Renovation vs Restoration: When, Why and How




 As seen in Golf Business November/December 2022 


By Michael Williams:


Twenty-five years ago, a herd of new golf courses opened across America. Fueled by a booming economy, a strong housing market that thrived on a first-class amenity like a golf course and the playing-prime of the best player of all time, golf courses sprouted up at a record pace.


Fast forward to the present day and the landscape is much different. Many of the boomtime courses have been closed and many of those that remain find themselves in need of attention. Add to that the plethora of pre- and post-WWII courses that had declined gradually into various states of disrepair or neglect, and the recipe for the current boom in restoration and renovation projects becomes clear.

The numbers back the perception that there is a whole lot of earth being moved to renovate and restore courses rather than buildClubhouse new ones. According to a National Golf Foundation study from earlier in 2022, brand new course openings in the golf-rich U.S. market have been limited over the past decade – approximately 200 in total. Course closures have outpaced openings during that time, with total supply dropping by about 10%. The study also points out that more than 4,500 courses were christened in the United States during the 20-year period from 1986 to 2005.

Many if not all of the courses in that generation are in need of significant investment. A portion of that investment is required to repair and upgrade critical infrastructure, but owners must also make an honest assessment about the routing and features of the course and make a determination about whether to stand pat with the current design or to significantly change the face of the track. Ultimately, owners/operators need a firm understanding of restoration vs. renovation, and how to decide if it’s time to consider one.

Troy Miller is one of the most experienced voices in the industry on the topic of restorations and renovations of golf courses. Miller, who recently joined Southworth Development as its chief development officer to oversee a portfolio that includes gems like The Abaco Club in the Bahamas and Creighton Farms in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., has had a hand in a range of restoration/renovation projects. One of his most recent is Charleston Municipal Golf Course, in Charleston, S.C., a project that has brought new life to the golfing public and to the community surrounding the golf course. Miller feels that it is important to draw the distinction between course renovation and restoration as owners and operators look at their own properties.

“The first real philosophical question that must be asked is: Is what was here before something that’s worth saving, and is it still relevant in the modern game? Really, a restoration lends itself to the belief that there was something there to begin with in the original design and intent worth having that's been lost over time, due to maintenance practices or due to changes through time,” notes Miller.

Miller continues, “Renovation has to do with change and altering the golf course. And then there's the middle ground, which I think that 99% of projects end up falling in, which is kind of that blend of concentrating on the things that are historically important, unique and add to the value of the golf course.”

Some of the biggest splashes in recent years have been made by restoration or renovation of courses. Some of those have been among the most storied names in the industry, including luminaries like Torrey Pines, Baltusrol and Congressional. A key component in those projects has been a desire to host world-class players for major championship events, as even the most storied courses are forced to make adjustments for modern capabilities.

Explains Miller, “Modern technology and the modern game are different and there are some changes that you need to make in order to maintain the original design intent, and I think this is where that true restoration piece really falls in. My sister is a historic preservationist for old houses in downtown Charleston. I always joke with her about how far back she wants to take it…You know, do you want to go back to outhouses and oil lamps? With golf, if you really are keeping in mind trying to keep players in that original design intent, maintaining the styles of shots that were originally anticipated to be played by the architect when it was built decades or centuries ago, in some cases is really where I think the line kind of blurs between restoration and renovation, because you're not going to get the exact same shots.”

Whether it’s a renovation, a restoration or a hybrid of the two, making changes of that magnitude is significant for any golf course. Miller has some sage advice for owner/operators to consider before embarking on a project.

“Return on investment is the most important metric that we can look at as golf course owners and really look at the market and what you're trying to serve and what the opportunity is in that moment,” notes Miller. “If you've started to see a decline in conditioning that is related to systems that are failing, then obviously there's a need for some of those mechanical upgrades and some of the more basic components of the golf course to be addressed in order to maintain your level of, uh, of, I guess of competitive status within the market.

Miller continues, “There could be a market opportunity to position yourself as a different style golf course or as a historic golf course that maybe has been overlooked through time. I think that's one of the things that we're seeing more and more, and is one of the more romantic things that's happening in golf course architecture these days. You're seeing all of these old, classically designed golf courses that haven't necessarily been thought of as our great classic golden age design golf courses because they were so kind of washed over time and have been beaten down so much over time that they didn't really resonate as that golden age design. Now, really strong restoration is being done to really show off the history.

And that's something that is very marketable in a lot of places for a lot of golf courses to be able to say, “Look at me. I'm a golden age golf course that was designed by this pedigreed architect, and what I have here does have merit, and I want to show you what it was like in 1925 when it was first designed.”

Miller appreciates the aesthetic impact of work done by his colleagues at Torrey and Congressional, properties that have deep resources to expand on projects. But whether you are a major championship venue or a local municipal course, Miller advises that being targeted and prudent is the way to get the maximum return.

“I think I'd first put a business lens on it, certainly studying the market data and understanding where you fit into your particular market and how your golf course is performing over the course of the last five years. Then engage the members and patrons to understand what the desires may be of golfers within the market. And when choosing an architect, I think you should interview a lot of folks and be able to get varying opinions and get a good broad spectrum of what the potential and the opportunities are. Focus on what's going to be impactful both in playability and enjoyability as well as for the ownership to make sure that it's a good investment. In short, spend money on things that will be impactful.”