When Canyata, near Marshall, Ill., debuted on our America’s 100 Greatest Courses ranking in 2009 at No. 42, it caused quite a reaction. The most common one was, “What’s that?”
The course, with the original three holes designed by Bob Lohmann and the rest by Lohmann’s then-associate Mike Benkusky, opened in 2005 and admitted just enough course ranking panelists during its first few seasons to work up enough ballots to qualify for the ranking. Those who played Canyata felt fortunate—the course was privately built for a single owner, businessman Jerry Forsythe, to be used by his family and circle of friends. When panelists visited, they were frequently the only golfer of the course. The “club” estimates that only 5,000 rounds have been played over the last 20 years.
That number will rise this year and beyond following the acquisition of Canyata by Texas-based Escalante Golf, the owner and operator of now 25 courses throughout the U.S., including The Kingsley Club in Michigan (ranked No. 110 in the country), Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon, The Wilderness Club in Montana, Black Diamond Ranch in Florida and The International near Boston.
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Evan Schiller
Canyata, currently ranked No. 85, is opening a limited number of national memberships and will be the home club for its Icon Golf, a luxury golf and travel membership. Play at Canyata will begin in May and be limited to members and guests to preserve the sense of sanctuary that’s always made visiting feel so unique—even eerie.
“There are exceedingly few Top 100 clubs that are even accepting inbound membership requests, let alone any that offer such incredible value for $25,000,” Jeff Goodsell, President and Founder of Icon Golf, said in a press release.
The design occupies 400 acres of rural and agricultural family land 200 miles south of Chicago and 95 miles west of Indianapolis, just west of the Indiana state line. Lohmann and Benkusky moved more than 200 million cubic yards of earth to forge stylish holes that weave in and out of hardwood forest and open meadow, skirting large bunkers and the edges of several lakes and created water features.
Evan Schiller
The wide bentgrass fairways tend to taper toward tough, smallish greens, putting the scoring emphasis on strong iron play and recovery shots. With limited rounds, scheduling maintenance and focusing on the aesthetic details was never a problem, and course conditions have traditionally been a calling card. Golf Digest named the long par-4 fourth hole, playing over a lake and twisting up to an elevated green, as the best fourth hole built in the U.S. since 2000.
The next phase in transforming Canyata from a semi-operational family recreation into an upscale destination club has begun. Work includes remodeling the clubhouse and expanding food-and-beverage operations, building overnight accommodations, adding a par-3 course and upgrading maintenance facilities. On the course, the primary focus will be on bringing the agronomy up to current standards, but no architectural revisions are planned.
For more information about Escalante and Canyata, visit icongolf.com/clubs/canayta.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
