Bob Huxtable
Members of Chilliwack Golf Club in British Columbia have approved a plan proposed by LOBB + PARTNERS, who established an office in the province in 2018.
The focus of the redesign is to create golf holes which appeal to a wider range of players and improve operational efficiencies. Proposed changes will lead to a more sustainable irrigation system, which will also be redesigned and updated. Maintained golf area is down 30 percent from around 93 acres to a proposed 63 arces. The addition of forward tees will promote natural grasses requiring less maintenance to make up the difference in space, allowing for texture to pop through in the historically dry Fraser Valley, about 55 miles east of Vancouver. An increase in short-grass areas will improve playability.
The plan includes a reduction of bunkers from 57 to 46. Bunkers will become more relevant through new locations, shapes, and a new style to aesthetically update the golf course. In total, five new greens are proposed, with others receiving minor upgrades. The routing will stay the same.
Converting the chipping green into a dual-purpose 19th hole will allow the club to keep as many holes open as possible through construction. Discussions are ongoing regarding a specific timeline for the renovation, but the plan is to start sometime in 2023 with smaller-scale upgrades.
Designed by British Columbia legend Ernest Brown, Chilliwack Golf Club opened in 1958.
“As a club, we recognize the need to be proactive in our approach to long-term planning to ensure sustainable business and golf operations,” general manager Bryan Ewart said. “The work from LOBB + PARTNERS is a really important part of this process.”
Established in 2016, LOBB + PARTNERS is the vision of Tim Lobb, who founded the company following the dissolved Thompson Perrett & Lobb. In 2018, Alex Hay established the British Columbia office alongside Oliver Tubb.
"At the forefront of this plan is a desire to present accessible and appealing golf for as many golfers and potential golfers as possible,” Tubb said. “We aim to do this through expanded short-grass areas, with increased widths, and by ensuring the golfers experience more naturalized areas as they move around the course. Collectively, we are really excited for where this project is headed.”
Chilliwack superintendent Kaleb Fisher added: “Our club has some important projects and decisions ahead of us, and we recognize the value of working with experts to help us navigate this process. From the start, our relationship with Lobb + Partners has been collaborative, insightful and rewarding.”
