In the Room for the Front Nine

On May 20, the people rebuilding Muni's front nine sat down and walked through their design, and Friends of Asheville Muni had a seat at the table.

The FOAM board, along with representatives from the Asheville Sports Commission and the Skyview Golf Association, got an early look at the plan for the front nine holes. It came from BioHabitats of North Carolina and golf course architects Ron Forse and Ron Cutlip. Forse is one of the country's most respected hands at restoring Donald Ross courses, which matters here, because the Muni is a Ross original.

What FOAM saw was encouraging. The design keeps the holes essentially where they have always been, drawn from Ross's own routing, with flood mitigation built in so the course can stand up better to the next big storm. The board came with questions and suggestions, and the design team welcomed all of them. With the Sports Commission and Skyview in the room too, much of the Muni community had eyes on the plan at the same moment.

This is the part of FOAM's work that is easy to miss. FOAM does not own the course, and it is not running the rebuild. That is the City's project. But when the decisions get made, FOAM is in the room, asking about the things golfers and neighbors care about, and pushing for the best possible course as soon as possible.

There are several approval steps still ahead before the plans become public and ground breaks on construction. FOAM will keep showing up for each one.

One course. Two Ross architects at the table. Every original hole staying right where it is.

We will keep you posted here as it moves.

Join the Friends and help keep a voice at the table for Muni.