Irwin crafting gem of a course in Minnesota

Golf Course News, Jan 2003 by Poling, Jerry

LAKE CITY, Minn. - In lovely Lake City, Minn., the biggest name in town always has been the Mississippi River, which flows by the city in a broad channel about 65 miles south of Minneapolis.

Much of the town's business, tourism and heritage are connected in some way to the river. In fact, it was in this city in 1922 where water skiing was invented, the city claims.

Lately, a couple new names in town are all that residents seem to talk about. A short drive above downtown and the Mississippi, bulldozers are clearing land for the biggest planned urban development project in Minnesota history: The Jewel at Lake City, an 18-hole semi-private golf course and residential development.

Residents aren't just talking about the Jewel, but they're talking about who it has brought to town: golf course designer and three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin.

And then there are two new golf course homesite owners, Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and his wife, Terry. Ventura has announced plans to live at the, Jewel sometime after he leaves office in 2003. He did not run for re-election in November.

Greg Matz, director of sales at the Jewel, said he realized what the project meant to the city of 4,500 recently when an elderly gentleman who had lived in Lake City all his life said, "Well, it's finally happened: Lake City has been discovered."

The project has been moving quickly after several years of work to gain city approval. Most of the course shaping, which is being done by Sema Golf of Scottsdale, Ariz., will take place in 2003, with an eye toward a July 2004 opening.

The Jewel is one of several golf courses currently being developed by Hale Irwin Design, a company Irwin founded in 1986.

Mississippi Jewel Land Development Co. is spending $8 million to build the golf course and $50 million on infrastructure to develop the land, Matz said. The eventual retail value of the land is expected to be $250 million to $300 million.

The golf course will have five sets of tees, bentgrass throughout and stretch to 7,000 yards. "No two holes will be alike," Irwin said. "We have some dynamic holes and others that may have started out bland but will be very nice."

It will open as a public course and gradually become restricted as more members join, Matz said.

In addition to designing 25 courses, Irwin's company is part owner in three others, including the Jewel.

By buying into the courses it is building, Irwin's company "can add value to the project, and that will help us gain entry into more projects," Meyer said.

By becoming a partner in a project such as the Jewel, Irwin said, "We give investors and owners confidence that we're in for the long haul with them."

Stan Gentry, who has been with Irwin since 1991, is the on-site architect responsible for overseeing Irwin's designs, Meyer said.

"What sets us apart is the owner -Hale's personality," Meyer said.

"The same seriousness and vigor, the way he approaches competitive golf, is the way he approaches his business."

Irwin said he always has felt comfortable with designing courses. "My greatest learning curve has come from knowing the needs of the owner/developer. I didn't know that much about that side," Irwin said.

His philosophy, he said, is to design courses that are enjoyable and challenging for all handicaps. That approach was summed up by Meyer. "At the end of the day, Hale doesn't want people to say `Who designed this?' but `That was fun, and, oh, by the way, who was the designer?"' Meyer said.