“We were thrilled to reopen the Water’s Edge after a long awaited renovation,” said Ronald L. Willard, president of the Willard Companies, which owns the course. “Since we reopened, I’ve gotten over 100 letters from members who say,‘If I could only

have one golf course to play the rest of my life, it would be Water’s Edge.’It doesn’t get any better than that!”

The Water’s Edge Country ClubSmith Mountain Lake, Virginia

“Loving” the Past – Embracing the Future

Case Study

Water’s Edge was developed in the late 80s as a premier golf community and country club situ-ated on scenic Smith Mountain Lake in south-western Virginia. The developer, Ronald Willard, Sr., of Willard Construction, worked closely with renowned golf architect Buddy Loving on the original design to take advantage of the lake views.

In 2006, Willard Construction began an 18-hole renovation of Water’s Edge, helmed by architect Richard Mandell. Willard wanted As-pen Corporation involved from the very begin-ning, but at the time the project was ready to go to bid, Aspen was already committed elsewhere. Just before the close of bidding, Aspen’s other project was put on hold, and they were able to bid on Water’s Edge.

Willard remembers, “After we met these guys and talked to them, we knew that we felt comfortable with them. When we found out we could get them, I knew it was the right choice. Now, I can’t imag-ine doing another project without Aspen.”

PROJECT GOALS • Renovate total 18-hole course, tee to green. • Maintain Buddy Loving Jr.’s style of low grounds and high surrounds while alleviating maintenance and irrigation challenges. • Replace all greens, surrounds, and tees. • Upgrade irrigation on all holes. • Create a fi rst class golf course that compliments the surrounding community. • Reshape and drain all bunkers; reposition some bunkers, create new ones as needed. • Improve landing areas in the fairways as required. • Return the course to play as soon as practical.

PROJECT CHALLENGES/SOLUTIONS The project expanded over the course of construc-tion. Willard was very involved throughout the process, and as the project progressed, his vision expanded of what was possible and he adjusted the scope and budget accordingly.

• At the beginning of the project, sod was planned only for the features. As the construction progressed, Mr. Willard decided eventually that nearly everything should be sodded. This required Aspen to fi nd a sod supplier who was still in a growing season and could deliver while fresh and using methods to insulate the sod. Within a four-day period, Aspen had changed sod suppliers and had an installation crew in place to install 2 to 3 acres per day of sod.

• The golf course features designed by Loving were typical of the 1970s: free-form tee boxes and large, serpentine bunker shapes. Unfortunately, the tee boxes had less than modern usable space and the bunkers didn’t always drain properly.

The Water’s Edge Country Club - Winner, 2009 Golf Course Industry Legacy AwardAspen built free-form tees that had a higher percentage of usable space and were maintenance-friendly. The renovation process softened many bunker faces but still maintained the fl ashed sand appearance that was typical of the 1970s and the Loving look. Extensive draining was installed inside the boxes, not just standard tee drains. This, combined with Aspen’s skill in shaping and proper earthwork, ensures that the bunkers are very well drained and maintenance-free.

• The project was sited in a high-end community on the shores of a pristine lake with limited access – one road in and one road out. Aspen worked closely with Golf Course Superintendent Jeff Sny-der to minimize impact of trucks and equipment on the main road.

• Many holes that were close to the lake needed special E&S protection. Standard silt fence was utilized on land for protection. Floating silt fence barrier was installed in the water for added protection in the event the silt fence on the land overfl owed. This was kept in place until grow-in was complete.

Special care was taken to work on and complete sensitive areas when the extended weather forecast was favorable. A strategy was devised of working around the lake fi rst while there was still growing weather and dry conditions so that turf could be established before winter set in.

Golf Course Superintendent Jeff Snyder said, “We go through all the painstaking efforts to do proper irrigation, but managing the water is really an art to itself. Aspen did a tremendous job in managing rain-fall, fl ood control, drainage, sloping, all to direct the water where it needs to go. They even installed plastic liners at their cost inside the greens to make sure they functioned properly.”

PROJECT RESULTS • Aspen’s exemplary construction process allowed for timely shifting of workforce and acquisition of materials to meet changing scope of project. Although the project almost doubled in scope as owner-generated change occurred through-out, construction was completed only two weeks beyond original fi nish date. Jeff Snyder, Golf Course Superintendent, praised Aspen’s attention to detail. “They made sure our master plan was implemented properly and the timeline followed; it was not easy. There were many, many seven day weeks to get it all done and Aspen didn’t miss a beat.”

• Revenue continued to fl ow to the club as con-struction was confi ned to the back nine holes from August to October.

• After opening, Owner reports that the new course has generated revenue greater than any of the club’s previous best years.

• At the beginning of the project, Mr. Willard was somewhat resistant to cutting of trees. In fact, on several occasions, he removed the marking tape from trees that were scheduled for removal. As the project progressed, and Mr. Willard began to see how the design was greatly improving the course, his attitude changed and by the end of the project, he was visualizing the benefi ts of the clearing pro-cess and recommending certain trees come down!

Mr. Willard was on-site every day, several times a day, during the construction. Aspen’s project manager, Joe Kubin, said, “In 13 years of doing this work I have never worked with an owner that was more “hands on,” and who was able to have the vision of what he wanted to see when we were fi n-ished renovating his golf course.”

Imagine your project completed—

on time, on budget, done right!

Why not call us today and fi nd out

more about the Aspen advantage?

Or visit us online at www.aspen-golf.com.

Ronnie Adkins, Vice President

2400 Ritter Drive

Daniels, WV 25832

(304) 763-4573

Nick Mazzella, Business Manager

2015 Ayrsley Town Boulevard, Suite 202

Charlotte, NC 28273

(704) 280-8498