Bobby Weed Golf Design’s Restoration of Medalist Golf Club to be on Display in Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Charity
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – Bobby Weed Golf Design’s restoration of Medalist Golf Club, in Hobe Sound, Fla., will be on full display this weekend in Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Charity. The televised 18-hole match play event on May 24 will feature Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.
Bobby Weed, who was mentored by Pete Dye and enjoyed a nearly 40-year relationship with him, restored the 1995 Dye layout in its entirety. Living onsite during construction, Weed returned two cornerstones of the original design that will be conspicuous during the match: the revetted, stacked sod bunker faces and the nearly endless vistas over the surrounding freshwater marshes.
“The restoration of Medalist was a flagship project for me, a chance to recreate the flair and authenticity that only Pete could instill in a course,” said Weed. “I am excited to see that originality showcased by this weekend’s event.”
With spacious fairways that meander elegantly around and over the marshes, Medalist offers numerous strategic lanes and encourages players to hit driver. The low-profile green complexes were dropped back to ground level, as Dye had built them. Finished personally by Weed, the subtle contours in and around the putting surfaces allow players to create shots that fit their games. The perimeters of the holes are trimmed neatly with coquina shell and pine straw, enhancing the layout’s Audubon-like aesthetic, while the ever-present sea breeze offers a different challenge every round. Meticulously manicured to tournament-like conditions on a daily basis, Medalist is the home course of a number of PGA TOUR players. Woods, who frequents the club to practice and play, lent his approval to several new “Tiger” tees that Weed constructed during the project, and a number of them will be used during the match.
Fundraising associated with the event will support national and local beneficiaries aiming to assist communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo by Art Cicconi
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.
Weed began his professional career with an extended apprenticeship with Pete Dye, launching a collaboration of over 45 years’ duration and a lifelong friendship. Hired in 1983 by the PGA Tour as the Golf Course Superintendent at TPC Sawgrass, Weed went on to become 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, Timuquana Country Club, GROVE XXIII and Quail Ridge Country Club.
Bobby Weed Golf Design also 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.
Bobby Weed is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He also is a 40-year member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, was a former Certified Golf Course Superintendent and is a member of the Florida Turfgrass Association.
For information on Bobby Weed Golf Design, see www.bobbyweed.com.
Contact:
Sally J. Sportsman
407-248-1144
sjsport@earthlink.net
