{"id":16676,"date":"2018-12-31T02:06:24","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T08:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=16676"},"modified":"2018-12-31T02:30:19","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T08:30:19","slug":"tiger-woods-to-design-renovation-of-chicagos-historic-jackson-park-golf-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=16676","title":{"rendered":"Tiger Woods, to design renovation of Chicago’s historic Jackson Park golf course"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How Tiger Woods\u2019s newest design venture could change the game.<\/h1>\n
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Mayor Emanuel, Chicago Park District Announce Creation Of The Chicago Parks Golf Alliance.<\/h1>\n

New group will raise funds, plan restoration of Jackson Park, South Shore Golf Courses; Tiger Woods\u2019 TGR Design will design upgraded facility.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Michael Kelly today announced the creation of the Chicago Parks Golf Alliance (CPGA), a group to be led by Mark Rolfing, who will serve as the organization\u2019s President and Founder. In partnership with the City and Park District, the CPGA aims to restore and improve the existing golf courses at Jackson Park and South Shore Golf Courses to create an economic and recreational asset for the South Side of Chicago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is more than simply a unique opportunity to restore a historic public golf course, it\u2019s a unique opportunity to drive resources and investments on the South Side,\u201d said Mayor Emanuel. \u201cAnd even with this restoration the course will remain a real community asset because we\u2019re going to ensure that the neighborhood golfers who have been hitting the links here for years will be able to continue to access and enjoy it at a reduced rate.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea to restore the historic golf courses \u2013 Jackson Park opened in 1899 and South Shore Golf Course opened in 1907 \u2013 is not a new idea, as a framework plan created by the Park District in 2000 contained various recommendations for the South Lakefront area, one of which proposed upgrading the two golf courses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In launching the CPGA, Mark Rolfing, an award winning Golf Course Developer and NBC Golf Channel Analyst, also announced the golf course restoration would be designed by Tiger Woods\u2019 TGR Design.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cIt\u2019s an honor for me and TGR Design to be designing this golf course in one of America\u2019s greatest golf cities,\u201d said Woods. \u201cThis project can create incredible possibilities for the community on the South Side. We want to design a course that everyone will enjoy.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Additionally, the CPGA will work with the Chicago-based Western Golf Association to promote caddie programs that will help young men and women from nearby neighborhoods earn the prestigious Evans Scholarship and create a venue worthy of hosting its flagship PGA TOUR event, the BMW Championship.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation President and CEO John Kaczkowski, \u201cThe Western Golf Association enthusiastically welcomes this opportunity to grow our game and change the lives of deserving young men and women in a city that means so much to our organization. We envision this facility serving as a pipeline for the Evans Scholarship Program, which has sent more than 11,000 caddies to college since 1930. Restoring the South Shore and Jackson Park courses could provide a compelling site for future PGA TOUR events, including the BMW Championship, as early as 2021 when the event is expected to return to Chicago.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lisa Quinn, Executive Director of The First Tee of Greater Chicago, concurs, \u201cWe are proud to participate in this exciting project that will no doubt rejuvenate participation in the game of golf. Its youth initiatives will ensure a safe place to play and opportunities to develop as players and be successful in the formative years. It will enable us to increase our programs which have been active at South Shore and Jackson Park for more than 15 years, expand the Chicago Park District Junior League and reach thousands of more youth on an annual basis.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem states, \u201cAs one of the longest continuous host organizations of a PGA TOUR tournament, we are delighted to see the Western Golf Association\u2019s involvement with this project. The possibility of bringing the BMW Championship to this facility is one that we are willing to consider as the various pieces of this initiative come together. Tiger Woods\u2019 involvement gives us great confidence in the quality of the design and direction for the project in terms of bringing golf to young people. The integration of The First Tee of Greater Chicago into the overall Master Plan of this project is also extremely exciting.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark Rolfing, a Chicago area native, concludes \u201cOver the past few years, I have enjoyed meeting many avid golfers on the South Shore and Jackson Park courses. The community\u2019s passion for the site motivates the vision to enhance these lakefront facilities they are already so proud of.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chicago Park District oversees six public golf courses (Sydney Marovitz, Jackson Park, South Shore, Columbus Park, Marquette Park and Robert A. Black), a driving range\/practice facility at Diversey Range, a driving range at Jackson Park and a practice facility at Douglas Park.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In 1993, a talented young golfer gave a clinic in front of a devoted crowd at Jackson Park, a municipal course on Chicago\u2019s South Side. More than a quarter-century later, that golfer is back at Jackson Park \u2014 and Tiger Woods is looking to make a lasting impression.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Woods is lead architect on the proposed renovation of 18-hole Jackson Park and nine-hole South Shore, two historic, beloved munis that sit at the western edge of Lake Michigan. Under the plans laid out by TGR Design (Woods\u2019s design firm) the two courses would combine into a 7,341-yard 18-hole championship track.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Dec. 12, the Chicago Park District met to approve a resolution to fund services for an engineering firm, the Smith Group, for the next three and a half years. The decision represented a commitment from the city and a huge hurdle cleared in the process of breaking ground on the renovation. What began four years ago as a pie-in-the-sky reevaluation of Chicago\u2019s city-owned courses is nearing fruition as something altogether different: a likely PGA Tour host with striking views of the city and a brand-new concept of what it means to be an urban public golf course.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI first learned the game on public courses playing with my Pop,\u201d Woods told GOLF in a statement. \u201cI hope this course will be more than just golf and also make a positive impact in the community. We are eager to proceed toward groundbreaking at Jackson Park and South Shore.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know about the proposed TGR Design.<\/strong><\/p>\n

