SARASOTA, Fla. – There’s bound to be a lot of happy golfers at Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club this fall. Not only will they be getting their course back after it was closed last April for extensive renovation, but they’ll also be playing a layout that’s more user-friendly and beautiful.
For that they can thank Chris Wilczynski, whose firm C.W. Golf Architecture masterminded the $1.2 million project at the 20-year-old club on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The course was reopened for play on October 1.
“The anticipation has been building, no question,” said Frank Leahy, General Manager of Stoneybrook G&CC. “We have a large contingent of members who head north for the summer, and they’re eager to see the changes. We’ve also been leaving carts out for our year-round members, so they can tour the property. They’re very enthusiastic about what they’ve seen.”
Even though Wilczynski is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he had intimate knowledge of Stoneybrook long before securing a contract for the renovation. In 1994, he was a young design associate of renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills, whose firm created Stoneybrook. Wilczynski helped devise the property’s master plan.
Stoneybrook is a 940-home, gated, “bundled” community – meaning each resident and homeowner is a member of the club, which does not accept non-resident members. As a result, Stoneybrook’s revenue is fixed and every penny spent on course maintenance must count. Even subtle design changes to a golf course can reduce maintenance man-hours, and therefore cost.
“With the membership policy in mind, and to increase profitability, the course’s entire maintenance process was examined with the goal of eliminating any waste of dollars, natural resources and course superintendent’s time,” Wilczynski said. “Now that each of these goals has been achieved, club members will be able to enjoy an entirely different golf course than they had experienced in the past – an enhanced recreational experience along with the club’s swimming pools, tennis courts and fitness center.”
Wilczynski is at the forefront of a movement to make golf more fun by creating less penal courses, without diminishing the challenge. This answered a mandate from Stoneybrook’s membership, composed largely of golfers in their late 50s or older, whose home course has water hazards or wetlands that come into play on nearly every hole.
“As a majority of club members continue to age, the course simply needed to be softened so it would be more enjoyable for longstanding members,” Wilczynski said. “And since the course had not been significantly renovated since it was opened in 1994, its aesthetics had to be enhanced to ensure the club would continue to attract members on a long-term basis.”
Complete reconstruction of every green was the primary objective of the Stoneybrook renovation project, which also included changes to every tee and bunker on the course. Wilczynski – a stickler for detail – made weekly visits to the property, directing contractor Westscapes Golf Construction of St. Petersburg, Florida, and making sure his architectural plans were followed to the letter. Wilczynski similarly worked closely with new course superintendent John Scott, whose hiring at Stoneybrook coincided with the renovation getting underway.
“Chris is a high-level communicator, and he gave the project a high level of integrity,” Leahy said.
Stoneybrook had been vexed in recent years by a proliferation of parasitic nematodes, microscopic worms that attack turf root systems. Nematodes are a persistent enemy of golf course superintendents; turfgrass researchers have found as many as 20,000 nematodes in a pint of soil. The soil qualities that make for good greens also happen to be an ideal environment for nematodes.
In an effort to eradicate the nematodes, Wilczynski stripped every green down to the original sub-grade and rebuilt the greens to U.S. Golf Association specifications with new soil and TifEagle bermudagrass. The new soil and the area surrounding each green were fumigated to ensure that the pests would not damage the new greens.
“We’re very excited about the greens,” Leahy said. “They had been at risk, and this gives us a fresh new start.”
Original green contours generally were replicated, although the process did give Wilczynski the opportunity to soften slopes on a half-dozen greens that had been problematic to golfers. In addition, the run-off area between a lake and the 15th green was eliminated in favor of a bulkhead.
Another mission accomplished was the restoration of Stoneybrook’s 40-some bunkers, which had lost their original grass faces and become too deep, making them difficult for less skilled golfers to escape.
The “softening” of Stoneybrook also included the addition of a handful of new tees to accommodate players of varying skill levels. Every tee on the course was realigned, leveled and re-grassed. Wilczynski also completed the extensive removal of pepper trees, an invasive species that had encroached on areas designed to be unobstructed.
“The sight lines and aesthetics of the native wetland areas are much improved with the removal of the pepper trees,” Wilczynski said.
Wilczynski made significant design changes to two holes. At No. 6, a par-3 that plays from 190 to 120 yards and features water on the left side, he relocated a cart path that had long raised the ire of players who watched tee shots bounce off the pavement into the lake. He also created mounding that keeps slightly errant shots from trickling into the water.
At No. 9, a 350- to 410-yard par-4 dogleg left – and Stoneybrook’s No. 1 handicap hole – Wilczynski doubled the width of what had been a narrow approach corridor by removing roughly a half-acre of trees and re-grading the fairway.
“There was a lot to accomplish, but we got it done because of a wonderful partnership with Stoneybrook’s members, management, maintenance staff, and the golf course contractor,” Wilczynski said. “That’s the key to a successful renovation or restoration project. When everyone participates, they better understand the objectives and the long-term benefits. The folks at Stoneybrook were terrific to work with, and I’m confident they’ll be pleased with the result.”
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About C.W. Golf Architecture
C.W. Golf Architecture, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., was formed in 2010 by Chris Wilczynski, a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. C.W. Golf Architecture is a full service golf course design company whose mission is to transform golf landscapes into sustainable businesses that provide economic, environmental, social and health benefits for all of society. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1994 with a degree in Landscape Architecture, Wilczynski joined the firm of Arthur Hills & Associates (now Hills & Forrest), where he honed his craft as an associate, and eventually partner, for nearly 20 years. He teamed with Mr. Hills on roughly 20 design projects, ranging from upscale public, private and resort courses, to master-planned residential golf communities and course renovations.
For more information, please visit www.cwgolfarch.com.
Contact:
Dave Richards, Resort & Golf Marketing
248-642-6420 / dave@resortandgolf.com
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