EASTON, Md. -- Welsh golf architect, Ian Scott-Taylor, has completed the design and construction of an innovative six-hole golf course for the 55+ community homebuilder, The McKee Group.
Last year, The McKee Group contracted Ian Scott-Taylor Golf Architect LLC to design and build an innovative six-hole ‘Old World Style’ golf course to support the 55+ lifestyle at Foxfield Clubhouse Community in Garnet Valley, PA, USA, which also includes a clubhouse, pool, and tennis for residents. Europe’s first six-hole course opened in 2006 at the Northwick Park Golf Course in the Watford Road section of London. A handful of six-hole courses exist in the US but were built around the time of the “golden age of golf”. Today, more six-hole golf courses have been built and are being planned in the US for time-strapped golfers and sites with smaller tracts of land.
Foxfield is a new 55+ community being developed by the award-winning McKee Group that is located 20 miles outside of Philadelphia. The course acts as a centerpiece in the marketing efforts of closing sales on remaining single family, carriage style, and villa homes in the Foxfield Clubhouse Community. George T. Hyjurick, McKee’s VP of Land Development says, “We had originally wanted a nine-hole course but Ian knew the space we had allocated for the course was not large enough. He proposed a fairly new concept – the six-hole course – that ended up being a win-win for both McKee and the homeowners. Not only can we offer an attractive and enjoyable amenity to current and potential community homeowners but also the short and long-term maintenance costs will be much less to the homeowners association than a nine-hole course due to the decision to use synthetic materials for the tees and greens. We estimate that 20% of our signed contracts were confirmed due to having this course.”
The course architect, Ian Scott-Taylor remarks, “In general, residents of 55+ communities are savvy and discerning consumers. They expect a certain level of lifestyle and amenities that can be commanded by age-specific neighborhoods. The McKee Group was able to meet those needs at the Foxfield location where land is a premium by committing to build a marketable ‘Old World Style’ golf course while at the same time keeping the maintenance costs in line with the community’s other compelling amenities – the pool and tennis courts.”
The course construction was completed in late summer 2007 and it will be opened for play in summer 2008.
About Ian Scott-Taylor Golf Architect LLC
Ian Scott-Taylor Golf Architect LLC is a world-class golf course architect firm originally centered in Wales, UK and is now located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the USA. Ian Scott-Taylor’s golf architectural career has spanned twenty years to include involvement with or leading over sixty major design projects throughout sixteen countries to include the critically acclaimed Hunters Oak Golf Club in Queenstown, MD, USA and the award-winning Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune, NJ, USA. The firm’s mission is to commit to preserving the values of old world course architecture in the game of golf. To learn more, please visit www.ianscott-taylor.com or contact us at +1.410.819.0528.
