For much of his career as a golf course architect, Tim Liddy has worked with Pete Dye, helping that noted designer create some of the most celebrated layouts in the country, among them the Black Wolf Run and Whistling Straits courses in Kohler, Wis. He has also assisted in updates and renovations of Dye’s work. But now, Liddy has taken to revamping the layouts of another World Golf Hall of Fame member, Donald Ross. The first opportunity came a couple of years ago at the Hyde Park Golf and Country Club in Cincinnati, where Ross had taken a nine-hole design by fellow Scotsman Tom Bendelow and transformed it in 1920 into an acclaimed 18-hole layout. And the next arrived in the form of a commission in the fall of 2015 to renovate the Hamilton Elks Golf Club in Hamilton, Ohio.
“There are 30 Donald Ross golf courses in Ohio at the moment, and I am excited to be getting the chance to once again work on one of his creations in the Buckeye State,” said Liddy, who is a longtime member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and has run his own golf course design firm since 1993. “I feel as if I am following in Ross’s footsteps through Ohio 90 years after he was here.”
Constructed in 1925 and owned by the Hamilton Elks Lodge #93, the Hamilton Elks Golf Club actually consists of three 9-hole courses. The Blue was laid out by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and opened in 1995, while the Red and White were fashioned by Ross. And Liddy’s mandate is to restore only the Ross creations.
“Donald Ross’ work at Hamilton Elks have not been changed a lot over the years,” Liddy said. “The Red and White have small greens, narrow fairways and is laid out on gently undulating terrain. We plan to restore the fairway widths and the greens edges that have been lost and renovate the bunkers. There are also issues with trees, and a new irrigation system is needed. In addition, we have had discussions about improving the practice facility at the club and building a short game area.”
“There is a much to do,” Liddy added. “But when we are done, we will have taken what is currently a really wonderful Donald Ross golf course and brought it back to its original glory.”
The members at Hamilton Elks are excited about what Liddy can do for them. “We have been looking for some time at how we could better our golf course,” club trustee Tom Smith said. “And we are looking forward to developing a long range plan for the Red and White with Tim and then executing it.”
