Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, reopened Aug. 30 following a renovation from architect Nathan Crace and Wadsworth Golf Construction.
Located 35 miles southeast of Nashville, Old Fort was originally designed in 1985 by Leon Howard and was later renovated in 2003 by Denis Griffiths. When the city's municipal course reopened, Mayor Shane McFarland hit the ceremonial first tee shot.
"It has been a long time coming, but we feel that it has been worth the wait," said Trey Adams, Old Fort Golf Course's club professional. "We are truly excited and ready to showcase just how great this course is now."
The $1.6 million renovation project got underway in January 2024 when bunkers were reshaped and relocated. In addition, Crace added several new bunkers, eliminated others and worked with Wadsworth to enhance the drainage system so that all the bunkers would drain more consistently. In March, the greens renovation began, when cool weather bentgrass was switched out and replaced with warm weather Prizm Zoysia. Crace also restored the greens to their original sizes. The putting surfaces had shrunk approximately by 10% prior to the restoration.
The par-72 Old Fort is located on the banks of the Stones River and sits adjacent to Fortress Rosecrans, a historic earthen fort from the Civil War. Old Fort has served as a qualifying site for the Korn Ferry Tour’s Simmons Bank Open.
CALL IT A 22.22% REDESIGN
Dye Designs Group, a contributor to the Dye family’s golf course architecture legacy for more than 30 years, has completed the redesign of four new holes on the Copper Creek Golf Course at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort.
Holes 12 through 15 were completely reimagined by Cynthia Dye McGarey, DDG’s principal architect, and her son, Matt McGarey, the firm’s senior design associate. The project brief also included repositioning tee boxes on the 16th hole and creation of a new back tee on No. 18. Copper Creek, originally designed by Pete and Perry Dye, opened for play in 1986.
Matt McGarey, a skilled operator of heavy machinery, successfully navigated a tight construction window in summer 2023. Although not originally planned, he quickly assessed project needs and jumped in with the contractor’s team to shape the greens and other important features. Taking this action ensured DDG’s plans were optimally brought to life.
"Condo construction and a new access road for ski operations required the team to rethink the back nine’s routing," said Matt McGarey, who has nearly 20 years of experience as a shaper and project manager. "It was a fun assignment as it not only gave us an opportunity to update a course that Pete and Perry designed, but to add our own spin to the typical Dye aesthetic. Working up here in the mountains means you’re inevitably dealing with some very rocky and challenging terrain, but we’re really happy with how it all turned out."
The new par-3 12th now measures 174 yards from the back tee and calls for a short-iron over the access road to an angled green guarded by flat-bottomed bunkers topped with grass eyebrows.
RELATED: Design Notes archive
Hole 13 is a reachable par 5, playing slightly uphill toward a stunning backdrop of the Ten Mile Range’s Pacific, Atlantic and Crystal peaks, as well as nearby Breckenridge Resort’s Peak No. 8. A volcano bunker behind the putting surface mirrors Peak No. 8 and is a quintessential example of the Dye team deriving design inspiration from the surrounding topography.
The 14th is another par 3. Blessed with long views of Ten Mile Canyon, it plays significantly downhill to a push-up green featuring significant internal contours punctuated by a Biarritz-like channel. The hole’s back tee, at 9,863 feet, is the highest tee box in North America.
Finally, No. 15 is a short par 4 measuring 315 yards from the tips. Although potentially reachable by longer hitters, club selection is of paramount importance as the green is defended by a small pot bunker about 30 yards short of the front apron.
The redesign project represents more than just restoring Copper Creek to 18 holes. It is about offering a golf experience that complements Copper Mountain’s winter offerings and solidifies its status as a year-round resort.
"Partnering with Dye Designs Group to reimagine our back nine holes was an easy choice," said Zach Dobrota, head golf professional at Copper Creek Golf Club. "Their expertise in crafting challenging yet playable layouts is evident in these reimagined holes. This targeted redesign elevates Copper Creek to a whole new level, offering our guests an enhanced golfing experience that showcases the natural beauty of our mountain setting while maintaining the character of our beloved course."
MORE THAN JUST GRASS COURTS
The southwest London, England, suburb of Wimbledon is better known for its legendary grass tennis courts. But the turf at nearby Royal Wimbledon Golf Club is enjoying its own time in the spotlight, thanks to an eight-year renovation project by Mackenzie & Ebert, in conjunction with contractor MJ Abbott.
Mackenzie & Ebert is best known for its renovation work at fabled Open Championship rota links such as Royal Birkdale, Royal Portrush and Royal Troon, but the firm has successfully proved that they are among the best in the world at renovating inland courses as well, with successes at Japan’s Hirono and England’s Royal Mid Surrey.
Although Royal Wimbledon golf dates to 1882, the present course is a 1907 Willie Park Jr. creation that was substantially modified by Henry "Harry" S. Colt in 1924. Heathland regeneration, woodland management (selective tree clearing) and a bunker renovation were among the undertakings in the past eight years in order to preserve and enhance the Colt-infused character for generations to come.
"The approach from day one was to make the whole course play more consistently from start to finish and to emphasize the heathland character of many holes," Tom Mackenzie told Golf Course Architecture magazine. "We have sought to bring elements of that character to the lower areas, which are more parkland in style."
Among the most prominent design changes was converting the long par-4 14th into a reachable par 5.
"As the project developed through the phases, it also became clear that the 14th needed to be realigned to address a safety issue and the solution was to make the hole a short par 5, breaking up a run of tough par 4s from 11 to 16," Mackenzie said. "The additional shot to par means that the overall par matches the course rating, but, more valuably, it has produced a visually stimulating hole with many more choices and options. It has turned a tough par 4 that most would kindly have described as a slog into a fun birdie opportunity, so it has been a big improvement in the layout."
Holes 13 and 17 saw vistas and options restored, thanks to tree clearing, while bunkers were refashioned to capture the Colt spirit, if not the precise details.
"The aerial images we found (from 1924) inspired our work," Mackenzie said, "but in researching the club’s minute books, it was found that Colt’s bunkers had immediately proved impractical to manage, so it would have been folly to restore exactly those bunkers with their associated problems. The look produced is certainly faithful to that of a century ago but in a more maintainable form."
