Thousands of members have graced the golf course greens at Summit Hills Country Club since its inception in 1929. The Crestview Hills-based club, located at 236 Dudley Pike, has retained generations of members.
On May 9, Summit Hills Board President Matthew Ford stood in the club’s courtyard, welcoming old and new members alike, where he announced the completion of seven years’ worth of significant renovations to the club’s grounds.
“We had the vision for this a few years ago, and it’s finally come to fruition,” Ford declared.
A large crowd attended the announcement party, where they witnessed several generations of members launch ceremonial tee shots into the air to commemorate the golf course’s reopening.
In 2018, Summit Hills’ leadership launched a plan to reinvigorate the club’s golf course and clubhouse, among other things. What transpired was a seven-year, nearly $11 million project. Ford said the club hadn’t undergone any major changes since 1999.
“We’ve done quite a bit over the last seven years,” Ford explained. “We’ve broken up into phases, and this was our third phase. It was a pretty big one. This one was mainly all about the golf course, which is the lifeblood of the club.”
Summit Hills Board President Matt Ford speaking during the club’s grand reopening on Friday, May 9. Photo by Kenton Hornbeck | LINK nky
In total, Ford said Summit Hills spent approximately $4.2 million on phase three of the project, which included reconfiguring the course, irrigation system and driving range. Cincinnati-based Brian Huntley served as the project’s architect while Aspen Golf out of Daniels, West Virginia conducted the actual renovations.
According to Ford, one of the most pressing needs for the course was the irrigation system, which he said could not water key parts of the 18-hole course, leading to dryness and increased maintenance costs. Now, the Summit Hills irrigation system features 18 miles of underground irrigation infrastructure. On the surface, Summit Hills added over 1,000 new sprinkler heads, increasing the system’s coverage to the entire course.
Next on the agenda was the expansion of the driving range and practice facilities. Ford said the range was too small, with only six to seven players able to use it at a time. The project expanded the scope of the driving range, with its increased teeing surface allowing for more players. In addition, Ford believes the expanded driving range can be used as a recruiting tool for the club.
“They (members) want to practice, whether they have the time to play a full run or not,” he said. “You know, everybody is showing that the practice facilities are a major component to any club, and when people are wanting to join, that’s what they’re looking for.”
The project’s signature aspect was the course reconfiguration. Summit Hills removed two holes—four and five—and replaced them with the expanded driving range. Instead, the club opted for two new holes: a new par three and a par four. Other key parts of the course revamp are the upgraded drainage system and improved sand traps and greens.
Ford said the course remained open while construction was underway. The revamped golf course officially reopened for members on May 10.
At the ceremony, Summit Hills General Manager Gary Behan described the feeling as pure excitement.
“It’s a long time coming,” he said. “I’ve been here six years, and we started all this six years ago, and this was part of the plan. This [ceremony] is the finishing touch.”
For Ford, the project was the culmination of years of collaboration between the club’s long-range planning committee, competition committee and key stakeholders.
“We still have other projects with our long-range planning committee that we’re that we’re looking at in the future, but this one, getting the course where it needed to be, and the investment we’re making of that was extremely important to us, because we know that’s what attracts people to Summit Hills.”
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