The story of the retrovation of Skokie Country Club, and the father of golf course restoration

As the old saying goes, too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. Typically, in design, the committee approach confirms the truth therein, with results that are watered down or lacking in continuity. As courses have evolved over the years, many have fallen into a state in which their original strengths are lost. There are exceptions, however, including Skokie. The key ingredient that has allowed the course to pass from the stewardship of one architect to another, each building upon the work of his predecessors, is simple—respect.

Many Hands

The original course at Skokie Country Club was a 9-hole affair created by the members at the turn of the century, just as the golf bug was biting up and down Chicago’s North Shore. It did not take long before players were clamoring for an upgrade, and like so many others at the time, the club’s leadership turned to Tom Bendelow for assistance. By 1904, the Scotsman had earned himself a reputation for the sheer volume of courses he laid out. Dubbed “18 stakes on a Sunday afternoon”, his approach was designed to meet an insatiable demand as he toured the country for the Spalding Company promoting the game and helping communities to construct their playing fields.

Bendelow did not always jump off and right back on the train though. In some instances like Apawamis, Quogue Field Club, Medinah and Olympia Fields, he gave more attention to detail. His work may have been simple by the higher standards of later periods, but that does not mean his courses were unsound. At Skokie, he laid the foundation for future greatness.

**Donald Ross’s routing for Skokie from the 1922 U.S. Open**

By the time Donald Ross arrived on the Midwest scene, he had already made his mark out East. His summers were spent primarily in Massachusetts, and his winters in North Carolina. His work at Essex County Club and the Pinehurst resort, among a steadily expanding portfolio of courses, hinted at a practitioner who was relentlessly refining his craft. From the routing, to the strategic placement of hazards, to greens that expertly combined boldness and subtlety, Ross produced solid courses that allowed his to claim his place among the most sought after architects of the dawning Golden Age.

In 1914, Ross was brought in at Skokie to rework the course, adding next-level sophistication to Bendelow’s first pass. The current 8th hole was retained, but the other 17 were significantly altered. The changes did not reflect a lack of respect for his predecessor, but rather an expression of the evolution of the art form coupled with greater time on site to refine the details. This next iteration proved itself worthy of member praise, as well as a nod from the USGA, which staged the U.S. Open, won in thrilling fashion by Gene Sarazen on the final hole.

***The Langford & Moreau plan for reconfiguring Skokie in 193***8

Respectful Retrovation

Ron Prichard came of age as a golf course architect during the era of heroic modernization, championed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Although he worked as an associate of Joe Finger, Desmond Muirhead and Robert Von Hagge, he didn’t find his niche until his first solo job opportunity at Texarkana Country Club materialized. “I was uninspired by the courses of the ‘70s and ‘80s,” recalled Prichard. “Great old courses were often simple, but they had something about them that was inspiring.”

Prichard was a throwback long before he found himself at a drafting table. “I was always interested in history, of our country, of architecture…everything,” he explained. “I was very aware of the genius of people like Beethoven and Van Gogh who preceded us.”

The job at Texarkana arrived at a time when Prichard was immersed in study of the great courses of the Golden Age. In the form of a Langford & Moreau design that had lost its character, he found an opportunity to employ both his newfound knowledge, and his passion. “I was given plans of the course and they were fascinating,” he recounted. “I decided that the best I could do is try and put back what Langford & Moreau did.” With that insight, the practice of golf course restoration was born.

For various reasons, most courses cannot be truly restored. Such was the case at Skokie, where Prichard was brought in in 1999 to reconnect the course to its classic roots. An unfortunate Rees Jones bunker project in the mid-’80s included “eyebrow” flashing that was uncharacteristic of either Ross’s or Langford’s style. Bunkers were strategically repositioned to be perpendicular to the lines of play, with grass-faced construction that is both beautiful and intimidating. Tree removal and fairway expansion helped return the original scale, and the outstanding greens were brought back out to the pad edges, highlighting their variety of cant and contour.

Unlike Jones, Prichard was not seeking to leave his imprint with the retrovation. For him, it was an honest expression of his deep respect for the design geniuses who were there before him.

The Course

Skokie’s clubhouse sits on the high point of the property. With the exception of the 1st, 8th, 10th and 18th holes, there is little movement to the land. A lack of elevation change does not mean that Skokie lacks beauty or its fair share of strategic challenges as the holes wind through the oak meadows.

***Course Map by Kevin Jackson (Instagram: @outandingolf)***

Skokie embodies the axiom that great greens anchor great courses. “The blend of two different Golden Age architects, and the bold features that protrude from the landscape really make Skokie standout from Chicago’s North Shore neighbors,” gushed architect and longtime Prichard associate Tyler Rae. “The putting surfaces found at the 1st, 4th, 6th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes are VERY special. There is just so much internal contour and fascination within the perched fill-pads. For an early Ross and late Langford & Moreau, it has incredible quality and craftsmanship throughout the property.”

Even before the retrovation, the course was consistently immaculate in its presentation. That devotion to providing stellar playing surfaces is core to the success of Superintendent Don Cross, who is Chicagoland’s longest tenured greenkeeper. In addition to producing mint conditions, Cross also has a strong track record of mentoring high-performing assistants, including Scott Vincent who worked at Skokie before landing the head job at Onwentsia Club. Vincent, whose talents extend to photography, generously provided the images for the tour that follows.

Click on any gallery image to enlarge with captions

The round at Skokie begins with a tee shot from a high point below the clubhouse to a fairway that runs between the 10th and 18th. Players get their Ross introduction with cross-bunkers and a bold push-up green on the 1st. The 2nd is the first of Skokie’s stout set of one-shotters, playing slightly down to a green set at grade.

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