Michigan Golf Journal February 2019

Nearly anyone who has played or walked the storied grounds of Oakland Hills Country Club South Course agrees the 1918 Donald Ross design is a classic, championship-level layout for the ages. Now, more than 100 years after opening for play, what’s below the surface of the grass needs to be updated to launch the club into its next 100 years. The membership voted for emerging design superstar Gil Hanse to come in and totally reconstruct all 18 green complexes and make some additional modifications. The course will be closed all of 2020 with a reopening planned for spring 2021. Lee Jewitt is an Oakland Hills life member and past greens committee chairman. He is a GAM President emeritus and was chairman of the U.S. Amateur held at Oakland Hills in 2016 – which set records for fan attendance and sponsorships. A focus of the South Course work to be completed is to entice future USGA majors back to Oakland Hills, but Jewitt said additional benefits are to improve play for the members. Most green complexes on the South Course have the original infrastructure from 100 years ago, which needs updating. K <> E ,/>>^ SOUTH COURSE TO CLOSE IN FALL By Tom Lang h^ ŵĂƚĞƵƌ ĂĐƟŽŶ Ăƚ Oakland Hills in 2016 KĂŬůĂŶĚ ,ŝůůƐ ZĞĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