Vestavia Country Club was recently recognized as one of Golf Digest’s honorees for its 2018 list of Best New Courses.
The recently rebuilt, 18-hole golf course was awarded fourth place in the Best Private Course category, according to a release from VCC.
“We are very excited to be recognized by Golf Digest. The ranking gives validation to the work our team completed during this project and shows that we are among the best in the United States” said Golf Course Superintendent Owen Coulson. “I believe with our membership and their vision of the future for their club, we have the potential to go to even higher.”
The rebuilding project began as a way to update an aging irrigation system but became a full course redesign, created by architect Lester George of George Golf Design. “When we hired Lester, I knew we were going to do something significant,” said VCC member Alan Coshatt, “His creativity in golf course design set him apart from other architects we interviewed, and the architectural elements that he brought to our course separate us from the current marketplace in the area.”
The $6.5 million project lasted 17 months, and VCC was honored in 2017 by the American Society of Golf Architects within their Design Excellence Recognition Program.
In addition to course elements, an outdoor event patio with a fireplace, common area, lawn and recirculating water feature was built near the Pro Shop for social gatherings, weddings and various club functions.
“It was one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever done,” said Lester. “Here is this, already extraordinary, site that the membership smartly decided to invest their time, money, and patience in. That investment created a truly unique, strategic, fun, family-oriented golf course.”
– Emily Williams