Colligan Golf Design will oversee the redesign of Meadowbrook Golf Course in Fort Worth, Texas.
The city hired the firm’s principal John Colligan and his design associate Trey Kemp to develop a masterplan in 2021.
“After the successful renovation of Rockwood Park in 2017, which significantly improved Fort Worth’s public golf facilities, the city wanted to apply that same successful formula to revitalise Meadowbrook,” said Kemp. “The facility, which turns 100 in 2024, has outlived the life of many of its golf course components.”
Colligan and Kemp’s plans for the John Bredemus design include rerouting 15 holes.
“Rerouting the golf course to take advantage of the topography is a major part of the renovation,” said Kemp. “The only holes that will not be rerouted are holes 10, 12 and 13. However, the twelfth will change from a par four to a par five and the thirteenth will go from a par five to a par four. Rerouting the course will be done for two major reasons: the city wanting to use the same recipe that was done at Rockwood Park, which included rerouting; and so that the layout will make the most of the site’s dramatic topography.
“Another major change golfers will notice is the width of holes; many on the current course are very tight and claustrophobic and with the revamped layout, we will open up corridors and allow for wider fairways to give the golfer more options off the tee.”
The course has been relatively untouched in the past 50 years, since Ralph Plummer renovated tees and greens in 1963, along with the addition of seven lakes and a new irrigation system.
In addition to the rerouting and opening or corridors, Colligan Golf Design’s plan includes work on greens, bunkers, lakes and cart paths. They will also address subsurface drainage and work alongside irrigation designer Larry Rodgers to overhaul the existing system.
Construction is scheduled to start in November 2023, with the city aiming to reopen the course by early summer 2025.
“Colligan Golf Design’s motto is ‘golf should be enjoyed, not endured’, and that is exactly the goal at Meadowbrook,” said Kemp. “Our promise to the city of Fort Worth is that we will create a beautiful, user-friendly golf facility, catering to all levels of play. The golfer will see this right off the bat with a downhill reachable par five to get the round started.”