Buried in the back pages of the program for the 2017 Western Amateur is an article by the esteemed Ron Prichard entitled “The Rescue of a Classic Golf Course”.  Ron Prichard’s essay describes the architectural milieu that Skokie Country Club had drifted into and further outlines his vision for its revitalization.  Having just played Skokie, I can attest to it being a golden age beauty with dramatic flair and stimulating features on every hole.  A sublime experience indeed.  

To understand the transformation Prichard championed at Skokie, a few of his quotes are illustrative, as follows;

• On his first impressions on touring Skokie, “ What I viewed that day was a once fine old classic golf course, which as a result of the efforts of a couple contemporary architects, had been modernized and gradually altered by both architectural adjustment and nature.  In every way, the golf course was immaculate, extremely pretty and a perfectly maintained example of what I characterize as the “American Scholl of Design.” ( Note: This statement was not complimentary.  
• Prichard defined the American School of Design by citing four broad categories of misguided architecture and agronomy; namely; ( i)  rabid tree planting that narrowed playing corridors, ( ii ) fairways shrunk to US Open dimensions, ( iii ) bunker reconstruction that obliterated the work of Ross and of Langford and Moreau, and ( iv ) smaller and rounder greens.  Clearly, the American School of Design is an undesirable institution. 
• On his initial work at Skokie……..” our first focus was the removal of several hundred trees in an effort to open up the golf course to improve air circulation and reduce shade.  From an architectural standpoint, this not only reestablishes the much of the original spirit of the golf course where fairways are appropriately generous, reestablishing optional routes of play, but this effort also reinforces the beauty of the architectural character of the golf features.”  To be clear, this was a flashpoint of controversy at Skokie in 1997 ( as it was at many golden age golf courses ).  
• “We focused on the restoration of the unique and meaningful shape, depth and strategic character of the Ross bunker and the Langford-Moreau bunkers.  These ae not contemporary hazards.  It was the intent of both Ross and Langford-Moreau that a ball played into one of the fairway bunkers would penalize a player by requiring a very lofted club to escape.  Unlike the rather flat, perfectly manicured hazards we find on most contemporary golf courses, these hazards are traditional in style.  As suggested, they are deeper and are defended by muscular, well elevated and naturally turfed shoulders.”  
• “At the greens, we regressed ( BOLD! ) some of the perimeter slopes that had been softened.  This effort reestablished the more elevated, well defined pads most often sought by the club’s early architects.  And, perhaps most important of all, we worked to properly recapture much of the lost perimeter area of the original putting surfaces which had been lost over time.”  

Prichard’s vision and flawless implementation were continued with recent work under the guidance of architect Brian Schneider ( notably the designer of Old Barnwell ).  From the very first hole, Skokie is a stunning experience right to the final putt.  The golfer has the feeling that time travel has occurred and a fresh experience at a 100 year old course resounds.  Tasteful and astute golf architecture are honored at Skokie.  The 2025 Western Amateur returns to Skokie, so we can all enjoy the course in some form, but the ultimate experience is to play this wonderful golf course.