Lakewood CC was beautifully restored to its Tillinghast roots.
When serious observers of the game gather, say due to a rain delay or, heaven forbid, a complete washout, and talk about the Golden Age of golf architects, the name of A.W. Tillinghast is usually mentioned. He’s best remembered for lauded, lasting designs such as Bethpage Black, Winged Foot, Baltusrol, Philadelphia Cricket Club, and Baltimore Country Club. Although known for his acclaimed work in the Northeast, Tillinghast did get around, as seen at San Francisco GC and Brook Hollow GC in Dallas. And yes, in Cleveland, Ohio, at Lakewood Country Club, his only course in the Buckeye State.
As part of an annual trek with my buddy Dale Kris to Cleveland to see our beloved Guardians at Progressive Field, we visited Lakewood CC. Note “visited” as opposed to “played.” Two inches of overnight rain ruined our planned morning round at the historic course, expertly renovated by Keith Foster, the highly regarded architect and restoration specialist. Incidentally, Foster did notable work at Michigan’s Orchard Lake CC and the CC of Detroit.
So we gathered at the club, at the behest of PGA golf professionals Tom Waitrovich, now emeritus, and Tim Perin, the current head pro, to talk about Lakewood’s remarkable transformation. Located on Cleveland’s west side in Westlake, Lakewood was farmland when Tillinghast first arrived in 1920. According to Joe Arnold, Lakewood’s Green Chairman and club history maven, Tillinghast made at least three visits to the course while it was being built.
Head Golf Professional from 1992 to 2021 and a member of the Northern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame, Waitrovich is one of only seven golf pros in the history of the storied club. “First off, let me say there was nothing broken here at Lakewood; it’s always been a great course,” said Waitrovich. “Most people would say even before the renovation, it had some of the best greens in the region. But for the club and the course to thrive for the next 100 years, it had to happen.”
Modest about his contributions to the club, Waitrovich was quick to praise the leadership of Perin, Course Superintendent Aaron Archambault, and Arnold, who was his former assistant and, before that, a caddie at the club, in the renovation project. “They led the charge and kept the members fully informed,” said Waitrovich.
After members approved the $6 million project, Perin and Arnold held periodic “town hall” meetings, including inviting Keith Foster. “It was vitally important to communicate with members and share Keith’s vision and the construction progress,” said Perin who also cited the role of club GM Alfredo Hildebrandt.. “Whenever a plan calls for removing hundreds of trees, there’s going to be questions and concerns.” (Not surprisingly, Oakmont CC began its massive tree removal in the mid-’90s at 4 am!)
Landing Foster was another coup, given how he limits his client commitments. On his website, Foster states: “Each year I work closely with two private clubs, striving to produce timeless and enduring work that honors God and those that have entrusted me, to do my best.”
Arnold credits not only Archambaut but also Mike Kuhn, the club’s irrigation consultant, for making Foster aware of Lakewood before the project was ever conceived. “Mike actually told Foster that if Lakewood ever calls him, he should return the call. So as it turned out, both parties were on each other’s short list.”
Foster did not disappoint. Having played the course once before five years ago, I immediately noticed how the scenic layout now now opened up, exposing wide, panoramic sight lines. The 10-month renovation impacted all 18 holes, reintroducing Tillinghast features like bold bunkering, converting them from flashed sand to a more rustic grass-faced style, expanding the fairway corridors, recapturing putting surfaces, and restoring strategic angles. And best of all, Lakewood remains an eminently “walker’s course,” with greens and tees nestled only a short stroll apart.
Unlike many of his peers, “Tilly” didn’t have a rigid design principle. His biographer, Phil Young, surmised that this was the result of the aspiring architect developing his craft without the benefit of a mentor. Instead, he carved out his own way and path. To that point, Arnold added: “He didn’t build templates, like Seth Raynor. He did what the land gave him. And he was all about the angles of a given hole.”
Fortunately, on the morning of our visit, the rain subsided, and Tom was able to give us a cart tour. The transformation was both subtle and dramatic.
Don’t worry, I’ll refrain from a long-winded hole-by-hole description. It’s best to see for yourself and relish the surprise.
Both Tom and Joe favor the par-four 16th hole as embodying Tillinghast’s tenet of finding the ideal angle into the hole. Foster did this by a deft reorientation of the hole. “By adjusting the tee box and carving out trees along the right side of the hole, the creek that runs along it now provides some strategic options for players,” said Arnold. “If players hug and risk playing near the creek, then the approach shot to the green is shorter and more inviting. If they play away from the creek, it’s a longer second shot.”
In a similar vein, Foster restored Lakewood’s ‘Great Hazard’ hole, the par-five 15th hole. Favored in the Golden Era, such a hole features a massive waste area and/or cross-bunkers that pose a challenge for second shots. “Again, players have a choice: they can play it safe and stay left but then have a longer second shot, or aim right to a narrower landing spot but then have a shorter next shot,” explained Arnold, now a successful financial advisor.
Given that the original member ballot to approve the renovation passed by only two votes, Arnold is rightfully proud to hear the overwhelming, positive reception to the outcome.
“That’s the greatest satisfaction, for members to be so happy with their golf course.”
Special thanks to Michael Kernicki, a past President of the Michigan PGA and former head professional at Canterbury GC in Cleveland for introducing me to Lakewood and Tom Waitrovich. Micheal and I played on the same high school golf team and remain in contact.
Image by Gary Kellner courtesy of Lakewood CC
