Baltimore Country Club: This Month's Featured Course

Our current Featured Project is the restoration work completed at the Baltimore Country Club East Course, located at Five Farms, just north of Baltimore in Timonium, MD. The Club will be host to the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship starting October 2007 and running through 2011 (www.pgatour.com). Baltimore Country Club is one of the oldest clubs in the United States and has hosted several major championships, including the 1928 PGA Championship, 1932 U.S. Amateur, 1965 Walker Cup, and the 1988 U.S. Women’s Open. The course architect was A.W. Tillinghast, and it is considered to be a classic piece of golf course architecture. The course has been consistently ranked by several golf publications as a top 100 course in the U.S.

McDonald & Sons was hired by the Club in 2002 to work on this multi-phase project that was completed in the fall of 2006. The scope of the project was to renovate existing tees, add several new tees, rebuild all bunkers, soften the interior contours of several greens, extend the edges of selected greens, and add fairway drainage where necessary. The existing putting green was also enlarged and a new chipping green was built. We worked alongside architect Keith Foster, Tim Kennelly (Baltimore C.C.’s Head Superintendent), and the Club’s maintenance staff to complete the restoration. With the hard work of all parties involved, the course is prepared to host the Champions Tour’s fifth major tournament. The major tasks of this project were:

Constructing New Tees

• The reasons for rebuilding the tees at Baltimore C.C. were to update with current drainage technology, align tees in relation to the intended line of play, to improve the alignment of tee complexes, and add length where necessary for the tournament. Special care was also taken to construct the tees to blend in with their surroundings and respect the membership’s playability interests.
  
  

Rebuilding the Bunkers

• The bunkers of the East course were rebuilt to improve drainage while retaining the original shapes and sizes. In most cases, floors were deepened, foregrounds lowered, and surroundings were reshaped to appear more visually interesting. Also, several bunkers were added or repositioned to come more into play for today’s game.
  
  

• One complex of bunkers that was rebuilt was Tillinghast’s “Hell’s Half Acre” on the 14th Hole. The set of five cross bunkers on this Par 5 affect the strategy of how one addresses this hole. Players are presented with the decision to lay-up on their second shot and have a long third shot to the green; or the other option is to carry the bunkers on one’s second shot, gaining distance with the drastic downhill slope, and having a much shorter shot home. The bunkers were in need of an upgrade to increase the risk of finding one’s ball there. They were built retaining their original shape, size, and feel. However, fine fescue sod was installed to add a more natural, rugged appearance and increase the challenge of getting out.
  

Greens Work

• On the greens of holes 3, 9, & 12, work was done to soften the interior green contours. The goal was to reduce the slope and allow more cuppable area because of the faster green speeds of today, while maintaining the original Tillinghast design intent. Existing green sod was stripped and preserved. The original topsoil was preserved and used after the subgrade was reworked. The green sod was then reinstalled to give the finish product of a less severe, more playable green that stayed true to the original design.
  

• Green edges on the majority of the holes were extended to soften slopes and increase cuppable areas. The existing putting green was extended to almost double its size, and a new chipping green with bunker was built in preparation for the tournament and the future enjoyment of the members.
  

With the work completed on the East course, Baltimore Country Club is prepared to host the Senior Players Championship. The Club will join a group of only five clubs in the U.S. to have hosted major championships on the LPGA, PGA, and Champions Tour. McDonald & Sons, Inc. was proud to be a part of the restoration of one of A.W. Tillinghast’s classic works. Our knowledge and commitment to quality brought us to Baltimore C.C., as well as many other Top 100 Courses.

Other McDonald & Sons clients to host tournaments are:

• Aronimink Golf Club for the 2003 Senior PGA Championship
• Baltusrol C.C. for the 2004 PGA Championship
• Bethpage State Park (Black) for the 2002 U.S. Open
• Caves Valley G.C. for the 2002 U.S. Senior Open
• Congressional C.C. for the 1997 and 2011 U.S. Open
(current featured course page)
• Hayfields G.C. for the 2003 through 2006 Constellation Energy Classic
• Hobbits Glen G.C. for the 1998 and 1999 Senior State Farm Classic
• Merion G.C. for the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championship
• Oakland Hills C.C. for the 2008 PGA Championship
(past featured course page)
• Oakmont C.C. for the 2007 U.S. Open (past featured course page)
• Olympia Fields C.C. for the 2003 U.S. Open (past featured course page)
• Riviera C.C. for the Nissan Open
• Quail Hollow Club for the Quail Hollow Championship
• Robert Trent Jones G.C. for the 2000 Presidents Cup
• Sherwood Country Club for the Chevron World Challenge
• Shinnecock Hills G.C. for the 2004 U.S. Open (past featured course page)
• Winged Foot G.C. for the 2006 U.S. Open

What will be our next Featured Course?

Oakland Hills Country Club (South): Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Check back soon to see this feature story...