Guelph, Ont.’s Cutten Fields, one of several Canadian golf courses bearing architect Stanley Thompson’s vision and craftsmanship, has a rich history dating back almost 100 years.

Since its founding in 1931, the private golf course strayed somewhat from its original design and has been challenged in recent years by such other issues as recurring winter injury and changes in technology that has led to livelier golf balls and longer-hitting clubs.

It was determined that much-needed alterations were in order, and architect Jeff Mingay was commissioned in 2016 to conceive a renovation plan. The Toronto-based principal at Jeff Mingay Golf Course Design and Cutten Fields’ superintendent Bill Green put their heads together to address what they saw as the club’s shortcomings before embarking on a massive undertaking that stretched out over the next several years.

Mingay and Green shared the story of Cutten Fields’ transformation in February at the Canadian Golf Course Management Conference in Niagara Falls – a co-production of the Canadian and Ontario golf superintendents’ associations.

The club’s history began when Guelph native Arthur Cutten asked golfer Charles (Chick) Evans of Chicago to design a golf course to be built in Guelph. Evans, who won both the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in 1916, conceived the original layout for Cutten Fields which was then revamped and depicted by Thompson in 1931.

Looking through archived media, including an old video from the 1940s, it was clear that the Cutten Fields of 2016 bore little resemblance to what was seen in the film. Greens were no longer the same shape and size they had been originally, and several residences had sprung up over the years adjacent to the 16th fairway.

Although the renovation plan was to lean towards Thompson’s vision, there were elements of Evans’ design that Mingay felt should be incorporated into the project. Evans was influenced by some of the design aspects of the Chicago Golf Club which is regarded as one of the world’s top golf courses.

Bigger greens, smaller bunkers

Mingay’s idea was to feature smaller greens and larger bunkers for Cutten Fields, but Green suggested the opposite was required – bigger greens and smaller bunkers. Together, they developed a renovation plan the club’s board of directors approved in 2019.

“The club knew we needed to make some improvements to the golf course,” Green said, adding members wanted to bolster Cutten Fields’ competitive positioning. “We wanted to be a high-level private club.”

Cutten Fields began its association with Mingay prior to the start of the COVID pandemic when golf was in a period of decline. Ideas were presented so that operations could run more efficiently.

One renovation strategy was to build separate tee decks for each set of markers. Holes had previously had four sets of tee markers positioned on two decks. Attempts were made to arrange the new decks about 30 yards apart from one another. Only two holes currently exist with shared tee decks.

Winter injury had become a recurring problem at Cutten Fields which was especially bad in 2014, 2015 and 2019, forcing the club to establish temporary greens in the spring. The injured poa annua putting surfaces didn’t reopen for play until June or July. Green noted there were a total of 26 weeks over a 10-year period in which temporary greens were needed. He equated that to a full season of lost golf – a revelation club members took seriously.

“It’s incredible how much these greens had shrunk over the years,” Mingay said, adding bunkers had been redone in the meantime without any thought to the greens’ deteriorating square footage. “Not only had the greens shrunk, now we’re cutting bunkers into the greens.”

In the 1970s, mounding was added to greens instead of enlarging the putting surfaces. The mounds created “pinch points” for traffic coming off the greens and led to water being shed onto the surfaces. In many cases, the mounds were ultimately removed.

“It astonishes me that I see this mounding around greens because the idea is to shed water off the putting surfaces,” Mingay said. “By putting mounds around the green, you’re actually putting water back onto the putting surfaces.”

The renovation plan was to not only significantly increase the size of the greens, which would also increase the number of pin placement options, but to adopt other measures for the betterment of their turf health. Bigger greens would decrease the amount of winter injury and would provide more entry and exit points. 

Tree management

One such strategy aimed at improving turf health began with Green’s predecessor, David Kuypers, who started a tree management plan that allowed for greater sunlight penetration and improved vistas.

“It feels like a golf course,” Mingay said. “You get these beautiful views that opened up, aside from all the agronomic benefits.”

Prior to 2008, the number of trees on the property created several playability issues in addition to agronomic concerns. Mingay noted the golf course was wide open in its early days, suggesting it was never meant to be called “Cutten Forest.”

Mingay said tree management is something he stresses at any golf club that hires his services, noting trees must be minimized to address turf health, playability and safety. The need for tree management is based on practical reasons, he added.

Green said instead of outright removing some trees, their tops were cut back to improve sunlight penetration.
“We did an extensive hole-by-hole tree management plan, looking at turf health, safety and architecture, and we started to come up with a management plan,” he said. The plan, which was drawn up by arborists on staff, was submitted to the city to comply with its bylaws.

In a further effort to combat future winter injury, members were persuaded to part ways with their poa annua greens in favour of a more winter-hardy bentgrass cover. Club members were invited next door to the Guelph Turfgrass Institute where they took part in a putting competition on a green planted with 007 creeping bentgrass. Green said the members took an instant liking to the bentgrass cover.

On average, the new greens seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass are more than 50 per cent larger than their predecessors. One is a whopping 82 per cent larger. Most greens range in size from 7,000 to 7,500 square feet.

The 15th green was the first to be rebuilt which showed members how its increased size allowed for more pin placement locations. Members continued to play on the original green – which was between 3,500 and 4,000 square feet in size – while the new green was under construction.

Mingay said he appreciated Green’s candor in suggesting larger greens.

“Bill was really great in calling me out on things that weren’t going to be practical moving forward,” he said. “I appreciate that so much as a designer.”

Agronomy and future maintenance considerations, along with playability, were the primary factors in the development of the renovation plan, Mingay said, noting that when planning began pre-COVID, costs had to be factored in. Golf wasn’t in a good state at the time, and dollars needed to be spent wisely.

Saving money

This was a key consideration for Cutten Fields’ bunkers. Mingay’s initial draft called for “some fancy bunkers” with lots of sand. When Green opposed the original draft, wanting bigger greens and smaller bunkers, it was realized the initial plan would have had significant financial implications.

“We knew we weren’t going to be able to restore the golf course because with the original golf course the greens weren’t big enough, and there were a lot of other challenges that didn’t relate to contemporary considerations in golf,” Mingay said.

Large bunkering was deemed unnecessary to challenge golfers. He noted that keeping the square footage of bunkers down, cost savings were realized without sacrificing the challenge and aesthetics of the golf course. 

The club saved additional money by completing the greens construction work in-house. The original plan was for Cutten Fields’ staff to complete five holes before contracting out the remaining 13. Mark Hughes, an experienced golf course construction project manager, joined the team at Cutten Fields once COVID restrictions were relaxed and mentored the staff in greens construction, including drainage and irrigation skills.

A significant change from the original golf course design was prompted by safety concerns. A stray tee shot at the 16th hole could come dangerously close to adjacent residential properties, some of which have swimming pools backing onto the golf course. Thompson had purchased the golf course property along with a consortium of investors and had built a home for himself next to the 16th hole. In the ensuing years, more homes were developed alongside the hole.

Ample open land was situated between the 15th hole and the old 13th hole, and it was decided to flip holes 13 and 16 to mitigate the chances of an individual or property being struck by an errant golf ball. The 13th hole had previously been a long par 3 hole but was reconfigured into a par 4 hole. No. 16 became more of a dogleg left par 4 to pre-empt a potential safety and liability issue with the neighbouring homes. 

One of the most visible changes coming from the renovation project is the shape of the 18th green. It has been restored to its original rectangular shape.