New 18-hole course to be created on site of Tartan Park GC
A major new project is to get underway at Tartan Park Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, following a recent purchase.
Currently home to 27-holes, Tartan Park is scheduled to reopen next summer as an 18-hole facility, with nine holes designed by Annika Sorenstam’s ANNIKA Course Design, and nine holes designed by the Arnold Palmer Design Company.
The course has recently been purchased by HC Golf Course Development, along with 477 acres of surrounding land.
“Annika and Arnie are tremendous designers and two of the greatest golfers of all time, but most importantly, they epitomise the respectful, family-focused nature of this timeless outdoor sport,” said Hollis Cavner, CEO of ProLinks Sports and the man behind the HC Golf Course Development group. “We are incredibly fortunate to bring their talents to Minnesota to help us create this one-of-a-kind facility. The spirit they bring to the game and their work will continue to have a huge impact on future generations who get to experience the new Tartan Park. Arnold designed the TPC Twin Cities for me when we built it and we love his work.”
The project will be ANNIKA Course Design’s first in the US, and the first time the firm has partnered with Palmer’s design company.
“I am very excited about my first design project here in the US, and partnering with Mr. Palmer and his team is an honour,” said Sorenstam. “Our vision is to make it family friendly with a variety of tees to suit everyone from kids to more experienced players. I’ve played some of the holes in past pro-ams and look forward to working with the beautiful property.”
Once completed, the new 18-hole course will operate under the moniker ‘The King & The Queen’, and will have a distinctly ‘green’ feel, with the group behind the course committing to using a new irrigation system that reduces water consumption, and only using eco-friendly, biodegradable products for course maintenance.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the opportunity to work together with Annika to reinvigorate the golf course at Tartan Park,” said Palmer. “The bold topography and mature native landscape offer the perfect opportunity to create the kind of golf holes that are just as beautiful as they are fun to play. Through the strategic reduction of irrigated areas and the introduction of drought tolerant native grasses, we will endeavour to create a model for sustainable golf development. We look forward to getting started on this exciting project soon.”