Land planning and golf design firm Design Workshop is teaming with legendary golf professional Hale Irwin to create The Lodestone Golf Club in McHenry, Md. Located on a mountain ridge above Deep Creek Lake and next to the Wisp Ski Resort, the 18-hole course will be the signature piece of the exclusive Lodestone Golf Club developed by Wisp Resort. Groundbreaking was held on Thursday, June 14 on the 12th hole at Lodestone, with the course slated to open as early as Fall 2008.
“We are extremely fortunate and honored to be working with Hale Irwin, who is as impressive a designer as he is a player,” said golf course architect Todd Schoeder, who heads the Design Workshop golf design team. “Course features at Lodestone are not forced. Rather, the land dictates the strategy and character of the design and lends a gentle touch and respect to the land, making it seem as though the course has existed for generations while respecting the history and traditions of the game.”
Lodestone is the first Hale Irwin signature Golf Course in Maryland and will be the highest-elevation course in the state. The site, 400-plus acres of land atop Marsh Mountain, is a former logging area, now covered by lush deciduous forest. The Lodestone course meanders through the forest and around mountainous streams, incorporating natural elements such as mossy rock outcroppings, natural water features and breathtaking views of Deep Creek Lake. A residential community as well the Irwin Estates is planned, with custom homesites on the course tucked into the natural forest environment.
Golf course architect Todd Schoeder has designed numerous high-profile golf courses, including the national award-winning Glacier Club in Durango, Colo. Working with Hale Irwin, he is assisted on the Lodestone design by two other Design Workshop architects, Chad Murphy and Rick Wesselman, as well as Hale Irvin’s son Steve. The Lodestone Golf Course will be managed by OB Sports Management of Scottsdale, Arizona with course construction by Aspen Corporation of Daniels, W.Va.
