www.morningread.com | Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville, Md.
(CROWNSVILLE, Md.) – The Preserve at Eisenhower Golf Course – one mile outside the capital city of Annapolis, Maryland and named after the 34th U.S. President and avid golfer Dwight D. Eisenhower – is now scheduled to complete its major course renovation by May 1, 2021 under the deft guidance of burgeoning architectural superstar Andrew Green.
The $5 million project covers a complete overhaul of the public-access facility, highlighted by the removal of all bunkers on the 18-hole golf course for greater sustainability. The redesign was initially slated for a 2020 reveal; however, construction required additional time. In lieu of reopening in frigid temperatures, the extra time will allow the layout to mature for impeccable playing conditions come May.
“The creative eye of Andrew Green and attention to detail from our onsite team have been inspiring from the start,” says Damian Cosby, PGA, Chief of Golf Operations for Anne Arundel County, owner of The Preserve at Eisenhower Golf Course. “For all the resources committed, pushing back the opening aligns with our approach of, first and foremost, satisfying the golf public.”
Green, who is also engineering a makeover of Congressional Country Club’s famous Blue Course in preparation for major tournament play over coming decades, has taken an environmentally friendly approach to Eisenhower’s classic layout by installing Bermuda grass fairways requiring less water and chemical inputs. His imprint features native fescue and strategic mounding for visual appeal and playing challenges, and Bentgrass greens for true-rolling putts. Five sets of tees from 4,700 to 7,100 yards satisfy golfers of all abilities along their journeys through forestland and alongside numerous creeks and swales.
Undertaken in tandem with the Anne Arundel County Watershed Protection and Restoration Program as a stream restoration and storm water management project, the new Eisenhower will increase wetlands by more than 13 acres, bringing wildlife to the area.
Eisenhower enjoys longstanding designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by Audubon International. For more than a decade, it has maintained sound practices in six key areas: environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction, water conservation and water quality management.
Several holes have been lengthened or shortened with different sightlines from fairways to greens. There is an abundance of risk-reward holes; however, they are not intended to unfairly penalize golfers.
When inspecting the property for the first time, Green “saw so many fun shots using the character and topography already there. And I thought we could do something special here, and don’t need bunkers. There will be plenty of interesting and engaging holes for strategy and ‘trouble’ without sand. Each shot is special; it’s not a course with a bunch of thoughtless swings. Giving something no one else has will excite golfers.”
Additional improvements include an expanded driving range, abundance of new boardwalks, creek restoration, state-of-the-art irrigation system (with precise targeting for reduced water usage) and new golf carts.
A student of landscape architecture and turfgrass management, Green’s work at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio – host of the 1920 US Open – won Golfweek’s “Restoration of the Year” award. He is also modernizing the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. in time for the 2023 PGA Championship.
Opened in 1969, the original design was crafted by renowned architect Ed Ault on more than 220 acres of splendidly wooded landscape and is an area favorite for Anne Arundel and surrounding counties.
More information: https://www.eisenhowergolf.com/, 410.571.0973