@TigerWoods<\/span> <\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

THE BACKSTORY<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A hospital-bed view<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA few years ago, we couldn\u2019t get anyone to talk,\u201d says Mark Rolfing. The NBC commentator and his unrelenting optimism has been the project\u2019s driving force since its inception. \u201cEveryone said this would never work. Now here we are on the 1-yard line. I feel very strongly that this is going to happen.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Rolfing, a self-proclaimed \u201cChicago guy,\u201d the inspiration for bettering golf in Chicago has been around for years. A role in marketing the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah reenergized his passion to preserve what he calls \u201cthe greatest golf town in the country.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s golf scene, he said, was an apple. \u201cIt became pretty clear to me that the outside of the apple \u2014 the upscale private clubs \u2014 was shiny and looked fabulous. But the core was neglected, slowly rotting \u2014 and that meant municipal golf in downtown Chicago.\u201d Spurred to action, Rolfing met with the Chicago Parks District and in 2015 began a study on its six-course portfolio.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just months into the study, Rolfing\u2019s life changed. He found a lump on his left cheek, had it checked out and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer: stage four in the salivary gland. Rolfing chose to keep the news relatively private, even finishing his duties at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits before driving to the University of Chicago\u2019s Medical Center, where he faced a seven and a half hour surgery to remove the tumor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The surgery went well, and something curious happened: Rolfing ended up with a hospital room that overlooked one of the exact park-run golf courses he had been studying. Historic Jackson Park Golf Course stretched out from his window at the University of Chicago\u2019s hospital, and he watched golfers play through, group by group, while he considered the possibilities of the course\u2019s layout and ways in which it could be improved.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the surgery plus a new-age form of intense proton radiation therapy \u2014 which he received at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston \u2014 fended off the cancer. But the image from his Chicago hospital bed endured.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis miracle had occurred and it was like an epiphany,\u201d he said. \u201cI was like, wow, okay, time to do something really significant.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A call from the president<\/strong><\/p>\n

During this time, Rolfing wasn\u2019t the only person considering Jackson Park as a potential site. President Obama was deciding where his presidential library should go. Three cities were in consideration: Would it be in Honolulu, New York, or Chicago? If it was Chicago, would it be in Washington Park or Jackson Park? Just as Rolfing drew closer to settling on Jackson Park, Obama made the same choice \u2014 more specifically, near the Jackson Park Golf Course, not far from the cultural center where he and his wife Michelle had celebrated their marriage in 1992. Fate was smiling on the old courses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Al DeBonnett, who is a park superfan and the Chairperson of the Jackson Park Golf and Community Leadership Committee, couldn\u2019t believe his luck. \u201cThat was so inspired, divine, serendipitous \u2014 whatever you want to call it \u2014 to have Mark come in, to have Obama\u2019s center come in, it has come together at exactly the right time.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

