Hamburg, N.Y. – It’s difficult enough to focus on an important tee shot late in a round of golf, without being distracted as well. That was the plight of players at historic Wanakah Country Club after a state of New York highway drainage improvement project drastically altered the backdrop to the Club’s signature, par three 15th hole.
But thanks to fast action by Wanakah’s board of directors, and the creativity of golf course architect Chris Wilczynski, the situation was short-lived.
When Wanakah’s original nine holes were built in 1900, golfers enjoyed largely unobstructed, panoramic views of Lake Erie. Lakefront housing development and trees that grew along Lake Shore Drive would eventually obscure the lake view, but the vegetation at least acted as a buffer between the course and an increasingly busy street. Until last year, that is, when the state of New York installed an 80-inch drainage pipe under Lake Shore Drive, the road that separates the Club from Lake Erie.
The state invoked eminent domain to claim about an acre of Wanakah’s property behind the 15th green, stripping the area of all vegetation.
“It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, to say the least,” said Mike Karnath, Wanakah’s general manager. “Instead of a nice backdrop of trees, the visual off the 15th tee became a busy intersection.”
The drainage project, aided by mild winter weather, was completed ahead of schedule, in early January 2016. The unsightly result prompted Wanakah’s board of directors to accelerate phase three of the club’s master plan, which Wilczynski had devised in 2009.
“Since we had to do work at that corner of the course anyhow, we decided to go ahead and complete another phase,” said Karnath.
Wilczynski’s solution to the problem behind No. 15 was the creation of a 15-foot berm behind the green, covered with over 60 evergreen trees. In addition, a creek that flows alongside the green was re-routed, following Wanakah’s master plan.
Other course enhancements as part of phase three included the re-sculpting of the 14th fairway to improve drainage on the par 5; complete reconstruction of the tee and green complex at the par three 12th hole including the creation of a broad swale between the tees and green (using the soil excavated from the swale to create the berm at No. 15); and renovation of the 18th hole that included new tee boxes, and new fairway and greenside bunkers.
Wanakah’s master plan had been moving forward in a piecemeal fashion, but as members have come to appreciate the improvements, the pace has stepped up. Wanakah’s board of directors recently approved implementation of the final phase of the master plan, to commence this fall and be completed in 2017. The work will include the implementation of the master plan for the eight remaining holes that have not been renovated.
Wilczynski also will continue to make improvements to the layout’s drainage, which historically has been problematic because of Wanakah’s rather flat topography and heavy clay soil. Phases that were completed in 2010 and ’12 have produced holes with surfaces that drain well and are firm and fast – a condition desired by golfers of all skill levels.
“Chris has done great work at Wanakah.” said Karnath. “What he’s accomplished triggered the membership to finish the master plan sooner than later.”
Wanakah Country Club is a traditional, private club that was formed in 1898 as a summer retreat for Buffalo businessmen. Wilczynski said early historical records are sketchy, although he has found evidence that Wanakah’s existing layout, likely built in the early 1920s, is the handiwork of architect Willie Watson. (Among Watson’s other designs are both courses at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Olympia Fields No. 3 in Chicago, and Interlachen in suburban Minneapolis.)
Although many greens at Wanakah are evocative of Donald Ross, and some articles about the club mention Ross as the architect, Wilczynski could find no documentation of his involvement. Architect Stanley Thompson has been linked to Wanakah, as well, but Wilczynski could find nothing to substantiate that claim.
Lineage aside, time and technology had caught up with Wanakah. The course was sorely in need of an update when Wilczynski was assigned that task seven years ago.
“Wanakah is a great example of a club that’s committed to its master plan,” said Wilczynski, noting that the Club’s board of director’s makeup has changed without interruption to the vision and goals for improvements. “They’re using it as a tool to steadily move forward. It’s gratifying to see our original plan coming together.”
Wilczynski has actively communicated with Wanakah’s membership since first visiting the property in 2005, when he was an associate with Arthur Hills. “Helping to sell a proposal is as important as creating it,” said Wilczynski, “so I always try to participate in the conversation as much as possible.”
Indeed, such open lines of communication can come in handy when the state highway department comes calling.
About C.W. Golf Architecture
C.W. Golf Architecture, based in Saline, Mich., was formed in 2010 by Chris Wilczynski, a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. C.W. Golf Architecture is a 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. Two Florida courses designed by Wilczynski – Esplanade Golf & Country Club at Lakewood Ranch near Sarasota, and Esplanade Golf & Country Club of Naples – are featured on Golf Digest magazine’s list of Best New Courses of 2014.
For more information, please visit www.cwgolfarch.com.
Contact:
Chris Wilczynski at 734-395-7941 or chris@cwgolfarch.com
