PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (May 26, 2016) – Bobby Weed Golf Design (www.bobbyweed.com), an award-winning golf-course design firm, has concluded its successful management of Cannon Ridge Golf Club, in Fredericksburg, Va. While the public resort facility was closed temporarily, beginning at the end of 2012, and in anticipation of the course’s reopening, Bobby Weed Golf Design was called in to renovate and manage the par-71 18-hole golf course to an austere level, in a closed condition but in such a way that it could be reopened within 90 days should an operator be identified or a portion of the golf course repurposed. The design firm recently was informed that an agreement has been reached to reopen Cannon Ridge within 30 days.
“This is clearly a testament to the assistance and commitment of lending our services in any capacity to assist our client, in this case protecting the asset during a restructuring and closed period,” said Bobby Weed, president & CEO of Bobby Weed Golf Design.
When Cannon Ridge, designed for Silver Companies by Bobby Weed Golf Design with co-designer Deane Beman, opened in 2003, it was named one of the top three Best New Public Courses in the country by Golf Digest magazine. It also immediately was considered one of the finest courses in the Mid-Atlantic region. Part of the Celebrate Virginia North development, it features some war-era cannon embankments on the back nine and several historical placards placed around the course that relate stories of the Battle of Fredericksburg, in 1862, during the Civil War.
When the operator severed its management agreement, Silver Companies assumed management responsibility but did not reopen the course, hoping to develop portions of the property, pending permits. During the closure, Bobby Weed Golf Design’s course upgrades included converting the fairways and tee areas from L-93 bentgrass to Latitude bermudagrass, more compatible with the region’s variable weather conditions.
About Bobby Weed Golf Design
Acclaimed golf course designer Bobby Weed specializes in design, renovation and repurposing. His work features a balance of visual appeal, sustainability and playability, all informed by an environmentally-sensitive aesthetic and an exceptional hands-on, holistic approach. Bobby Weed Golf Design is a leader in golf course repurposing – a means to update layouts through redesign and reallocation of partial acreage for higher value land uses. Repurposing helps clubs and communities preserve golf while surmounting economic and other challenges. Weed’s skill, vision and business acumen coalesce to result in successful, refined and durable golf course design.
Weed began his professional career with an extended apprenticeship with Pete Dye, launching a collaboration of over 35 years’ duration and a lifelong friendship. Hired in 1983 by the PGA Tour, Weed was the Tour’s in-house designer from 1987-1996. He was responsible for the design of many of today’s best-known TPC venues, which continue as host sites for prominent Tour events.
Weed also was able to collaborate with many of golf’s most familiar names, including Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Jerry Pate and Chi Chi Rodriguez – a rare cross section of experience.
In 1994, Weed’s career reached an apex with the formation of his own design firm, where he continues to “handcraft” golf courses. Today, Bobby Weed Golf Design has amassed an impressive list of new and renovated courses that consistently are ranked at the top of their respective categories, including The Olde Farm Golf Club, Spanish Oaks Golf Club, The Golf Course at Glen Mills, Medalist Golf Club and Timuquana Country Club.
Bobby Weed is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the Historical Committee of the Donald Ross Society, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Florida Turfgrass Association.
For more information on Bobby Weed Golf Design, see www.bobbyweed.com.
Contact:
Sally J. Sportsman
407-248-1144
sjsport@earthlink.net