LINVILLE RIDGE IS LOOKING UP AS IT CELEBRATES ITS SILVER ANNIVERSARY

By Harris Prevost

In the North Carolina High Country, one unique feature--two words--distinguishes the desirability of property like no other:  "Grandfather view."

It was those two words that captured the imagination of Raymond Lutgert in 1978.  Lutgert, a developer by trade and an artist by heart, saw incredible view after incredible view from neighboring Flat Top Mountain as he looked into the two and one-half mile long western face of Grandfather Mountain.

Lutgert has a reputation for seeing things before others see them and even seeing things others don't.  Maybe it is the artist in him.  From this inspirational mountain top he saw the emergence of a world class private golf community.  He purchased the 1,800-acre mountain, and thus began the exciting adventure called Linville Ridge.

Ray Lutgert had a successful career building shopping centers and spec houses in Chicago in the 1950s, but he decided to move to Florida where the weather was more to his liking.  He had vacationed on Florida's east coast but a trip to Naples convinced him to settle on the Gulf Coast.  The beaches were just as beautiful and the area had much more upside development potential.

Lutgert purchased a 760-acre serpentine barrier island located between the Venetian Bay to the east (mainland) and the Gulf of Mexico to the west.  He named the island "Park Shore" because his vision was to develop the land around a series of shoreline parks and open-space commons.  It would be the first development of its kind in Florida.  Ray's first office was in a trailer.  His son Scott and one other were his only salesmen.

After thirty years, Park Shore is in its final stage of development.  Scott is now chairman of the board and CEO of a family of businesses called the Lutgert Companies.  He has a two hundred person sales staff.

Business colleagues and friends give different impressions of Ray Lutgert, now retired at age 87, and their words paint a picture of a special man.  Some describe his creative side:  artist, painter, sculpturer, man of vision.  Others use words to describe his business life:   excellence, quality, brilliant, wise, first class, caring, integrity.  Lutgert ingrained those qualities into his beloved Linville Ridge.

He spared no expense to build a golf course no one thought could be built, one that has a 760 foot elevation change from lowest point to highest point.  The highest point, elevation 4,984 feet on the fourth hole, makes Linville Ridge the highest golf course east of the Rockies.

He brought in the best to take care of his course and to see that members of the Linville Ridge community were treated with nothing less than five-star service.  

Lutgert provided amenities befitting a community located on such a hallowed piece of property.  The Ridge, as the development is sometimes affectionately called, has a tennis center with eight Har-Tru courts, hiking trails, a croquet court, an European style spa, a fitness center and a large heated pool that is part of an elegant restaurant pavilion called The Belvedere.  A magnificent 30,000 square foot clubhouse overlooking Grandfather Mountain is the center of the club's dining and social activities.

An eleven member staff, the size of many small town police departments, mans the club's two entrances and provides the membership with 24/7 security.

The Ridge has 320 residences and around 230 golf members.  It has 60 social members and a large number of residents with no membership.  They just like living there. The club's real estate office handles new property sales as well as resales. 

Bill and Margaret Selsor were living in Raleigh when they decided to build a home behind the second green at Linville Ridge in 1982.  They are social members of the club.  "Back then, there was nothing here.  We got to our house by a gravel cart path," Bill remembered.  "We don't play golf but we loved the views here.  The view from our lot turned out even better than we thought."

The Selsors love living at Linville Ridge.  "The Lutgerts were always interested in maintaining excellent quality of everything," Bill continued.  "They don't let things get run down.  If something needs fixing, they fix it.  They have been super."

Ray and Scott brought in an Augusta, Georgia engineering firm to see how a golf course could be built on the mountain.  They first looked on top of the mountain and then at some lower, flatter terrain along the northern end of the property adjacent to NC 105.  The Lutgerts chose the mountain top because of the views.

The engineering firm then recommended George Cobb to design the course.  Cobb had designed several mountain courses and the firm felt he would be best for the Linville Ridge project. 

