Zinkand Golf Design (ZGD), led by golf course architect David Zinkand, has completed construction of a short course and practice facility at Chicago’s Saddle & Cycle Club.
The course’s reversible routing maximizes the golfing potential of a very compact and urban site located just north of Lincoln Park, along Lake Shore Drive and slightly inland from Lake Michigan’s Foster Avenue Beach. Eight engaging par-3 holes can be played in two opposing directions, with a four-hole routing in play at any given time. The design ingeniously preserves space in the unused direction for members to simultaneously practice their short games and putting.
Work entailed the demolition of the parcel’s existing golf features, followed by the construction of four new greens and a putting course totaling 30,000 square feet. Installation of seven Capillary Flow-lined bunkers, an artificial tee line and more than 15,000 square feet of new teeing ground were other project highlights. The golf course is expected to open in summer 2026.
“The decision to implement a reversible routing was driven by a desire to maximize variety and interest within the site’s limited footprint,” said Zinkand, who completed a multi-year golf course restoration earlier this year at the venerable Old Elm Club in nearby Highland Park, Illinois. “Saddle & Cycle’s gently contoured terrain gave us latitude to flex our creative muscles with the routing. Additionally, the greens have been designed with ample size to support consistent play, multiple pin placements and adequate recovery time for turf health. It’s a really cool project and the type of brief we think golf will see much more of in the coming years.”
“The club’s excited to soon offer our members a quick and enjoyable loop of par-3 holes, along with generous putting and pitching areas for both practice and casual recreation,” said Susannah Miller, general manager and Saddle & Cycle Club's COO. “While we previously offered a golf amenity, Dave and his team’s creativity is going to take it to a level we had not anticipated and set the standard for city clubs.”
Located a short par-4 from Lake Michigan, Saddle & Cycle was founded as a bicycle club in 1895. Now celebrating its 130th year, it has long been an oasis in the city and committed to being the finest private club in the Chicago area.
POTTAWATTOMIE GETS DOUBLE TREATMENT
Golf course architect Raymond Hearn has been selected by Pottawattomie Country Club, located in Michigan City, Indiana, for a renovation and restoration of its classic 1909 golf course.
The original nine holes (current holes 10-18) were designed by the legendary Tom Bendelow, and in 1965, Indiana-based architect Bob Simmons designed the second nine (currently 1-9).
"What an honor and privilege it is to work with this great historic club," said Hearn, founder of Raymond Hearn Golf Course Designs. "Our goal is to create a comprehensive master plan that involves sympathetic restoration with some conventional restoration. The history, membership, terrain and course routing are all outstanding. We are currently involved with three outstanding Bendelow-designed golf courses. The club is so unique with its membership drawing from three different states (Indiana, Illinois and Michigan). It is located minutes from Lake Michigan on a beautiful site. The Master Planning Committee is comprised of very passionate individuals that care deeply about their historic club. I look forward to working closely with them."
Greens Committee chair David Baldwin said Hearn was the unanimous selection of the club’s board from an original list of 10 notable architects.
"As soon as we began to work with Ray everyone saw why we chose his company for the project," Baldwin said. "His work at Midlothian Country Club [built in 1898] and Flossmoor Country Club [1899] in the Chicago area really impressed us. Ray shares the same passion and respect that we have for our unique Bendelow-designed back nine and Simmons-designed front nine. He talks of polishing up a real gem of a golf course."
Baldwin, who like several members has Chicago roots, said Hearn will collaborate closely with the Master Planning Committee and key staff on design ideas, priorities, and phasing of projects, and he will also be offering opportunities for our entire membership to express their ideas.
"I liked the way Ray approached the club and our golf course," he said. "I think some of us were concerned about having an architect come in and say they want to change things dramatically. It was clear from the start Ray wanted to preserve our history."
Jamie Baldwin, who is not related to Daniel Baldwin, is a third-generation member of the club from Michigan City and a member of the Master Planning Committee. He said he is happy the board selected Hearn for the project.
"After hearing him talk I saw he realized we have a course with two nines from different eras, but nines that I think most of us feel complement each other," Jamie Baldwin said. "I was also pleased he wanted our perspective on it. He watched four of us play, riding along, pointing out things he could see in the design that Bendelow created. He saw what we love about our golf course. He is also willing to listen and work with us so that we don’t have to shut down the course completely."
THE SOCIAL ASPECT
Bergin Golf Designs is pleased to announce our engagement with Wilderness Country Club in Naples, FL. This property is a true sanctuary and we look forward to informing their future! pic.twitter.com/q00VzUSsqA
— Bill Bergin, ASGCA (@bergingolf) November 22, 2025
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE AT INFINITUM
The 45-hole Infinitum Resort on the Costa Dorada of Spain, about an hour south of Barcelona, has reopened its Hills back nine following a remodel by Dave Sampson of European Golf Design.
The project comprised phase one of a two-phase renovation and revolved around enhancing the course’s strategy, long-term sustainability and its suitability to host tournament play.
New green complexes were a highlight but also accomplished were a revised routing and updated grasses. A 30% reduction in bunkers was also effected. Perhaps the most notable change involved the rebuilding of the 18th hole, which was transformed into a par 4 with an island green tucked into a natural quarry.
"We’re incredibly proud to unveil the back nine renovation of the Hills course," said Joaquin Mora Bertran, deputy general manager at Infinitum, to GolfCourseArchitecture.net. "The new 18th hole in particular will provide a truly spectacular finale, one that will challenge and excite in equal measure."
Work on the front nine started in December and will continue through September 2026. The revised Hills back nine will pair with the resort’s nine-hole Ruins layout to form a temporary 18-hole track until the front nine project has concluded.
"At its core, this renovation is about cementing the Hills as one of Europe’s best courses, as well as bringing it up to the standard the resort’s Lakes course reached when it underwent a renovation of its own recently," Bertran said. "Of course, we still have about a year to wait before we can experience the fully renovated course in all its glory but based on the incredible work done on the back nine we are very much looking forward to seeing the finished product later in 2026."