But there would be plenty more heavy hitters involved. Rolfing\u2019s first instinct was to turn to two \u201cit\u201d kids of the course architecture world to tackle the project: the renowned design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The duo came to check out the site and expressed interest, but they recognized the trickiness of tackling a project of this scale within Chicago\u2019s city limits, too. Before Rolfing had made a final decision on course designer, Obama got involved with a well-placed call to his No. 1 choice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs I heard it, Obama called Tiger and said something to the effect of, \u2018Hey, do you know Mark Rolfing?\u2019\u201d Rolfing recounts now. \u201c\u2018And Tiger says \u2018Yeah, sure, I\u2019ve known Mark for a while.\u2019 Obama tells him, \u2018Well, he\u2019s working on a plan for my home course. I think you should get involved \u2014 in fact, I think you should be the architect.’\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was an effective pitch (calls from presidents tend to be). Soon Rolfing got a call from Woods\u2019s architectural team, TGR. Woods was interested, and he wanted to come see the site. \u201cWhen?\u201d Rolfing asked, and got a surprising reply.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHow about next week?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Beau Welling, TGR\u2019s head of design seconded Rolfing\u2019s surprise. \u201cI remember distinctly \u2014 he said, we\u2019ve gotta go check out this thing in Chicago. He had never done that before, but he was like okay, I\u2019ll come pick you up!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTo have the opportunity to work with the president on something like this in his home city,\u201d Woods said when rumor of the course first broke, \u201cif we can pull this off, I think it can benefit so many people on the South Side. Hopefully we can do it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are all the kids?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was August 2016 when Woods arrived for a full day touring the Jackson Park and South Shore sites. He\u2019d been to the site before; some 23 years earlier. In 1993 his father Earl had arranged a clinic at Jackson Park to help support Woods\u2019s junior golf efforts \u2014 but that was an entire lifetime ago. Rolfing took him by the cultural center first, and then down to the lake.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just mesmerized. I could see it in his eyes; he kept looking out at the Chicago skyline and saying \u2018Wow \u2014 there\u2019s just no other city in the country where you could do this.\u2019 We drove around the site for a while, and I actually almost killed him crossing Jeffery Blvd., where you\u2019re always having to dodge cars. That wasn\u2019t ideal but it was also perfect because he could see that this was a project that really needed some work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe stopped a few times and just talked big picture, and one of those stops he said this line that really stuck with me: \u2018Where are the kids?\u2019 Here it was, a beautiful August afternoon, school was out, and there were no kids playing.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

To Rolfing, that moment marked the shift in Woods\u2019s interest in the site from making a bundle of appealing golf holes to something bigger: a chance to change a community.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI kept thinking he\u2019d get on his plane, he could get back to Florida and it was going to be too complicated, that he\u2019d somehow say no, that this was too good to be true.\u201d Instead, he got a call back from Welling, who declared Jackson Park \u201ca game-changing project\u201d and a perfect fit for Woods\u2019s desires.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire reason Tiger got into architecture in the first place is because he wanted to do impactful, meaningful projects,\u201d Welling said. \u201cThis was a confluence of a lot of things: a historic site, Mark\u2019s vision, President Obama, and the opportunity to do so many things across a diversity of demographics. I\u2019ve worked for a long time and this certainly has the potential to be my most meaningful, impactful project \u2014 by a lot.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

