Silver Creek membership puts renovation on fast track

Golf Course News, Jan 2002 by Desjardins, Doug

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Architect Mike Strantz has started work on the renovation of Silver Creek Country Club despite the sagging economy that has crippled the nearby Silicon Valley region. The commencement of work on the nine-year-- old layout is the culmination of a fast-paced approval process where a committed membership took control to make things happen.

Silver Creek Country Club is a Ted Robinson-designed course built on a hilly site in South San Jose as an anchor to a housing development created by Shea Homes. Club membership was limited to property owners in the gated community and the course proved popular, drawing more than 300 members. As is the case with many real estate driven properties, the best real estate went for the housing first and Robinson had to work with some awkward topography for the course.

Over the years the membership lodged many opinions of how the course could be better. With the final phase of development completed, Shea Homes offered the club membership the opportunity to take over club operations last winter and the membership leapt at the chance.

"We conducted several surveys during last summer to determine what the membership wanted to do about ownership and what things they would like to see happen to the golf course. By having a good sense of what members wanted we were able to move very quickly when the opportunity came," explained general manager Bob Lee.

STRANTZ ON THE SCENE

The members made it clear from the start that they wanted to see their golf course brought up to a higher level in order to be more competitive with other private clubs in the region. Several prominent course designers, including the original architect Robinson, were contacted. However, the club went with Strantz who in recent years has earned a strong reputation on the East Coast for his artistic designs such as Tobacco Road in North Carolina and Stone House Country Club and Royal New Kent in Virginia.

"I have wanted to branch out to the West Coast and the timing of the renovation at Silver Creek fit our schedule. Also, as funding for new projects is becoming tighter and good properties are harder to find, I think that renovation of existing clubs and golf courses is a facet of the design market that is going to grow," Strantz said.

As the renovation field grows, Strantz feels that it is important to be sensitive to other designers as he looks at more redesign work.

"For myself, I would not want to do any rework on a course where the original designer hasn't been contacted first. I think that is only fair," Strantz said.

The $2.5 million renovation will include improvements to the irrigation system, making significant improvements to the strategic placement of bunkers, improved bunker construction, and the redesign of four holes.

"The clubhouse sits up on a hill and the first and tenth holes play right off it. We are going to lengthen these two holes by adding new tees and repositioning the bunkers. Most of the bunkers around green sites really don't come into play, so we are setting up the bunkers to add more challenge and appeal to the course," Strantz explained.

One golf hole, the par-5 16th, plays on the edge of a slope where Strantz proposes to move 30,000 yards of dirt to create a more playable hole. All of the bunkers will also be rebuilt in order to give more consistency to the entire course.

RENOVATION FAST TRACK

Working with a motivated membership and seeking outside knowledge was key to putting the renovation process on the fast track, said Lee.

"The membership was very supportive of bringing the course up to a higher level. Having a very motivated membership also helped to make this project come together so quickly," he said.

In addition, Lee and golf course superintendent Nick Checklenis attended a Remodeling University seminar presented by the American Society of Golf Course Architects that helped in the planning of their upcoming project. Strantz also made several presentations to the club members in May in order to get feedback and settle any concerns. This attention to pre-planning was crucial in order to secure member approval.

"We had our master plan together in the late summer and our membership voted for approval just after the Sept. 11 tragedy. Even through that cloud, 73 percent of the members voted to proceed. The members voted to pay capital dues beginning in 2003 to finance the project," Lee explained.

Plans are to keep the course open for play during the renovation process with all work scheduled to be completed by next summer.