Caterfae Country Club (Harrietta, MI)
Dec 12, 2021 18:06:02 GMT -5
blueblood1995, mvpmanatee, and 14 more like this
Post by TannerBronson on Dec 12, 2021 18:06:02 GMT -5
Caterfae Country Club
Harrietta, MI
Designed by Dylan Tanner Bronson
CONDITIONS: WINDS LOW NORTH, GREEN SPEEDS MEDIUM FAST
Caterfae History
The town of Harrietta was always a small suburban town with little going on. Low country Michigan was never really a hot spot for any sports or attractions. In 1930, a resident of the small town by the name of Thomas Gange, presented an idea to the town board. Before Gange came to the board. The town needed money to build new roads and a school. The town needed money. The plan was already looking to build a ski resort and wanted something to go along with the mountain. Gange came up with the idea of a golf course and for it to bring championships and money to the town. The town organized a meeting on May 14th, 1931. The course plan was approved but the town was looking for a designer. At first, they contacted William Flynn. Flynn was famous for many championship courses including Omaha Country Club, Shinnecock Hills, and many more. Flynn unfortunately for the town was designing a course in Philadelphia and was unable to design the course for the town. Next on their list was the prolific Donald J. Ross.
Before Caterfae Country Club, Ross designed some of the most well-known golf courses in America. That includes Oak Hill, Inverness, Plainfield, Pinehurst, Seminole, and the famous Oakland Hills nearby Caterfae. Ross arrived at the property of Caterfae on July 6th, 1931. He was mostly interested in the main ridgeline down the middle of the property. Any part of the course could be seen from the top of the ridge and Ross wanted to take advantage of that. Another feature that was liked by Ross was the winding creek that split what is now 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8. Ross began construction on the course on August 1st of that same year and completed the front 9 by the end of the year. Ross resumed construction the May of 1932 and completed the course on August 23rd of that year.
In 1981 the country club made a controversial decision to redesign the course after years of not getting a tournament. The vote won with a 53-47 percent majority. The club invited the infamous Tom Fazio to the property and conducted a large-scale renovation that was completed in 1983. The renovation involved reshaping greens and bunkers. The edges are more rounded and sculpting softer around green sites.
Years after this renovation. The golf community across the country criticized the club’s decisions and preached that the club's old design was one of the best. The club listened and hired architect Dylan Tanner Bronson to restore the club in 2021. Now the country club is looking to host tournaments in the future and is as rossy as it was back when it was built.
Designers Note
Thank you all for taking a read. This course surprisingly is my first ever non contest course!
I had lots of fun with this course and I built it pretty fast. Only three weeks ago it became a side project. It soon evolved into what it is now and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I went for a really standard parkland golf course. Inspired by Oak Hill, Inverness, Aronimink, and Plainfield. Also the smallest bit of winged foot. Here are some pictures.
^ All except the two first photos are mine
This course was meant to be pure Ross and meant to showcase what I know about Ross. Thank you all for playing and good luck out there! The tour version will be out soon!
The course
Thanks for playing!
Cheers,
Tanner
Harrietta, MI
Designed by Dylan Tanner Bronson
CONDITIONS: WINDS LOW NORTH, GREEN SPEEDS MEDIUM FAST
Caterfae History
The town of Harrietta was always a small suburban town with little going on. Low country Michigan was never really a hot spot for any sports or attractions. In 1930, a resident of the small town by the name of Thomas Gange, presented an idea to the town board. Before Gange came to the board. The town needed money to build new roads and a school. The town needed money. The plan was already looking to build a ski resort and wanted something to go along with the mountain. Gange came up with the idea of a golf course and for it to bring championships and money to the town. The town organized a meeting on May 14th, 1931. The course plan was approved but the town was looking for a designer. At first, they contacted William Flynn. Flynn was famous for many championship courses including Omaha Country Club, Shinnecock Hills, and many more. Flynn unfortunately for the town was designing a course in Philadelphia and was unable to design the course for the town. Next on their list was the prolific Donald J. Ross.
Before Caterfae Country Club, Ross designed some of the most well-known golf courses in America. That includes Oak Hill, Inverness, Plainfield, Pinehurst, Seminole, and the famous Oakland Hills nearby Caterfae. Ross arrived at the property of Caterfae on July 6th, 1931. He was mostly interested in the main ridgeline down the middle of the property. Any part of the course could be seen from the top of the ridge and Ross wanted to take advantage of that. Another feature that was liked by Ross was the winding creek that split what is now 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8. Ross began construction on the course on August 1st of that same year and completed the front 9 by the end of the year. Ross resumed construction the May of 1932 and completed the course on August 23rd of that year.
In 1981 the country club made a controversial decision to redesign the course after years of not getting a tournament. The vote won with a 53-47 percent majority. The club invited the infamous Tom Fazio to the property and conducted a large-scale renovation that was completed in 1983. The renovation involved reshaping greens and bunkers. The edges are more rounded and sculpting softer around green sites.
Years after this renovation. The golf community across the country criticized the club’s decisions and preached that the club's old design was one of the best. The club listened and hired architect Dylan Tanner Bronson to restore the club in 2021. Now the country club is looking to host tournaments in the future and is as rossy as it was back when it was built.
Designers Note
Thank you all for taking a read. This course surprisingly is my first ever non contest course!
I had lots of fun with this course and I built it pretty fast. Only three weeks ago it became a side project. It soon evolved into what it is now and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I went for a really standard parkland golf course. Inspired by Oak Hill, Inverness, Aronimink, and Plainfield. Also the smallest bit of winged foot. Here are some pictures.
^ All except the two first photos are mine
This course was meant to be pure Ross and meant to showcase what I know about Ross. Thank you all for playing and good luck out there! The tour version will be out soon!
The course
Thanks for playing!
Cheers,
Tanner
