The typical course developer scouts out a piece of property close to a large population center, probably overpays for a “name” architect, then demands that he go out and build a “Top 100” golf course.
Gerry Forsythe didn’t do any of these things, which may explain why his project, Canyata – designed and built by architect Bob Lohmann with Mike Benkusky – was recently ranked #42 on Golf Digest magazine’s prestigious list of “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses” for 2009.
For starters, Forsythe didn’t look for a piece of property. He simply opened his back door and decided to build a 3-hole course on his family’s land in rural Marshall, Ill., about 40 minutes south and east of Champaign-Urbana.
|
|
For this “backyard” project, he turned to Lohmann – not so much because Lohmann Golf Designs (LGD) had authored more than 35 original course designs, among them the posh Merit Club, host of the 2000 U.S. Women’s Open. More so because Lohmann’s firm is based in nearby Marengo, and the company encompasses a highly regarded course construction division, Golf Creations.
“Nothing about this project was ever typical,” said Lohmann, who also happens to be past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. “The fact that Canyata cracked the ranking so high, at #42, indicates to me that raters found it pretty extraordinary, too.
“I’m no expert on how these top 100 lists are compiled, but from our perspective, two factors made Canyata an exceptional finished product: First, Gerry Forsythe has the vision thing. And second, the property we worked with here in Marshall is spectacular. Those two factors alone made it a privilege to design and build Canyata.”
Originally Forsythe sought to build only three golf holes – a par 3, par 4 and par 5 – designed for the recreational use of his family and friends. But it didn't take long for Lohmann, former LGD senior designer Mike Benkusky and the crew from Golf Creations to recognize this lush, diverse, topographically varied farmland for what it was: a world-class 7,200-yard golf course just waiting to happen.
Forsythe recognized it, too, and slowly the project grew from 3 to 9 to 18 holes.
“It's a hard golf course to describe,” said Jerry Williams, Canyata's Director of Golf. “There are some holes where you feel you're on a links course; some holes which make you feel like you're in North Carolina. If you were to take someone and just drop them in there, let them play the course and not tell them where they were, nobody would guess central Illinois.
“It's an amazing piece of property,” Williams continued. “Even the parts of the course that were man-made tie in so well to the natural terrain of the land, you can't tell what is natural and what has been created.”
A spectacular nine-hole routing opened very quietly in fall 2001. At that time, the course was still considered a private, backyard amenity. When the additional nine was completed in fall 2004, Canyata became more or less an exclusive private club; membership at Canyata Golf Club is restricted only to those invited to join by owner.
But word spread fast. Golf Digest soon named Canyata the No. 2 “Best New Private Course” in the United States for 2005. (Incidentally, Golf Digest named another Lohmann design, Mattaponi Springs Golf Club, just north of Richmond, Va., the No. 2 “Best New Upscale Public” course for 2005). Just four years later, Canyata debuted on Golf Digest’s list of “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses,” at #42.
“Canyata was the ultimate design-build job,” said Lohmann. “It started as a 3-hole course for Gerry and his family. Then it became a 9-hole course. Then we decided that if there was ever going to be a back nine, we should build the 10th hole. The rest followed from there. A ‘normal’ course design job just can’t be organized like that — simply sorting out the schedules of architect and course builder would be impossible. But because we have it all under one roof, we made it work.”