Big Foot sizes up phase 2 of Dave Zinkand master plan

Zinkand Golf Design, led by golf course architect David Zinkand and his more than 25 years of experience designing, managing and shaping projects, has begun the second phase of its master plan project at Wisconsin’s Big Foot Country Club, a 1924 Tom Bendelow design.

Located just off famed Geneva Lake about one hour southwest of Milwaukee and two hours northwest of Chicago, Big Foot opened in 1924. The club was named after Chief Big Foot and a set of ponds, sacred to the local Native Americans, which now sit below the clubhouse. It has hosted numerous United States Golf Association championship qualifiers and Wisconsin PGA Championships.

ZGD’s master plan will enhance strategic interest and challenge for the skilled player, while introducing greater forgiveness for higher handicaps. This will be achieved by widening playing corridors, thoughtfully situating tees and repositioning bunkers to better capitalize on the terrain and increase options for players of all skill levels. Most notably, rerouting holes 12 through 14 will refine the flow of the course’s routing and create a more adventurous and engaging playing experience.

(Photo: Zinkand Golf Design)

The project also addresses key infrastructure needs by expanding pinnable green space and regrassing all playing surfaces. And to improve aesthetics, a number of Norway spruce will be removed to reveal long views and beautiful mature oak trees. The master plan’s first phase, which focused on bunker renovation, was completed in fall 2024.

“Big Foot is set across striking natural terrain punctuated by meandering streams and spring-fed ponds,” said Zinkand, whose other Midwest projects include a restoration of Highland Park, Illinois’ acclaimed Old Elm Club. “These traits, when combined with Mr. Bendelow’s ‘Golden Age Design’ philosophies, give us an incredible canvas to work with.”

The course’s front nine navigates through more gentle ground, though there are notable moments of drama — most prominently at the par-4 fifth, referred to as “Grand Canyon,” which lunges into a bold, natural valley. The back nine shifts southwest onto more intense terrain, climbing toward the property’s highest point, where holes 12 through 14 will be rerouted over scenic, rolling topography. For the finish, the routing turns back east and features dramatic par-4s with the creekside 16th and 18th rippling back down to the clubhouse surrounds.

“We’re excited to kick off phase two of the master plan with Dave and his team,” said Matthew Leinen, Big Foot’s superintendent. “They’re such phenomenal partners as they view their work through the lens of my team and how we’re going to have to maintain the golf course after the updates are made. This holistic and long-term approach to design is very welcomed.”

DETROIT GC COMPLETES PHASE ONE
Detroit Golf Club has finished the first phase of irrigation work on its North course ahead of a Tyler Rae renovation.

Contractor NMP Golf Construction was responsible for the installation of new mainlines and valves on the 1916 Donald Ross design, working in conjunction with Sam Moynihan, the club’s director of agronomy.

"The decision to install irrigation and storm drain systems ahead of the 2025 renovation has been key," Darryl Bartlett, chief development officer for NMP, told GolfCourseArchitecture.net. “We have created a solid infrastructure that allows the team to focus on constructing course features with great efficiency.

"The approach also provides essential tie-in points and precise elevations for fairway drainage and the two-inch lateral drainage systems. On a very flat site, having known and accurate elevations is invaluable. It enables Tyler and our shaping team to set exact bunker floor grades, locate fairway basins and fine-tune other surface features with confidence and efficiency."

Both the club’s North course — which has played host to the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic since 2019 — and the South course are Donald Ross original creations. Since then, a variety of architects have tweaked the layouts. Rae will endeavor to infuse the Ross characteristics that defined the courses when they opened. Greens will be reconstructed to what Ross had in mind for scale and height.

"The bunker style will be the main eye-catcher since Ross installed high, sand-flashed bunkers that were very rare during the early stages of his design career for a northern course on poor draining soils," Rae said.
"Functionality will follow, and we will incorporate liners from Better Billy Bunker and high-quality angular sand so that they play firm and crisp."

Rae observes that the ninth, 14th and 17th holes reflect the give-and-take between Old World design and current conditions. "We are shifting greens away from high traffic areas so that there is more room for golf, while also restoring their original green shapes and contours. This is a delicate balance for sure."

THE SOCIAL ASPECT

We are delighted to announce that, in partnership with KruseGolf, we have been appointed as consulting course architect to Portsea Golf Club in Victoria, Australia.@mikeclaytongolf :
“I’m delighted to be back advising Portsea, which was one of my first clients in the late 1990s… pic.twitter.com/JcpuZAatEP

— Clayton, DeVries & Pont (@cdpgolf1) June 20, 2025

NEW TRIO ROUNDS OUT THE DOZEN AT BLUE CYPRESS
Blue Cypress Golf Course in Jacksonville, Florida, recently unveiled three new golf holes, giving the former nine-hole layout a total of 12 fun-to-play holes.

Designed in partnership by Michael Beebe, of Beebe & Associates, the City of Jacksonville and Troon, the three new holes are designed to be played on their own or as an addition to the original nine-hole layout.

Blue Cypress has branded the original nine-hole course Big Blue, the new three-hole course Little Blue and the full 12-hole layout The Dozen. Blue Cypress broke ground on the three Little Blue holes in May 2024. The three new par-3 holes all play between 55 and 125 yards depending on the tee box played.

Blue Cypress’ original nine holes, aka Big Blue, features a mix of par 3s, 4s and 5s and plays to a par 36. Blue Cypress also offers a state-of-the-art practice facility that includes a 3,500-square-foot short game practice green and a 330-yard-long grass practice range.

Owned by the City of Jacksonville, Blue Cypress originally opened in the 1960s and has operated under various names over the years. In 2020, Blue Cypress reopened under Indigo Sports management after undergoing major renovations.

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