Course at Moraine Country Club Reopens after $5 Million Renovation

Famed golf architect Keith Foster restores grounds back to state of their 1945 PGA Championship host site

(DAYTON, Ohio) – The course at Moraine Country Club is set to reopen on June 11 after a $5 million renovation by golf course architect, Keith Foster removed more than 2,000 trees in order to restore the course’s original design.

“Removing the trees set the stage to bring our course back to the way that it was originally intended to play,” said John Haley, president of Moraine Country Club. “The renovation brings the course’s look and feel to 1945 when Byron Nelson won a thrilling PGA Championship here. Our challenging yet charming course has been the stage for many championships over the years, and we look forward to hosting many more prestigious competitive events in the years to come.”

A perennial member of Golfweek’s prestigious Top 100 Classic Courses list, the course was renovated by architect Keith Foster. Moraine selected Foster for the project due to his extensive experience restoring classic courses with sensitivity to their history and traditions. Throughout the project, Foster referred to drawings and photographs of the original 1930 design.  Foster accepts only two projects per year, and Moraine is the only course in Ohio that he has renovated.

“I’ve always found innate charm in working with classic courses. The measure of my work is judged by how seamlessly the land and the course coexist,” Foster said. “The course at Moraine was the original masterpiece of professional golfer and Scotsman Alec ‘Nipper’ Campbell. It’s home to rolling fairways and breathtaking sightlines. The alterations at Moraine accent and restore these gorgeous features.”

Moraine’s renovation is part of a larger and environmentally friendly trend of minimalization in golf. Removing obstructions such as trees and roots helps restore original hole routings and actually helps the environment due to less watering, fertilization and mowing. One of the biggest renovation challenges at Moraine was the addition of nearly eight miles of drainage to tees, greens and wet areas of the fairways. This extra drainage allows the course to play faster and firmer.

Moraine Country Club will be inviting members of the media to take formal tours and play the new course during a media day event scheduled for Monday, June 27. More information can be found at morainecountryclub.com.