Cobb's work is very familiar to High Country golfers.  Among the 75+ courses he designed were local favorites Hound Ears, Mountain Glen and High Meadows.  Some of his other mountain courses include Wildcat Cliffs in Highlands, Connestee Falls in Brevard, Cleghorn Plantation in Rutherfordton, and a redesign of High Hampton in Cashiers.

The architect is most famous, though, for designing the par three course at Augusta National.  With assistance from Bobby Jones, he also made several key design changes at Augusta National's famed Masters course.  One of Cobb's finest designs is Quail Hollow (since renovated by Tom Fazio), home of the Wachovia Championship.  Linville Ridge would be Cobb's last course.

Cobb said of his work at Linville Ridge, "The scenery of the North Carolina mountains here is absolutely fantastic.  We can't take credit for that.  God's the one who created that and you have to give Him credit . . . but we're working real closely with Him."

After considering several routings, Cobb was able to get about half the holes on this 6,813-yard masterpiece on the relatively level summit of Flat Top Mountain.  The other half dip down to a lower plateau about half-way down the mountain, then work their way back up to the summit.

The course was built by Arl Greene, Jr., son of one of the Linville Golf Club's legendary superintendants.  Arl Sr. was its second superintendent (see accompanying article).

Consistent with the work of an artist, of one who sees and appreciates beauty, Ray Lutgert's Linville Ridge community was carefully designed to exist in harmony with the land.  Scott Lutgert said, "Any changes we made carefully complemented nature."

Linville Ridge even mows the roadside grass and carefully manicures the banks along a three-mile stretch of NC 105 near its Linville entrance.

By every measurement, Linville Ridge has been a major success.  But last year, as the club approached its 25th anniversary, Scott Lutgert was a little restless.  "The 25th got me thinking about it," he said.  "We have a lot of pride in our course but we felt we could take it a step further.  We want to be one of the premier courses in North Carolina.

"I played the Olde Farm course near Bristol and I really liked it.  GOLF DIGEST ranked it as the best new private course in America in 2000.  It was designed by Bobby Weed, who also is doing the renovation work for the Linville Golf Club.  I like what he is doing there, too.

"I contacted Bobby and asked if he could come up and look over our course next time he was working at Linville.  I wanted him to let me know what he thought. 

"Bobby really liked our layout and the spectacular views from the course.  He didn't like our bunkers.  He felt they could be much improved, both in the fairways and greenside.  I agreed and so I engaged him to make the changes."  Bobby's orders from Scott were to make the course more challenging for low handicappers and easier and more fun for higher handicap players.

Most of Linville Ridge's holes had bunkers guarding the front of the greens.  Weed is opening up the front of the greens to create an option for shots to reach them by air as well as by ground.  He is fitting the bunkers into contours, as opposed to ovals, making them look more natural.

Last winter and this spring, Bobby Weed and Linville Ridge mountain manager Steve Sheets supervised the renovation of the Ridge's first seven holes.  The renovation will continue this fall and winter with final completion date expected to be spring of 2009.  Everyone at Linville Ridge is excited about the changes.  "When I look down at number four green from the fairway, it brings a smile to my face," exclaims Scott.

Weed, a protege of Pete Dye, had worked with him on a number of TPC courese including TPC Sawgrass, home of the Players Championship and considered "the fifth major" by many PGA TOUR members.  Weed brought in the same construction crew that recently renovated Sawgrass, MacCurrach Golf, to renovate Linville Ridge.

Bobby Weed began his architecture career working for Dye, then he became the in-house architect for the PGA TOUR in 1987.  In 1994, he started his own design firm.  Weed says this of his design philosophy, "Golf courses were meant to be patiently uncovered--not revealed all at once."

He has a very hands-on approach, molding his ideas in the field and sorting out the details on site, not in an office.  This has definitely been true with his work at Linville Ridge.

Weed is as excited as the Linville Ridge staff about the changes.  He feels the development has the pieces in place to be world class.  "What makes this place so special is you are looking down on everything.  You have such long vistas.  You are on top of the world.  You have a great conditioned course.  Excellent amenities.  The staff does a great job.  The course tumbles around the ridges.  We are simply adding a little character and freshening it up a bit."

