Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design to design second course at Arcadia Bluffs

Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design are going to design The South Course at Arcadia Bluffs, which will be the companion course for the acclaimed Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course located in Arcadia, Mich.

The new inland course will be located 1 mile to the south of the existing Arcadia Bluffs GC off Highway 22 and will span 310 acres. Clearing of the land will start in the fall of 2016, with golf course construction beginning in the spring of 2017 and grassing starting that summer. The course is projected to open for the summer of 2018.

The Arcadia Management team and Fry/Straka say they want to build a course that will provide it’s own special golfing experience. Arcadia Bluffs is a links style golf course that runs along the Lake Michigan shoreline, the South Course will complement the original with its inland location that features a Golden-Age parkland style design, according to the company.

A championship course with four practice holes, driving range and clubhouse will be built, and Fry/Straka says its goal is to deliver a course that appears timeless and blends into its natural surroundings without a lot of artificial earthmoving. The South Course will be routed utilizing the 40 foot topographic changes to create interesting and fun-to-play holes that offer open and expansive views, with trees appearing only along the perimeter. Core design elements include large greens of square and rectangular shape; bunkering with steep grass banks cut directly into the ground; and close proximity placement from the putting surface of one hole to the tee boxes of another, thus supporting the opportunity for golfers to walk the course. These elements, along with tightly-mowed chipping areas and native, low maintenance grasses that go off-color in the summer will give a rustic, timeless appearance to the course.

Warren Henderson, architect of the original Arcadia Bluffs Course, will lead the project management aspect and provide construction oversight throughout the entire project.