March 23, 2017
North Ridge Country Club in Fair Oaks has set April 1 for its groundbreaking ceremony to start renovating its greens and bunkers.
The club retained the world-renowned architecture firm of Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ II) to develop the designs. RTJII’s designs include Chambers Bay, CordeValle, and Poppy Hills Golf Course, and Jones was the architect for 35 courses among Golf Digests “Top 20” in each state–with the #1 course in 10 states.
North Ridge, founded in 1952, was originally designed by William Francis Bell and his son, Billy Jr. who were the architects for such courses as Rivera Country Club, Bel-Air Country Club, and Torrey Pines.
“We are very excited about working on a Billy Bell-designed course. North Ridge is a wonderful parkland golf course and we intend to respect its routing,” said Bruce Charlton, President and Chief Design Officer for RTJ II. “Furthermore, because of the elevation changes in the natural terrain, we will be able to shape the greens and bunkers to take advantage of its varying topography in distinct ways that were not possible many years ago. This is a very good golf course today, and soon it will be outstanding.”
Construction is expected to begin on April 6 and be completed by mid-August. During this time, the golf course will remain open and playable. Charlton explained that “We’ve found a lot of fun locations for temporary greens, and we think members will enjoy their golf experiences during the construction process.”
Charlton also noted that Senior Project Architect Mike Gorman was raised in Sacramento and grew up playing the course: “This is like home to us. We travel all around the world, and having a project near our offices in Palo Alto, with Mike’s family still living in Sacramento, makes this extra special.”
North Ridge Country Club is a private club with the 18-hole golf course and clubhouse for banquet services. It has been featured in the NCGA Golf Magazine.
-NCGA Staff