Weed said part of the renovation is to adapt the course for the modern game.  "When the course was built," Weed continued, "people used wooden drivers and balata balls.  With the modern game in mind, our objective is simply to improve the playability and interest of each golf hole.  Even though our changes reflect the modern game, we follow tradition.  We want to provide a fun and interesting experience for all golfers by giving them strategic choices."

"We will alter the placing of bunkers, varying their size, shape, depth and location.  Some tees will be shifted for better angles.  We will create more options for all calibers of players, thus making for a more fun and interesting round."

Chuck Hood, from Charlotte and a member since 1996, agrees with Weed.  "I thing the changes are spectacular.  They are breathtaking.  The bunkers look better and they are fairer for the average player.  They are harder to get into now, but they're also harder to get out!"

The "great conditioned course" Weed talked about is the primary responsibility of the team of course superintendent Tommy Clark, assistant superintendent Joel Whitley, and Steve Sheets.  Linville Ridge is known for always being in immaculate shape and its condition is a source of pride for its membership.  Sheets has been responsible for all outdoor operations on the Ridge since 1984. 

Kurt Thompson is a consummate golf professional.  If you told Kurt, at age 25, that he would be the head pro at a premier club like Linville Ridge, he would have said you are crazy.  Kurt didn't even play golf until his 20s.  Being a former professional baseball player, though, he learned the game quickly.

Thompson was an assistant pro at Big Horn Club in California (former site of the Skins Games) under Bill Harmon of the famous Harmon brothers.  He later was an assistant under John McNeely at Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Diamond Creek and The Floridian.  He also served under John Buzcek at Grandfather.  Buzcek is now head pro at Winged Foot, site of last year's U.S. Open. 

Thompson feels blessed to have had the work experiences he has had.  "I am very lucky, he said.  "I was in the right place at the right time and I got to work at some great clubs under some of the best pros in the business."    

He credits McNeely with the development of his career.  "John McNeely is the one who had the most impact on me," Kurt continued.  "He shaped my game and taught me what it means to be a professional.

My focus now is toward mentoring my assistants.  I am trying to do for them what the great pros I worked for did for me."

Thompson continues to serve on McNeely's professional staff at The Floridian during the winter, as he has for the past six winters.  The Floridian, located a little north of Palm Beach, is Florida's most exclusive golf club.

With the experience he has had, Kurt Thompson learned how a great golf program is run, and now he runs one.  When you arrive at the Linville Ridge parking lot, you have barely opened your car door before a courteous young man wearing a dress shirt and tie is there to greet you and take you and your clubs to the pro shop.  He makes sure your transition from arrival to first tee is seamless.

If you decide to warm up beforehand, a first class practice area awaits.  Each golfer has a large supply of brand new Titliest balls.  An attendant is there to help with any needs.  Flags on the range indicate various yardages.  A putting green and a chipping green, complete with sand traps, are there for your short game.  Several well trained, conscientious, golf professionals are available to help improve your game.

The well-stocked pro shop is part of a complex called the "Sandwedge" that houses luxurious locker rooms for both men and women and a spacious casual dining restaurant.  Every member of the staff is welcoming and sincerely glad to help you.            The Linville Ridge membership is as proud of its staff as it is of its golf course. 

Boone resident Tim Cook has been fitness director for 17 years.  His job is to work with Linville Ridge members to design personal exercise regiments that fit their needs.  He then shows them how to do their exercises properly.  Cook, who is also a Kung Fu teacher, has a special place in his heart for Special Olympics athletes and he volunteers a large amount of his time and personal resources to help train them.

Cook's efforts to give back to others reflect those of the Linville Ridge community, and that example begins at the top.  The Lutgerts are an extremely civic minded family. 

Scott is chairman of the board of trustees of Florida Gulf Coast University, and Ray, along with Scott have been very generous in giving to worthwhile causes, and in particular, those having to do with health care and education.

From the top of the mountain to the bottom, Linville Ridge is in good hands.  The club's future has never looked brighter than it does now as it embraces its second twenty-five years.

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