Design Workshop's Lodestone Golf Course recognized as top course by Golfweek and ASLA Colorado

7 December 2011

Denver – The Lodestone Golf Course in McHenry, Md., designed by Design Workshop in collaboration with Hale Irwin, received the designation of being the sixth-best new golf course in the world by Golfweek magazine, and received a merit award for design from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Colorado.

This designation and award signify the revolutionary nature of the course, particularly due to the demanding community, environmental and sport concerns that the landscape architects and designers considered throughout the design process.

The golf course was built atop lands previously exposed to timber harvesting that left a design pallet complicated by erosion and contaminated wetlands. The designers faced strict ecological criteria set by the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), as well as the sport’s tournament-caliber standards. However, the design proved to be so beneficial that the MDE set the sustainability metrics as the new standard for golf course development in the state.

The design team used these intersecting sets of criteria to its advantage, with each embraced to improve the other. Through thoughtful golf-hole placement, the team incorporated the pre-existing streams, vegetation and moss-covered rock into the course design. Not only did this assist in the sustainability of the course, but also in its beauty. These natural aesthetic elements add to the challenge of the course, through creation of center-line bunkering and other golfing tactics. Golfers and members of the McHenry community alike enjoy the natural beauty of the course, as the team made sure to include walking and cross-country ski trails.

This award-winning golf course exemplifies a common space in which community, golfers and natural wildlife not only co-exist, but also benefit from one other.

About Design Workshop
Founded in 1969, Design Workshop is an international landscape architecture, land planning, urban design and strategic services firm with six offices in the U.S. and work spanning the globe. The firm has been recognized with over 200 prestigious awards for its work in new communities, urban centers, resorts, public parks, golf courses and residences. The firm’s philosophy challenges the project team to equally integrate and balance artistic vision, environmental sensitivity, community values and sound economics to create distinctive places that stand the test of time. It refers to this approach as DW Legacy Design®.