America

Lazy Swan Site Planning

One of the things that has been great about the Lazy Swan was developing the "village concept" for the facilities. It allowed me to create an intimate relationship between building architecture and the golf course. Separate buildings include the clubhouse / restaurant, pro shop, banquet hall, pilates studio, locker rooms, cart barn and snack shop. There are still a few more structures to go in, such as office space and retail shops. The owner is now looking into the development of a hotel on site. The golf business has been booming and the facilities, freshly opened, are booking events at a rapid pace. This is a different model from golf and housing, but one that is quite successful here, particularly considering the economy we are in right now. Golf is up at the course 150% over last season, and it appears the banquet hall will be equally successful in the 2011 season.  

News From the Lazy Swan

Things are progressing nicely on the new nine holes at the Lazy Swan in Saugerties, NY. All indications are that we will be open for 18 holes of golf at this time next year (if not before). The existing nine hole course is doing a tremendous amount of business and bucking the downward trend of golf in general. Below is a recent article on the entire facility and future plans.


http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/08/23/news/doc4c71d544cab31851808649.txt

Character Trumps Length

This seems obvious to me……but maybe not so for most golfers. There is no column on the golf card for character. You'll find par, length, handicap, and slope (whatever that is). But you often hear the length of the course mentioned when a course is described - “A brand new 7,500 yard layout”. Often, courses would be better characterized as a long and boring golf course, void of any character or original design concepts. Some of the length of a golf course is simply from not understanding the golf course market that one is targeting. Most often, a golf course is not going to host a PGA Tour event.


There is a HUGE difference in designing a course that will award a professional player over one million dollars for winning a tournament, and designing a course that wants players to pay over a million dollars annually to play. Most of my clients want players to pay to play their courses, not pay out players for winning a tournament.

How many golfers would turn down an opportunity to play National, Augusta, Pine Valley, Fishers Island, etc. if they were required to play a tee length of 6,400 – 6,500 yards?

Lazy Swan Expansion Article

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/07/12/sports/doc4c3aa3e6d56db786700538.txt

The Iron is Ready

Our construction team is on site in Saugerties and ready to go. We will be adding 9 holes to the existing course that opened in 2008. I will keep you posted as the construction gets underway.