12 North Shore Towers Courier n December 2016 Photos by Stephen Vrattos On C urse Golf course renovation improves quality and playability by Stephen Vratos North Shore Towers Country Club golfers have had to adjust their game this fall, as backhoes, diggers and other landscaping equipment have taken over areas of the course. Those familiar with the groundskeeping work, which traditionally occurs in the fall in preparation for winter, may raise an eyebrow at the increased activity. But any curiosity or consternation by golfers at the shortening of their play is quickly assuaged by the knowledge that the work is all part of the Country Club’s continuing long-range plan to renovate, update and improve the course. It was approximately five years ago when North Shore Towers Country Club members approached Pro Bob Guido and Director of Grounds Eric O’Neill New sod installation. about doing just that. “No renovations had really been done, since the Towers opened in the ’70s,” Guido explained. Up to that time, fixes were made as they cropped up; “Band-Aids,” as Guido called them, and the Golf Pro saw a more comprehensive approach to the course as a “step in the right direction to getting things done the right way.” The “right way” meant hiring a professional golf course architect. Seasoned professionals and experts in their respective fields notwithstanding, both Guido and O’Neill hadn’t the knowledge specific to designing and renovating a golf course. Fittingly, Joel Weiman was brought on board. As Senior Designer for McDonald Design Group in Maryland, Weiman recently received accolades for his redesign of the golf course at nearby Glen Oaks Country Club. Resident historians will recall North Shore Towers as the site of the original Glen Oaks Country Club course, built in 1923, before relocating after the land was sold to build the Towers in 1971. “Joel is a young architect who’s now making his name,” O’Neill said. Of Weiman’s redesign of the 27-hole course at Glen Oaks, he remarked, “He did a great job… Fantastic!” As further evidence of Weiman’s talent, the golf architect’s recently been assigned to re-envision the prestigious Baltusrol Country Club course in Springfield, New Jersey, which is heralded as one of the top ten in the nation. Founded in 1895, the 36-hole course was originally designed by legendary golf architect A. W. Tillinghast. It has hosted seven U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, including Workers shape new bunker at the approach to Hole #5 green.
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