THE MODEL<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The community-focused nature of the project seemed to hook Woods. It hooked another important business partner, too: Mike Keiser. Among golf course developers, Keiser cuts a unique profile: he made his fortune selling recycled paper greeting cards, he\u2019s passionate about speed golf and he now spends much of his time thinking of creative pricing models for golf courses. Keiser\u2019s beloved developments, generally marked by breathtaking scenic beauty and minimalist amenities, include Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Cabot Cliffs in Nova Scotia and Sand Valley in Wisconsin. But he has a sweet spot for Chicago municipal golf, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJackson Park was my favorite place to bring our youngest son,\u201d said Keiser, who raised his kids in Chicago. \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to drive all the way to the suburbs, but if we could whisk down to Jackson Park from Lincoln Park in 15 minutes, he was all in.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Four aspects of the Jackson Park \u201cmodel\u201d make it particularly unique: The funding, the pricing, the caddie program and the focus on community. Rolfing isn\u2019t sure he\u2019d compare the plan at Jackson Park to anything in the golf world. But there are pieces and ideas it draws from, he says.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Funding<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Jackson Park\/South Shore course renovation is being funded almost entirely through private dollars. That makes it an easier sell politically \u2014 many munis are struggling, and earmarking public dollars for golf courses can often be painted as an extravagance. But the key to this piece of the model is that the funding isn\u2019t coming in as an investment, but as a donation. Keiser is headlining a group of Chicago-area contributors who are pitching in to turn the blueprints into realities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rolfing says he\u2019s never seen this piece to it. \u201cI\u2019ve seen examples with corporations and businesses investing in courses, but I\u2019ve never seen it where there\u2019s a donation and there is no return,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like building a park, where you donate money \u2014 and look, that\u2019s what it takes to accomplish those kinds of things.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Pricing<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When it comes to rates, Keiser and Rolfing each pointed to Sand Hills, the Nebraska golf club where they became acquainted. Most of the golf world knows Sand Hills as an uber-exclusive destination golf course in a remote section of the Cornhusker State. \u201cIf a member sponsors a guest, it\u2019s at least $300 if not more,\u201d Rolfing says. \u201cBut if you are a resident of Hooker County, Nebraska, you pay $75 a year. That $75 gets you free greens fees for the summer. It\u2019s still their course, it\u2019s their community, which means they\u2019re protective of it. You see it when there\u2019s a hailstorm on the way. The folks from the community want to help protect the greens, to keep the course clean. It\u2019s their course. And it\u2019s operated at a profit every year for almost 20 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jackson Park is different in many ways \u2014 public and urban, just to name two \u2014 but the course is planning a similar bifurcation in its price structure. Keiser expects heavy demand from affluent golfers from the business world eager to check out the area\u2019s newest flagship course and willing to shell out more than $200 for a round. But for South Siders, that rate won\u2019t climb over $50 per round.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat $50 rate was literally a deal breaker with the community golfers. That price has to stay at $50 or a little bit under,\u201d says Cassandra Curry, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Jackson Park Golf Association.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The caddie program<\/strong><\/p>\n

The caddie program is what drew Keiser\u2019s commitment to the project. He anticipates having a pool of 150-200 young caddies from the local area to draw from; those paying full price will be encouraged to take a caddie. The Jackson Park pilot caddie program is already underway; the Western Golf Association has set aside money to pay for the loopers, so players can take a caddie at Jackson Park right now without paying for it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe nine-hole senior group can take caddies and walk! That allows kids from the area to caddie, to make money, to learn about the game,\u201d Rolfing says with pride. The possibilities afforded to those caddies will start with a job and a learning experience but could turn into far more: a number of Evans Scholarships are expected to be in play for local caddies, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jackson Park has already begun its caddie program.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The community<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keiser and Rolfing each reference the caddie program as a piece of what made East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta so useful in revitalizing the area around the course. At East Lake, golf became the viable thread to make things happen to solve problems that have nothing to do with golf. That meant investing money in the neighborhoods surrounding the club and it meant bringing in a number of locals as caddies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEast Lake is private, yeah, but it was transformative to the whole area and they employ I don\u2019t know how many caddies, so in that way it\u2019s a model.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rolfing references St. Andrews, the Home of Golf, where the course is used as a public park one day a week. While that\u2019s not in the cards for Jackson Park, he sees the space as supporting multi-use recreation regardless. A large sum of park funding will go toward non-golf items: reopening the concession stand by the South Shore, renovating baseball diamonds and improving roads and highways. \u201cThere\u2019s now a pedestrian walkway right through the course,\u201d Rolfing says. \u201cFolks from the furthest neighborhood are going to be able to walk through there to the beach for the first time ever. That\u2019s a powerful message to me\u00a0\u2014 preserving open space but also working around an important need for the community for it to fit in.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A pedestrian walkway will allow unprecedented access from the neighborhood to the beach.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

DeBonnett was particularly pleased with the meshing of big names with the community-first mindset. \u201cIt\u2019s a global story but a community-based process that has been shepherded and stewarded from those in and outside the golf community and the Jackson Park community. The kids will be the future, they\u2019ll have facilities they should have had years ago.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Above all, transparency seemed to curry the most favor with the local crowd. Mike Kelly, Superintendent and CEO of the Parks District, facilitated 13 open meetings which were attended by more than 2000 people. Concerns were addressed, he said, and ultimately died down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo meaningful project is unanimous, especially in Chicago. Even the presidential center!\u201d Kelly says. \u201cBut in the end the reasonable people excited about the investment in their community got much louder. When this is done the rehabilitation of the entire Jackson Park South Shore Community is going to be extraordinary.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe South Side does not get construction like that,\u201d Curry says. \u201cYou can skirt around it any way you want, but they don\u2019t do that kind of construction in those kinds of communities, it just doesn\u2019t happen. If these people have great academics and get into golf, they might go to a certain school and get a scholarship. These are opportunities that a lot of the kids in our neighboring communities are not exposed to.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

