GBI Magazine

Gold and Black Illustrated, Sept.-Oct. 2014

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IllustrateD volume 25, issue 1 85 f as seven tees (per hole) from which to play, and it the course will main- tain its parkland (wooded) style that golfers that have played the course have come to know and love." Scott, known for his tireless worked ethic, expects another race to the finish in this project. And, just as he did in the mid-1990s Kampen project, he will employ dozen of Pur- due students, many in turf science, to keep the costs down and provide a valuable experience. One thing Scott hopes doesn't hap- pen this time is a trip to the hospi- tal as the project nears completion. Back in '98, Scott was bordering on exhaustion when the project finished and made it from the hospital bed to the dedication ceremony just in time. "Yes, I don't want to have that happen again," Scott said, now be- ing able to smile about that occur- rence. Yet, Scott says the history of the South Course has much to do with what this project is all about. The South Course came into be- ing in 1934, initially designed by Indiana Golf Hall of Famer Bill Did- dle. In '68, the course was modified by Larry Packard to accommodate the expansion of Tower Acres, an area inhabited mostly by fraterni- ties and sororities in addition to some university housing. As part of the Birck-Boilermaker Complex, the course was further developed in 1996-98, given the name Ackerman Hills by benefactor Ackerman. "It has always been a course that people have loved to play. ... Most of the bunkers we are adding are be- tween 290 and 312 yards from the championship tees," Scott said. "They won't affect the players hit- ting from the members tees at all." What are the Changes? In essence, the land that current- ly occupies 18 holes will now have 16, allowing, in part, for the cham- pionship tee distance of up to 7,400 yards, though Brouse says that num- ber will likely be closer to 7,100. It is just 6,400 yards from the champion- ship tees with the current layout. The biggest change will be that two entirely new holes will be added at the northwest corner of the com- plex in a former cow pasture at the corner of Cherry Lane and McCor- mick Road. "This will give Pete and us a chance to work some magic," Scott said. "The two new holes will be spectacular, and it will give us the breathing room to not only add length for the championship-level players but add a wow factor to the other holes." For those who have played the course, it goes like this: Hole No. 1 will be basically where No. 4 is now. Where there are five holes on the east part of the current course (clos- est to Ross-Ade Stadium), there will be just four in the new layout. Those will run east and west so as to make more room for football game-day parking, and also ample room to keep the football traffic off the fairways. "(Burke) would have never signed off on this project had we negatively impacted football parking," Brouse said with a laugh. "He is all for golf, but knows what needs done for football." Whether it be on a notepad or a napkin, Dye is constantly refining his vision of what he sees when he designs a golf course. He will go down in history as golf's most prolific designer of the past 50 years.

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