Hinsdale Magazine | Club Tour
Above Par
After a 20-month golf course renovation which began in 2008 to repair a sub-par drainage system on a course of a bygone era, Butterfield Country Club reemerges as one of the top-ranked golf courses in Illinois. by Rosie Conway
n 1922, William Langford, a classic “Golden Age of Golf” architect, took approximately 195 acres of land in the western suburb of Oak Brook, and built three nine-hole golf courses with features in the same vein as noteworthy courses such as Pebble Beach, Augusta National and Pine Valley to name a few. Today, Butterfield Golf Course has been included among the top 25 golf courses in the state, achieving the rank of No. 22 on Golf Digest’s Best Courses in the State for 2017-18. But many believe it was the massive 20-month renovation of the golf course in 2008 that launched Butterfield into the level of highly-recognized classic courses it now ranks among. “The renovation was what earned Butterfield that [Golf Digest] ranking,” said Paul Moreschi, President of Butterfield Country Club. “There wasn’t a blade of grass that was untouched at this course.” While the original course was beautiful, it had virtually no drainage system, which often forced the club to close the course, and led to member dissatisfaction. “After rain events, the greens and fairways were often
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muddy, tough to maintain, and in the heat of summer, tough to keep alive,” Moreschi said. Butterfield hired renowned golf architect Steve Smyers to design and oversee the project. Smyers, an architect greatly influenced by the “Golden Age” architects, studied Langford’s original plans from the 1920s. He maintained Langford’s use of the natural terrain, original routing and uses of hills and ridges in order to restore the course to its original glory. BCC golf superintendent Mike Vercautren was an integral part of the renovation as well, but more importantly, he currently maintains Butterfield’s impeccable features post-renovation. Vercautren and his grounds crew were here every day helping build the course during the renovation. As the newly-renovated course matured, Vercautren was there to complete post-renovation projects. Vercautren came to Butterfield from Augusta National in 1991, but took over as superintendent of grounds in 1995. In short, he watches over everything outside the clubhouse. “All 195 acres are my responsibility,” says Vercautren, who also oversees a staff of 30 people during golf season. As to his thoughts on the renovation and recent course ranking, Vercautren couldn’t be more excited.