THE GOLF COURSE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Since they agreed to come on for the project, Welling and Woods have worked with Rolfing on a series of concepts and routing plans. They started on plan A. Twenty-two tries later, they\u2019ve come close to settling on plan V \u2014 and that\u2019s not counting modifications within each plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Current conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Curry is proud of the course as it currently stands, but acknowledges the need for an upgrade. \u201cWe like it, but the plans for it\u2026oh my God. We are just ecstatic,\u201d she said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

DeBonnett was far more blunt. \u201cIt\u2019s almost criminal, the state of the course. Its time has come.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without a renovation, the courses\u2019 current construction seems unsustainable. The irrigation system is crumbling. When Jackson Park waters the course, nearby residents have trouble using their plumbing. The bunkers are falling apart. And there\u2019s little to no drainage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rolfing thinks it\u2019s renovation or bust. \u201cMy opinion is these are not going to be active golf courses within a decade without this sort of action,\u201d he says.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Playability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welling described Woods\u2019s mindset entering the process. \u201cTiger has the definite idea that he knows how to build something that\u2019s hard and challenging. But he also wants and needs to cater to beginners, young people, all kinds of different people. He\u2019s a big tent guy and he\u2019s that way at every course he designs. But here it\u2019s even more important because the goal is to have world-class events and kids just starting out.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods emphasized the course\u2019s adaptability in a statement to GOLF. \u201cWe have developed a plan for a public golf course that will be fun and playable for golfers of all abilities, but still challenge the best players in the world,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welling laid out the feel of the place in greater detail: It\u2019ll be relatively wide and not overly bunkered off the tee, but the greens will have some stronger defenses. It\u2019s intended to be a course of angles. If you\u2019re really trying to score, it\u2019ll require a very accurate approach shot, set up by a well-placed tee ball.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Around the greens, Welling expects to use plenty of short grass. That can make things easier for less experienced chippers, who can pull putter and do just fine, while putter from well off the green can be hard for a better player. There\u2019s a lot to that idea at Bluejack National, Woods\u2019s Texas course, and Payne\u2019s Valley, his brand-new Missouri track.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welling and Woods also want to pay homage to the property\u2019s history. \u201cGolf has been in Jackson Park since 1899, so it\u2019s old,\u201d Welling says. \u201cIt would be a disservice to come in and build a golf course that feels new; we\u2019re striving for more Golden Age kind of era.\u201d He suggested borrowing some inspiration around the greens from Seth Raynor, whose Golden Age putting surfaces live to impress down the road at Chicago Golf Club.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we pull that off it\u2019ll fit in one of America\u2019s historic places,\u201d Welling said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Views<\/strong><\/p>\n

A major selling point for investors and players alike it the simple fact that as many as 10 holes would have views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, according to routing plans. That\u2019s more than any course, public or private, in the entire Chicago area.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Input from local players helped inform TGR\u2019s decision to make the new routing have returning nines, allowing players to stop at the turn. This clubhouse and routing shift had an unintended benefit: the routing means that the featured stretch of lakeside holes shifts to later in the round. Holes 14-17 now run dramatically up against the lake.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be the midwest version of Pebble Beach,\u201d Curry says confidently.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Holes 14-17 are routed to run up against Lake Michigan, with dramatic cityscape views.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMost other cities that are on water, the Great Lakes in particular, the lakefront is industrial,\u201d Rolfing said. \u201cCleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, you understandably have industrial development on the lake. Here in Chicago we have park district land on the lake, which makes it a totally unique opportunity.\u201d After leaving the 17th green, players will go through a tunnel to the 18th tee, where a monster par 5 tipping out at 654 yards awaits them. As they play in toward the clubhouse they\u2019ll be hitting approach shots into the soaring buildings of Chicago\u2019s cityscape.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Future tournaments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rolfing has an ambitious vision for the future of the golf course as an event space. In 1893, six years before the founding of the golf course, Jackson Park played host to the World\u2019s Fair. He thinks some of that sensibility could return to the park for a PGA Tour event \u2014 though he\u2019s not limiting himself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BMW Championship has rotated in and out of Chicago in recent years; it was held at Aronimink in Philadelphia this year but is scheduled to return to the greater Chicago area at Medinah in 2019 and 2020. Rolfing sees Jackson Park as a future home for the event.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe PGA Tour is basically saying that\u2019s their intention is to have this on the schedule,\u201d he said. There are still several factors that would determine whether the course would be ready for a spot on the 2021 schedule, but Rolfing suggested 2022 would be a safe bet. He envisions a scenario in which the tournament would showcase the different neighborhoods and styles of golf that Chicago has to offer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I would love to see is that a plan gets settled for every four years and goes north to [2017 host] Conway Farms, then west to [2019 host] Medinah, then southwest to [2020 host] Olympia Fields and then to Jackson once,\u201d Rolfing says. \u201cThat would be ideal. I\u2019m kind of the eternal optimist but I feel like that\u2019s extremely feasible.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

