(Charlottesville, Virginia) – The University of Virginia Foundation recently announced that Love Golf Design, the golf course architecture firm founded by Davis Love III and his brother Mark, will build a new course on the site of the existing Birdwood Golf Course. The firm’s work on the layout is part of a multiyear improvement plan for the Boar’s Head Resort, the UVA golf team’s facilities, and the historic Birdwood Mansion.
“A planned expansion of the Boar’s Head Resort’s tennis facilities will encroach on Birdwood’s third and fourth holes,” said Pat Hogan, UVA’s Executive Vice President and COO. “That eventuality, paired with millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needs on the course, prompted the Foundation to think more broadly.”
Hogan credited sports psychologist Bob Rotella, a former UVA faculty member who works with many golf professionals, and several Cavalier sports teams, for making the connection between Love and the UVA Foundation.
“We appreciate the opportunity to work on such a grand scale here at Birdwood,” said Love. “The University is blessed to have plentiful land which gives us the room to create some thought provoking strategies, so we are excited to have the design process underway.”
The course, which partially lies on several hundred acres of rolling countryside, is home to the UVA men’s and women’s golf teams, and is also open to Boar’s Head guests and the public. Hogan noted that the Foundation owns additional property behind the Resort, which allows more room for relocation of holes and added golf facilities.
“After exploring the property this winter, we found so many options it was hard to narrow the new course down to just 18 holes,” said Lead Architect Scot Sherman. “Davis, Mark and I believe the variety of the site lends itself to building a course with a timeless character, and are pleased to be working with a routing that flows through valleys, over ridges, and across creeks. We have also been asked to study the possibly of building a short course and a putting course – so, the Resort really is looking to set a new standard.”
The Love team expects the new design to be finalized by this fall. As the design process continues, private funds are being raised to build the course.
About Love Golf Design
Love Golf Design has over 20 completed projects in its portfolio. In October, it opened Atlantic Dunes at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The project was a complete redesign of the Island’s first course, the Sea Pines’ Ocean Course.
Davis Love III is a North Carolina native who played at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill before turning professional in 1985. He has won 21 times on the PGA TOUR, including the 1997 PGA Championship. Love was the winning US Captain for the 2016 Ryder Cup team and will be inducted into to the World Golf Hall of Fame this year.
Mark Love is co-founder and President of Love Golf Design. He has guided the firm through all of its completed projects and handles the day to day business. Mark is also the Executive Director of the PGA TOUR’s RSM Classic played at Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia.
Scot Sherman, ASGCA serves as lead Golf Architect for Love Golf Design projects. He has completed over 30 designs during his 27 year career working on courses in the US, Europe and Pacific rim. Scot began his career employed by the Dye family where the value of designing in the field became a guiding principle of his work. He is a 13 year member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
Contact:
Mark Love (912-638-3611)
markplove@mac.com
