Founded in 1965, it was time for Carmel’s Crooked Stick Golf Club’s course to get an upgrade.
“The main focus is rebuilding the greens,” said Tony Pancake, Crooked Stick’s director of golf and club operations. “The greens are 60 years old. They’ve been re-grassed a couple of times, but they’ve never been rebuilt from the ground up. We’ve got a lot of compaction and drainage, things we’re trying to fix. It’s not a design change, it’s just more of a construction project. We’re just trying to improve our drainage and get a little more consistency in the substructure of the greens.
Pancake said the course was closed after hosting the Dye Junior Invitational June 3 to 5. It closed to members June 2. Pancake said the course should reopen in the spring or summer of 2025.
Tom Doak was hired as the consulting architect. Early in his career, Doak worked with the late Pete Dye, who designed the Crooked Stick course.
“We felt he was the perfect guy for the project, because he had so much respect for Pete,” Pancake said. “This will continue to be a Pete Dye golf course, and we feel really fortunate that Tom is helping us. We also have Eric Iverson, from Renaissance Golf. Eric learned the business from Tom Doak. He’s an incredible shaper, one who helps build the greens and areas around greens. The construction crew is MacCurrach Golf Construction. Alan MacCurrach had worked with Pete a lot over the years.”
Pancake said those three, along with Crooked Stick golf course superintendent Jake Gargasz, form an “all-star team.”
“You hate to close the course at this time of the year,” he said. “To take away from the members is no fun for anyone.”
Pancake said it speaks to how committed the members are to the club and its future. He said they agreed to do it now because it’s the best time from an agronomic standpoint.
Pancake said the goal is to have all 18 holes done over the next month and have the grass planted.
When the project was approved by the membership, Pancake reached out to clubs in the area to see if anyone was willing to offer a one-year temporary membership. Participating clubs are Broadmoor Country Club, Indianapolis; Hillcrest Country Club, Indianapolis; Country Club of Indianapolis; Ulen Country Club, Lebanon; and Twin Lakes Golf Club, Carmel.
“We had 25 members who ended up joining another club on a one-year basis,” Pancake said. “They needed an initiation fee and monthly dues. The rest of the members are going to play as a guest. The area clubs have been very supportive of that.”
Pancake said he helps arrange tee times for members. He said the Crooked Stick golf range and clubhouse remain open and he continues to give lessons.