He also teased the possibility of an even larger tournament landing at Jackson Park: the Presidents Cup. While the 2021 edition will be held at Quail Hollow and 2025 at TPC Harding Park, 2029 remains unclaimed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got involvement with a president of the United States, and the architect of the renovation is the captain of the Presidents Cup team,\u201d Rolfing said. \u201cI\u2019ll let you do the math from there.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHAT\u2019S NEXT<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the golf course is largely in the clear in terms of permitting and approval, the Obama Presidential Center is going through a federal review process. In order for the golf course project to be feasible, the Presidential Center and its associated modifications to roadways and underpasses must be approved. Most people associated with the project don\u2019t anticipate the review being an issue, but it pushes back the start time on the golf course itself until at least late spring.<\/strong><\/p>\n

From a design perspective, Welling sees both challenge and opportunity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fortunate in that we\u2019ve always viewed our role as we\u2019re working for a client who has a goal and an objective. In this case what\u2019s cool and unique is that the client is the public itself. From a design standpoint it\u2019s very tricky. You\u2019re right near Lake Michigan, you\u2019re right in an urban environment, there\u2019s a ton of roads and everything that goes with that. But the other side of it is so cool and radically unique and exciting: when do you get the chance to build a golf course in the middle of a city?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The big picture<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis was always about transforming all of our golf courses, not just Jackson Park and South Shore,\u201d says Kelly. \u201cMy vision is that Marquette, the course that I grew up on, could be played for free. One by one, we\u2019ll find ways to take on each of these courses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a golfer, you can\u2019t help but be excited about this. If you\u2019re a Chicagoan, you can\u2019t help but be excited because of the local investment. If you\u2019re a naturalist, you should be excited because we\u2019re adding acres of natural area. And if you are a fan of Chicago\u2019s youth, of the young people, you have to be excited for them, because we\u2019re going to create jobs and opportunities through the parks, through the caddie program and through the game. The industry of golf seems to be realizing this is something that can be invested in and replicated.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rolfing, ever the optimist, seems to have extra reasons for optimism here. \u201cI like to think big all the time, and so I think it\u2019s huge that the industry is taking notice and getting involved. All of golf, the Tour and the governing bodies should be involved in developing the model for sustainable urban golf, especially with such a unique diversity component.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

