Overview
“One of the finest nine-hole facilities in North America” by Golfweek.
Located on the campus of a private secondary school, Culver Academies Golf Course is a stunning Langford and Moreau masterwork. Bobby Weed Golf Design was hired to implement an all-encompassing golf course renovation after decades of stunted growth and limited maintenance.
Weed’s sensitive archaeological restoration, coupled with a renewed maintenance investment, has seen this layout gloriously re-emerge, realizing the full potential of its bold and heroic scale.
Awards
2020 GOLF Magazine
Top 50 Stand-Alone 9-Hole Courses, No. 3
2017-20 Golfweek
Best Campus Courses in the U.S., No. 2
Challenge
When Golfweek visited Culver in 2006, their lead architectural writer, Ran Morrissett, instantly recognized the bones of a great golf course: it’s routing, wide fairway corridors, excellent green contours and cavernous bunkers.
However, with just a two-man maintenance crew and no irrigation, Culver’s course conditions deteriorated for decades. Greens were mowed at half their intended size, improper mowing patterns narrowed fairways and bunkers completely vanished.
Following Morrissett’s visit, he published well-chosen words of criticism, asking readers, “How are we supposed to love the course if the school does not?”
From this article, several Culver alumni came together to identify how to restore their 76-acre layout to the Langford and Moreau’s original intent. Bobby Weed Golf Design’s deep knowledge of Golden Age architecture was sought out for this special project.
Approach
This project was as archeological as any that BWGD has been involved in. Bunkers had to be extensively restored in shape, size and location. Greens and fairway sizes had to return to their original sizes. The 9-hole course also had to be lengthened to 3,230 yards. Other notable enhancements by Bobby Weed and Chris Monti:
Tee Boxes: Expanded and re-leveled. New forward tees were added to create a welcoming environment.
Practice Area: A brand new facility was designed and built to foster golf education.
Head Greenskeeper: A new position was created so Mike Vessely, a turfgrass specialist, could start topdressing and sand-capping the greens, as well as overseeing the course agronomy.
Environmental Stewardship: A commitment was made to stringent water and chemical use.
Clubhouse: Dubbed the “Golf House,” the building was fully remodeled and enlarged.
Solution
Culver is now required reading for those studying Golden Age golf course architecture.
By 2015, stimpmeter green speeds had increased from 5.5 to 9.5. Over 200 trees were removed. Irrigation was vastly improved. New sand was spread in every bunker. Fairways and greens were returned to their original specifications.
With a minimalist approach towards agronomy, Bobby Weed Golf Design and Culver Academies have delivered a faithful restoration of this beloved Midwestern golf course.
70% Increase in Course Bookings
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