Colonial adjusts timeline for ‘generational,’ $21 million renovation to its golf course
Colonial Country Club officials call it a generational project.
The iconic golf course in Fort Worth will undergo a $21 million renovation that will take it back to its roots. However, the initial timeline for the project to begin immediately after the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge has been pushed back a year to start following the 2023 tournament.
With labor shortages and supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, Colonial executives and its members felt it made more sense to adjust the timeline and turn the project into a two-year plan rather than try to get it done in one year.
“When we scheduled and planned this, we had a commitment to the PGA Tour and a commitment to the membership,” said Frank Cordeiro, Colonial’s general manager and chief operating officer. “Part of the sacrifice that our members are making in addition to the financial investment is giving up their golf course for 12 months for the work to be done.
“When it became clear that supply chain, labor issues, things of that nature out of our control were going to jeopardize our ability to keep that commitment, we had to revisit the schedule. We all agreed it was the right thing to do.”
Along with the pandemic-related issues, adjusting the timeline also allows the club ample time to acquire the proper construction permits from various government entities to go forward with the project.
This is a massive renovation project that will take the course back to its roots.
Gil Hanse, one of the top architects in today’s game, is overseeing it. Hanse’s vision is inspired by the layout that attracted the 1941 U.S. Open to the course. Colonial opened in 1936 and was designed by architects John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell.
“Colonial has always been a great golf course,” said Jim Whitten, Colonial tournament committee chairman. “But we’ve had a summer where we didn’t have the greens or the fairways are rough. You just want the course to be as good as it can be. Everybody is super excited about it.
“We’re all excited about making this place great. That’s the bottom line. We want it to be great.”
The renovation project received 85% approval from Colonial’s membership. Cordeiro pointed out that doesn’t necessarily mean 15% were against the project, either.
“Of 20 different major components, members may have been against one or two items,” he said. “It’s an 85% approval technically, but I can’t find a member who is not excited about it.
“Membership has been very supportive because we view it as a generational project. This is an opportunity to generationally impact an iconic golf course that has an incredible history. When you approach these things, you don’t approach them in 12-month increments. You approach them generationally speaking.”
Among the highlights of the project include a modern irrigation system, new bunkers, tees, and green complexes.
The greens — which will remain bentgrass — will have a state-of-the-art subterranean cooling and heating system that can adjust the temperature up or down 10 degrees. This will allow for superior growth and plant health as well as maximizing playability, aesthetics and consistency.
Once the renovation starts following the 2023 tournament, it’s expected to take six months to complete with an additional six months to allow everything to grow in.
In the end, as Cordiero described it, the renovation should make the course “more interesting and enjoyable for the members and more challenging for the PGA Tour players.”
Colonial remains a favorite for many PGA Tour players. Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, recently visited the course during a charity tournament and raved about how it’s stood the test of time.
The renovation will help it continue to do so.
“It’s great to see these courses that stand the test of time,” McDowell said. “It’s a golf course that requires accuracy off the tee. You can’t play this golf course in the rough. The greens are small, undulating, elevated. It’s just a really good tee-to-green golf course. A course that can’t be overpowered too much, which is refreshing in this day and age.”