MORE ON THE GOAT, TIGER WOODS,<\/strong><\/p>\n

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HOLES IN ONE<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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19 in career; 3 on the PGA TOUR (1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, 1997 Phoenix Open, 1998 Sprint International).<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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MAJORS WON (ALL)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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MAJORS WON (PRO)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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PGA TOUR CAREER VICTORIES<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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With 80 all-time PGA TOUR victories, Tiger Woods trails only Sam Snead (82).<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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CONSECUTIVE PGA TOUR WINS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/th>\nYear(s)<\/strong><\/th>\nNo. Of Wins<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Byron Nelson<\/strong><\/td>\n1945<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tiger Woods<\/strong><\/td>\n2006-2007<\/strong><\/td>\n7<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Hogan<\/strong><\/td>\n1948<\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tiger Woods<\/strong><\/td>\n1999-2000<\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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PGA Tour Wins in One Year<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/th>\nYear(s)<\/strong><\/th>\nNo. Of Wins<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Byron Nelson<\/strong><\/td>\n1945<\/strong><\/td>\n18<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Hogan<\/strong><\/td>\n1946<\/strong><\/td>\n13<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sam Snead<\/strong><\/td>\n1950<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Hogan<\/strong><\/td>\n1948<\/strong><\/td>\n10<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Paul Runyan<\/strong><\/td>\n1933<\/strong><\/td>\n9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tiger Woods<\/strong><\/td>\n2000<\/strong><\/td>\n9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vijay Singh<\/strong><\/td>\n2004<\/strong><\/td>\n9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Consecutive events without missing the cut<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Between 1998 and 2005, Tiger Woods made the cut in 142 consecutive events to break the PGA TOUR record of 113 events previously held by Byron Nelson. Woods\u2019 streak began with the 1998 Buick Invitational and ended with the 2005 Wachovia Championship.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Most Victories in a Single PGA Tour Event<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tiger has won the following events more than any other golfer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Championship<\/strong><\/th>\nYears<\/strong><\/th>\nNo. Of Wins<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Arnold Palmer Invitational<\/strong><\/td>\n2000-03, 2008-09, 2012-13<\/strong><\/td>\n8<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational<\/strong><\/td>\n1999-2001, 2005-07, 2009, 2013<\/strong><\/td>\n8<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Farmers Insurance Open<\/strong><\/td>\n1999, 2003, 2005-08, 2013<\/strong><\/td>\n7<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
WGC-Cadillac Championship<\/strong><\/td>\n1999, 2002-03, 2005-07, 2013<\/strong><\/td>\n7<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
BMW Championship<\/strong><\/td>\n1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009<\/strong><\/td>\n5<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memorial Tournament<\/strong><\/td>\n1999-2001, 2009, 2012<\/strong><\/td>\n5<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Lowest actual scoring average<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Tiger Woods\u2019 actual scoring average of 68.17 in 2000 was the lowest in PGA TOUR history, exceeding the 68.33 average by Byron Nelson in 1945.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As a nine year-old, Tiger made a bold commitment to his father, Earl: I\u2019m going to be professionally excellent<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Tiger (Eldrick) Woods, born December 30, 1975, is a professional golfer and entrepreneur.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since turning professional in 1996, Tiger has built an unprecedented competitive career. His achievements on the course\u2013105 worldwide wins and 14 majors\u2013have mirrored his success off the course as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods serves as Founder and CEO of TGR, a multibrand enterprise comprised of his various companies and philanthropic endeavors, including TGR Design, the golf course design company; The TGR Foundation, a charitable foundation; TGR Live, an events production company; and The Woods Jupiter, an upscale sports restaurant.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He has 80 PGA TOUR wins, the second-highest total of any player. His majors victories include the four Masters Tournaments, four PGA Championships, three U.S. Open Championships, and three British Open Championships. With his second Masters victory in 2001, Tiger became the first golfer ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In winning the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, Woods became the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam of professional major championships and only the fifth ever to do so, following Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus. Tiger was also the youngest Masters champion ever, at the age of 21 years, three months and 14 days, and was the first major championship winner of African or Asian heritage. The 2000 U.S. Open and 2001 Masters victories came by record margins, 15 strokes and 12 strokes, respectively.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He is the career victories leader among active players on the PGA TOUR, and is the career money list leader.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite being unable to play the majority of 2016, Woods, the entrepreneur and philanthropist, made significant news. In February, the TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim celebrated its 10th anniversary, with satellite facilities now located in Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Stuart, Florida. Eight months later in October, the Tiger Woods Foundation commemorated its 20th anniversary with a gala event at the New York Public Library featuring Woods and Nike\u2019s Phil Knight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Woods Jupiter celebrated its first anniversary\u2014the restaurant opened in August, 2015\u2014and TGR Design\u2019s Bluejack National course located outside Houston, Texas was selected Best New Private Course by both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine\/Sports Illustrated.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

