Golfers and spectators use umbrellas to shield themselves from rain as they head to the clubhouse as the final round of the 2021 Circle K Junior Championship Hosted By Otter Creek was canceled due to the weather in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 1, 2021.
World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite has been selected to perform the redesign of Otter Creek Golf Course.
Kite is a 19-time winner on the PGA Tour, highlighted by his victory in the 1992 US Open. He is a seven-time Ryder Cup selection and was the captain on the 1997 US Ryder Cup team.
“A golf course is a lot like an old building,” said Bob Haddad Jr., Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Otter Creek. “That course is 60 years old. There just comes a point where a lot of things need to be updated, just like in an older building or home.”
Haddad purchased Otter Creek from the city of Columbus last fall. Soon after, a conversation began about hiring an architect to redesign the course.
Following an interview process, the selection committee chose Tom Kite Designs.
“There are so many reasons why I’m excited about the opportunity to work on Otter Creek Golf Club, but first on my list would be the people I will get to hang out with while we do the redesign,” Kite said in a news release. “Everyone associated with Otter Creek is a golf junkie, very passionate about the game and committed to creating one of the finest golf experiences in Indiana. I truly expect to have some wonderful friendships long after the project is completed.”
Otter Creek will be the 11th course design for Tom Kite Designs.
“I have been an avid admirer of great architecture for years,” Kite said. “So much so, that if I had not been as successful playing golf, I most likely would have ended up being an architect. The opportunity to spend time in Columbus, a city well known for its cutting-edge architecture, is a dream come true and I fully expect to act like a tourist and check out the fabulous buildings on many of my site visits. The golf course is what brings us together, and what a great starting off point.”
Kite’s partner is Billy Fuller, the former head grounds superintendent at Augusta National, home of The Masters.
“We are delighted to collaborate with former PGA player and accomplished golf course architect Tom Kite and his team of experts,” Haddad said. “Tom and Billy won our trust with their wonderful personalities, outstanding ideas, professional experiences and burning passion to restore Otter Creek to the great championship golf course it is meant to be. Our team has a big vision, and we can’t wait to get to work with Tom and Billy to make it happen. Otter Creek will always be historic, friendly and memorable.”
Otter Creek opened in 1964 after being designed by Robert Trent Jones.
“Robert Trent Jones was one of the most creative and prolific golf architects in the history of the game,” Kite said. “Otter Creek was long regarded as the finest course in Indiana and all who play it know that the ‘bones’ of the course are fabulous. But so many things in our game have changed since 1964 and it is time to bring Otter Creek up to today’s standards.”
Kite noted six factors that will play a big role in the redesign:
o The original irrigation system is old and outdated with newer systems incorporating significant water saving features.
o Newer grasses have been developed in the 60 years since opening, resulting in much improved playing conditions.
o Now, even the sand bunkers have extensive drainage systems making them much easier and cheaper to maintain.
o In 2023, more ladies, juniors and seniors are playing the game than ever before, creating a need for more forward tees helping them get around the course.
o With the improved golf equipment, elite golfers are hitting it further resulting in a need for longer courses.
o With the additions of multiple tees and an improved strategic design, we will end up with a course that is fun and challenging for all levels of golfers.
“Just as many ‘mid-century moderns’ have been updated, Otter Creek will be updated,” Kite said. “But when all is said and done, the ‘bones’ that Mr. Jones laid out will still be recognizable, praised and hopefully enjoyed for decades to come.”
“From 60 years ago, the game of golf is different,” Haddad added. “People weren’t hitting it as far. It was just time to look at the golf course to both modernize it and to hang on to some of the tradition and history that’s there with Robert Trent Jones.”
Haddad said the selection process and the process of the redesign going forward includes a team that features Otter Creek director of agronomy Brent Downs, director of agronomy, head superintendent Mitchell Eickhoff, director of golf Austin Wright and head pro Jimmy St. John.
“I have a team, and my team has been a part of this process since January, meeting with all of the candidates. They were a key and critical part of the decision-making process. It was a team decision, and it will be a team project.”
The team began began master planning during architect selection process.
“We gave them a list of elements that we would like to consider being a part of the master plan,” Haddad said. “Anytime you do that, one idea launches 100 other ideas. So the creative process is just beginning.”
Haddad said he does not have a timetable for when the redesign will begin. He hasn’t ruled out there still being 27 holes or not being 27 holes.
“Our first phase of our work with Tom will be to do a site master plan for the entire 415 acres so we know what our entire roadmap is,” Haddad said. “Then, once we get the master plan complete, we’ll begin to determine how we’re going to approach it. But even before that, there will be lots of detailed drawings done. We’ll have to seek a build contractor, an irrigation contractor and work with them on their availability and their timing, so there’s a lot of work that needs to be done before we even know when the shovel is going to go into the ground.”
