Compass Pointe Golf Club Receives Excellence in Design from ASGCA
The Compass Pointe Golf Club which opened as a brand-new course in June 2016 has just received the official award for Excellence in Design from the American Society of Golf Course Architects. The course was designed by Rick Robbins with the assistance of Brian Lussier, who both said that Compass Pointe was one of the most enjoyable projects that they’ve ever worked on.
This is the sixth year of the Design Excellence Recognition Program. Since its creation, it has highlighted the innovation and problem-solving skills required of today’s golf course designs, from new 18-hole layouts to practice facilities and renovations of various sizes.
The first challenge Robbins faced at Compass Pointe was the constraints of the environmental requirements and financial limitations within a coastal community that launched during the real estate market downturn of 2008. They had a 2,200-acre North Carolina coastal community that not only needed a golf course as an amenity for residents to enjoy, but to also be an asset for real estate properties themselves. The solution involved many approaches, including: new golf routing to fit within existing wetlands; designing/maintaining the course to meet Audubon International standards; adding family tees so each hole may be played as a par 3; and using existing features of vegetation, wetlands, sandy soils to create a natural style course to reduce construction costs. The result was amazing, and they created a course that has become known for its fun and flexible playability.
Members of the Society submitted nominations for courses all across the country. The 2017 nominations were reviewed by a panel of golf industry leaders, including representatives of the Club Managers Association of America, Golf Course Builders Association of America and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America; and winners were decided.
- Other clubs that were recognized are:
- Colleton River, Bluffton, South Carolina/Tim Liddy, ASGCA
- Golf de Club de Panama, Panama City, Panama/Ray Hearn, ASGCA
- Hunt Valley Country Club, Phoenix, Maryland/Jason Straka, ASGCA, and Dana Fry, ASGCA
- Longleaf Golf & Family Club, Southern Pines, North Carolina/Bill Bergin, ASGCA
- Meadowbrook Country Club, Northville, Michigan/Andy Staples, ASGCA
- Mountain Top Course, Hollister, Missouri/Jeff Lawrence, ASGCA
- Royal Ottawa Golf Club, Ottawa, Canada/Neil Haworth, ASGCA
- Vestavia Country Club, Birmingham, Alabama/Lester George, ASGCA
- Wellesley Country Club, Wellesley, Massachusetts/Mark Mungeam, ASGCA
- Westfield Group Country Club, Westfield Center, Ohio/Dr. Michael Hurdzan, ASGCA Fellow
In an earlier announcement, ASGCA President John Sanford was quoted, “These wonderful golf facilities, and the architects who worked so closely with them, have my congratulations and great respect. The projects recognized here continue the tradition of the Design Excellence Recognition Program; well-designed facilities that make a positive impact on the game to benefit golfers and their communities.”
About ASGCA
Founded in 1946 by 14 leading architects, the American Society of Golf Course Architects is a non-profit organization comprised of experienced golf course designers located throughout the United States and Canada. Members have completed a rigorous two-year long application process that includes the peer review of four representative golf courses.
The average ASGCA member has spent nearly 30 years as a golf course architect, designing 42 new 18-hole courses and has worked on or consulted on nearly 150 projects in eight different countries around the world.
For more information about ASGCA, including a list of current members, log on to the ASGCA website or call (262) 786-5960.
