Message for 2008 from the Executive Director

2007 was a whirlwind of Ross restoration especially in North Carolina. Vaunted Charlotte Country Club, Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro and Forsythe Country Club in Winston-Salem were all thoughtfully restored. Cape Fear Country Club re-opened after a wonderful restoration effort by Architect Kris Spence and was awarded fourth place in best restorations for private clubs in Golf Digest.

French Lick in Indiana experienced their first season after reopening in late 2006. The course and Architect Lee Schmid were awarded second place for the best restoration of a resort course. The French Lick Hotel and the West Baden Spa now have a casino and to compliment their 1917 Ross course they have Peter Dye building a big, bold and beautiful 7,700 yard Championship course.
The Broadmoor Country Club in Indianapolis has completed or is close to completing restoration work by Tom Doak and Bruce Hepner of Renaissance Golf.

Many other courses of the Ross portfolio completed or started work on their venues. One of particular note is the Plymouth Country Club in Plymouth, MA, a club that has held a noted regional stroke play Championship known as the Hornblower for many years. This par 69 has decided to restore the course as it was when Ross built it in 1927. That doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for some longer tee boxes. Plymouth has a very original set of Ross greens that have protected par for many years.

Our meeting in Sarasota was a big hit for the 35 Ross members who played at the Sara Bay Country Club and the Bobby Jones Municipal.

We are looking forward to our Annual Meeting in Wilmington, NC at Cape Fear and the Wilmington Municipal.

Michael Miller has announced the dates of the joint meeting of the Donald Ross Society and the Tillinghast Organization September 19-21 at Bedford Springs Rsort and Spa in Pennsylvania.

Derek Dobbs, Mike Miller and myself are looking to more of these quality events for the future.

As President Gerry Stratford announced the Donald Ross Society donated $ 7,500.00 to the Tufts Archives in Pinehurst. We have supported the Archives financially for over 15 years and they have made wonderful strides in the organization, preservation and dissemination of the drawings and other information on Ross courses. If you are in Pinehurst, stop in.

Thank you for your support! Let us get together at an event soon!

      Michael J. Fay
      Executive Director