A comprehensive renovation of the century-old South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club (Olympia Fields, Illinois) will begin later this year. The plan, developed by Andy Staples, ASGCA (Staples Golf Design), includes drainage improvement, bunker renovation, fairway expansion, tree work, more naturalized areas of native rough and the introduction of more short grass surrounds by greens.
Teeing grounds will also be reconfigured to provide more equity to accommodate the full range of golfers, from elite championship players to beginners and families.
The master plan that Staples has prepared will be implemented in two phases, starting in the fall of 2021 and picking up again in the fall of 2022. When the work is completed, the South Course will sport a look and feel more conducive to the ground game, with a firmer playing surface and quicker recovery from the flooding that occurs from the creek that traverses the golf course.
Staples’ work at Olympia Fields‐South Is based upon careful study of historic imagery and design plans in the club’s archive. It’s also based upon his extensive study of classical design elsewhere. Staples’ previous restoration work includes the Willie Park Jr.‐designed Meadowbrook Country Club in Detroit. He is now at work on the Park Jr.‐designed Mt. Bruno Golf Club in Montreal and the Donald Ross & Dick Wilson‐designed Delray Beach Golf Course in Florida.