Raymond Hearn Golf Course Designs Inc. Begins Midlothian Rennovation By Brian Weis

Raymond Hearn Golf Course Designs Inc. Begins Midlothian Rennovation

By Brian Weis

ASGCA Member, Raymond Hearn, President of Raymond Hearn Golf Course Designs, Inc., will be overseeing the remodeling work at the Midlothian Country Club on the restoration and renovation of the historic golf course. The project entails significant bunker restoration and renovation, some new tee development, fairway adjustments, and new green runoff areas.

Hearn started master planning work with the club in 2015 and finished construction drawings in 2021. Construction is set to begin in early September of 2021.

What and exciting project! The history of this club is incredible. Hebert Tweedie did an outstanding job with the course routing in 1898. Many of the original holes are still intact. The research took a long time to complete as it should on a course this old. Legends such as Walter Hagen, Chick Evans, Francis Ouimet, John McDermott, Tom Vardon all graced these hollowed grounds. In 1914 Walter Hagen won the US Open Golf Championship and Donald Ross consulted with the Club on course improvements prior to," states Hearn.

"As with all my work, it is all about restoring and / or creating great angles and options. Shot value, strategy and playability are always at the top of my list. The project's duration will be fall of 2021 through the spring of 2022. The before and after images of each hole in our planning has been very well received. In 2020, we completed a test run of some sample bunker shapes and forms on hole #2 and the membership loved what they saw," says Hearn.

Hearn will be working closely with Leibold Contractors, General Manager Tom Ahern and Golf Course Superintendent Cory Von Tungein. Hearn gives special thanks to Current President Matt Barry, Former President & Club Historian Mark Wheeler, various Board and committee members for all their help.

"Ray has a great eye for classical restoration and renovation detail at historic clubs. He respects our great history. We enjoy working with him," says Wheeler.

Revised: 08/16/2021 - Article Viewed 10,368 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.