The revised design of a proposed new golf course from Tiger Woods Design in Chicago, USA, has been unveiled.
If plans are given the green light, an 18-hole municipal course will be built on the site of the existing 18-hole Jackson Park course and nine-hole South Shore course. Tiger Woods Design is working closely with the Chicago Parks Golf Alliance to help plan the development.
Earlier this week, a revised development plan was revealed to members of the local community. The course plan has been tweaked following feedback on initial plans from the public.
The revised plan proposes five holes be built on the site of the current South Shore course. This plot of land borders Lake Michigan, and the proposed new design would circle the South Shore Cultural Center, which hosted the Obamas’ wedding.
Holes 13-17 of the new layout would be located on the current South Shore course, with the first twelve holes and the eighteenth on what is currently the Jackson Park course.
Standout holes on the new design include the par four 453-yard fourth hole, where players will have to negotiate a lake to the right-hand side of the fairway. Other highlights include the fifteenth and sixteenth holes, both of which play directly along the shore of Lake Michigan.
The course’s opening and finishing holes are also its longest. Both play in excess of 650 yards from the back tees.
One vital element of the revised plan is the relocation of the Jackson Park clubhouse. The clubhouse currently sits towards the north of the Jackson Park course, but the plan calls for a new clubhouse to be built at a site just off S Jeffrey Avenue. This would be a more central location for the reworked 18-hole layout, with the proposed ninth and eighteenth greens close by, making it easier for nine-hole rounds to be played.
The current clubhouse would then be used to house indoor practice facilities and a youth centre. This is being planned by the Chicago Parks Golf Alliance in conjunction with First Tee of Greater Chicago.
Other plans include the creation of a new family short course on land close to the current Jackson Park clubhouse at the site’s northern end.
The site’s walking trails will also be more accessible, and the acreage of the natural areas on the course have been increased.
Though no provisional schedule has been released, it is hoped that if plans are approved, the develop of the new layout will begin in the not too distant future.
Click here to watch a presentation from project architect Beau Welling about the latest plans.