Article posted in The Field, ASLA Professional Practice Networks’ Blog

by Bob Hughes, Founding Principal of HGOR

The Bobby Jones Golf Course—Atlanta’s first public golf course, opened in 1932—was previously an underutilized course that suffered from dying trees, invasive plants, and eroded walking trails—it did not live up to the name of Bobby Jones. Marty Elgison, President and Co-Founder of the Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation, became involved with the facility so that it might impact the surrounding communities, and was pivotal in pursuing a mission to turn something ordinary into something transformational. HGOR was selected by the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy to revitalize the area, establishing it as a destination where diverse crowds could gather and enjoy the sport while connecting with others.

Initial challenges varied in scope and included a lack of adequate parking and community engagement and the misconception that a renovation meant the removal of surrounding trees. An innovative approach was needed to solve several issues simultaneously.

Our creative concept of tennis courts atop a parking deck, with a stormwater management components process tucked below, accessible to the Bobby Jones Golf Course and Murray Golf House, Boone’s restaurant, and neighboring Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, was metamorphic for the area. Additional elements of the unique solution included adding passive green space for flexible programming and a pedestrian trail system, with over 800 new trees planted, surrounding the entire area.

The Georgia State Golf Association and Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) learned of the renovations and unique vision during the development phase and ultimately relocated their home offices to the Murray Golf House facility. Post-renovation, the facility became an Atlanta golf epicenter!

In the fall of 2020, the Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation opened the Murray Golf House to the public. It has since become an integral part of the connective tissue for surrounding communities and an exemplary project for other municipalities far beyond the southeast region. The venue, designed by golf course designer Bob Cupp, offers a memorable golf experience with a reversible nine-hole course, multiple combinations that provide a different loop each time, and breathtaking vistas from various points on-site. Additional amenities include the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, the Dan Yates Putting Course, the Ed Hoard Golf Shop, Cupp Links, and numerous programming activities, making it much more than a traditional golf course destination. Also located in the Murray Golf House is Boone’s, the facility’s restaurant, named after Augusta businessman and golfer Boone Knox.

What makes the Bobby Jones Golf Course and its design so impactful to the community is the forethought to create a variety of spaces that support flexible programming. Most notably, the course’s programming has also made an immense difference in people’s lives.

For a typical golf course with a clubhouse, at least 250 to 300 acres are required. Surprisingly, Bobby Jones Golf Course is a mere 128 acres, and could be referred to as the ‘little golf course that could’ because it most certainly DID and continues to deliver! Because of the ingenuity of myself and HGOR’s talented landscape architecture and planning team, and most definitely of Bob Cupp, the golf course architect, the Bobby Jones Golf Course has demonstrated a phenomenal use of limited land.

“I’ve noticed that you’ll have families come out to play 9 holes or the Cupp Links and then go to the putting course. Then they go have a bite to eat at Boone’s, and the next thing you know, they’ve been here all day because there’s so much to do.”

– Josh Deal, VP of Operations, Bobby Jones Links

Course Amenities and Programming

“Not everyone can play golf, but everyone can putt.”

– Marty Elgison

• The Dan Yates Putting Course is a 9-hole course designed as a smaller course component. This section of the facility offers a unique layout for both professionals and those there to enjoy a leisurely day outdoors. It serves as the focal point for the arrival sequence at Bobby Jones.

• Cupp Links is a 5-hole, par 3 course designed for junior golfers to have fun while learning to play golf.

• The Juniors Program, led by an in-house team of six employees, is where kids learn and play. The facility offers weekday clinics for kids and adolescents, a PGA Junior League with coaching from PGA/LPGA professionals, organized team practices and seasonal leagues. Summer Camp and Schools Out Camps are offered during school holidays to allow children to continue learning and playing. Since the facility’s opening, 1,500 children have come through the junior programs and the program continues to increase in popularity!
  
  Read the full article on ASLA's The Field here.