[CHARLOTTE, N.C.] – Zinkand Golf Design (ZGD) – led by golf course architect David Zinkand and his more than 25 years of experience designing, managing and shaping projects in the field – is beginning the second phase of its master plan project at Wisconsin’s Big Foot Country Club, a 1924 Tom Bendelow design.
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.
The project also addresses key infrastructure needs by expanding pinnable green space and re-grassing 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 recent Midwest projects include a restoration of Highland Park, Illinois’ acclaimed Old Elm Club. “These traits, when combined with Mr. Bendelow’s ‘Golden Age of 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 threes on the downhill 15th (named “Wind Trap”) and uphill 17th holes, and challenging par fours 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.”
Located just off famed Geneva Lake about one hour southwest of Milwaukee and two hours northwest of Chicago, Big Foot Country Club 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.
For more information about ZGD, visit zinkandgolfdesign.com or @zinkandgolfdesign (Instagram).
About Zinkand Golf Design
Zinkand Golf Design stresses three overarching principles – Strategic Options, Sense of Adventure and Genius Loci – to strategically guide clients through project completion. Adapting these principles to each client’s ambitions in a site-specific manner enables the firm to produce results that cost less while elevating artistry and emphasizing realistic upkeep. This perspective was adopted when principal designer David Zinkand, PLA, ASLA, was studying the great golf courses of Great Britain and Ireland as a recipient of the Dreer Award, and then crystallized during his 14 years working for Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Some of Zinkand’s recent clients include Old Elm Club (IL), Monterey Peninsula C.C. (CA), Sharon Golf Club (OH) and Chechessee Creek Club (SC).
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