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He is the career victories leader among active players on the PGA TOUR, and is the career money list leader.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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Tiger is the son of Earl Woods, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, and his wife, Kultida, a native of Thailand. \u00a0He was nicknamed Tiger after a Vietnamese soldier and friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong, to whom his father had also given that nickname.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He grew up in Cypress, California. He took an interest in golf at age 6 months, watching as his father hit golf balls into a net and imitating his swing. \u00a0He appeared on The Mike Douglas Show<\/i> at age 2, putting with Bob Hope. He shot 48 for nine holes at age 3 and was featured in Golf Digest<\/i> at age 5.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tiger played in his first professional tournament in 1992, at age 16, the Los Angeles Open, and made the 36-hole cut and tied for 34th place in the 1994 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic in Thailand, He entered Stanford University in 1994 and in two years he won 10 collegiate events, concluding with the NCAA title.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods compiled one of the most impressive amateur records in golf history, winning six USGA national championships before turning professional on August 27, 1996. He concluded his amateur career by winning an unprecedented third consecutive U.S. Amateur title, finishing with a record 18 consecutive match-play victories.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The week after winning his third U.S. Amateur title, Woods played his first tournament as a professional in the Greater Milwaukee Open. It was one of only seven events left in 1996 for him to finish among the top 125 money winners and earn a player\u2019s card for the PGA TOUR. He won twice and placed among the top 30 money winners.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods won four PGA TOUR events in 1997, plus one overseas, and was the leading money winner. \u00a0He achieved No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for the most rapid progression ever to that position. On June 15, 1997, in his 42nd week as a professional, Woods became the youngest-ever No. 1 golfer at age 21 years, 24 weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods won eight times on the PGA TOUR in 1999 (11 worldwide), including the PGA Championship. He won four consecutive PGA TOUR events to end the year and started 2000 with two more victories for a total of six in succession.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2000, Woods won 11 events, including three professional majors in the same year, and also became the first player since 1936-37 to win the PGA Championship in consecutive years. Woods won five times, including the Masters, in 2001 and eight times worldwide. He won five times again on TOUR in 2002, and seven times worldwide, and was the TOUR\u2019s leading money winner for the fourth consecutive year.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Woods won five times, including the Masters, in 2001 and eight times worldwide.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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He won a total of 20 times from 2003-06, lead the TOUR\u2019s money list twice and captured four majors. Woods joined Nicklaus as the only player to win the Grand Slam twice. His emotional win the following year at the British Open at Royal Liverpool came two months after his father\u2019s death. He won the 2006 PGA Championship by five strokes at Medinah CC, the same venue where he won the event in 1999.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He began 2007 with his seventh consecutive PGA TOUR victory and ended the year with a total of seven official wins, including a second-consecutive PGA Championship. In 2008, he won four of six PGA TOUR events, including his 14th major at the U.S. Open\u2014his last event of the year before season-ending knee surgery\u2014plus the Dubai Desert Classic, and finished second on the TOUR money list in just six starts. At his major win at Torrey Pines, Woods sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force an eventual 19-hole playoff (tied at even-par 71 after 18 holes) the following day. \u00a0He later revealed that he had played the tournament with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and a double stress fracture in the same leg.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2009, he returned to the winner\u2019s circle after 286 days and ended the year leading the PGA TOUR in victories (6) and money ($10,508,163). He also won his first tournament in Australia. He captured three tournaments in 2012 and five in 2013.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sports Illustrated <\/i>selected Woods as the 1996 and 2000 Sportsman of the Year, the first to win the award more than once. L\u2019Equipe <\/i>(France) selected him as the 2000 World Champion of Champions. The Associated Press chose Woods as the Male Athlete of the Year for 1997, 1999 and 2000. He and Michael Jordan are the only athletes to win the award three times. He was chosen ESPY Male Athlete of the Year in 1997 (tied with Ken Griffey, Jr.), 1999, 2000 and 2001. The founding members of the World Sports Academy, in voting for the Laureus Sports Awards, also selected him as the 1999 and 2000 World Sportsman of the Year. In 2008 Businessweek <\/i>made Woods No. 1 in The Power 100 for the most influential people in sports. In 2009 he was selected AP Athlete of the Decade. Woods received 56 of 142 votes cast by AP editors throughout the country. He was also inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods was selected as the 1997, 1999, 2000-2003, 2005-2007, 2009, 2013 Player of the Year by the PGA TOUR (Jack Nicklaus Award) and the PGA of America and by the Golf Writers Association of America in 1997, 1999, 2000-2003, 2005-2007, 2009. His adjusted scoring average averages in 2000 and 2007 of 67.79 strokes were the lowest ever and earned him the Byron Nelson Award on the PGA TOUR and the Vardon Trophy from the PGA of America. He also had an actual scoring average in 2000 of 68.17, breaking Nelson\u2019s record of 68.33 in 1945.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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