Cobblestone Creek opens following substantial redevelopment project
Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is now open following Bobby Weed Golf Design’s redevelopment of the former Greenacres Country Club, a 1938 Devereux Emmet layout that was redesigned by George Fazio in 1971.
The project began with Weed identifying a 14-acre development parcel, which will accommodate 97 home units. Each household will become at minimum a social member, providing the club with an ongoing revenue stream.
“The best golf design happens in the field, but it shows up on the bottom line as well,” commented Weed.
“It’s very gratifying that our creativity helped provide the financial spark for this transformative project.”
The existing driving range was used for the development, so a site for a new 320-yard range was identified on some unused land near the I-295 highway.
“Weed and his partner, Chris Monti, have created a modern-day golf course within a mature setting while preserving the traditional feel,” said PGA golf head professional Michael LaBrutto. “And we now have one of the best driving ranges in Mercer County because Weed had the foresight to say, ‘This is where the range will go’ – on a parcel of seven acres tucked away off the beaten track, covered with trees. It was a surprise to me.”
The course was closed in June 2017 to implement Weed’s redesign, which includes six new holes – the first, second, fourth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth – the rerouting of six other holes, plus work throughout the course.
“To do it right, we had to look at the entire golf course,” Howard Deutsch, club president, told CommunityNews.org. “It made no sense to change six holes and leave the other twelve exactly as they were. We wanted the course to have a particular playing philosophy.”
The course now has seven teeing options (four regular and three combination sets), ranging from 4,901 to 6,354 yards, to give golfers as wide a range of distances as possible. There are also now two six-hole routings (holes one to five and the ninth, or holes thirteen to eighteen) for golfers who have limited time.
The newly-designed holes will feature clusters of smaller bunkers and rolling bentgrass greens and surrounds. Weed describes the course as strategically demanding, with every hole offering risk-reward choices. He says it will be challenging for the low handicap golfer, but also highly enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels. He adds that Cobblestone “is the best walking course I have ever seen.”
Weed’s inclusion of a new creek within the design provided the inspiration for the club’s name change.
Golf construction work was done by Total Turf Golf Services from Philadelphia, with George Ley Company as the irrigation contractor.
The club has also made significant renovations to the clubhouse, the addition of an outdoor dining area and the creation of a new pool complex. Over fifty new members have already joined.
“Seeing the results, I’m certain a number of private clubs could benefit from the progressive thinking employed at Cobblestone Creek,” said Weed.
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The newly-named Cobblestone Creek has opened following Weed’s redevelopment work
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The course has six entirely new holes and changes to all the other holes
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