Gil Hanse To Restore Macdonald’s Historic Mid Ocean Club In Bermuda

Historical Research

The historical research for the restoration project at Mid Ocean includes the recent discovery of a 1926 silent film featuring what is believed to be the only moving pictures of Macdonald, who is known as the “Father of American golf architecture.” Rick Skelly, a member and researcher at the club, found the footage in a 1926 film about Bermuda in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution. Skelly was scouring the long film hoping to find imagery of the course to help the design team when the images switched to the first tee of the Mid Ocean Club and what historians believe to be Macdonald taking a backswing and later putting on the opening green.

While Macdonald spent summers at his home at The National Golf Links of America on Long Island, another of his most famous designs, he owned a home and cottage overlooking the famed 5^th hole at Mid Ocean Club where he wintered every year until his death in 1939. Macdonald, who teamed with Seth Raynor on the design at Mid Ocean, is best known for template holes such as “Redan,” “Alps,” and “Eden” that were inspired by holes on some of the greatest British links courses.

Hanse has called the 5^th at Mid Ocean, which features a bite-off-what-you-dare diagonal drive over Mangrove Lake from an elevated tee, one of the most audacious of Macdonald’s so-called “Cape holes” as well as one of the “greatest holes in the world of golf.”

“Ultimately our goal is to be faithful to Macdonald and restore his work,” said Hanse, who has already completed hand-drawn designs for the project that include the restoration of modifications done by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1953.

“With the archival information and, ultimately, having a presence on site and being on the machinery myself, we will have an opportunity to get in the ground and faithfully restore what Macdonald and Raynor built on the property.

“It’s our expectation that when we’re finished, members will see the golf course through the lens that he saw it through – and that will be a wonderful success,” Hanse added.

In addition to the world on the golf course, the project includes a detailed environmental management plan that expands and enhances the habitat for native plants and wildlife, from the endangered Diamondback Terrapin to the rare Bermuda Skink.

On the infrastructure side, the private club is undertaking a clubhouse rehabilitation that includes the construction of a new south façade, a refresh of the clubhouse interiors, and the addition of a state-of-the-art performance center and new golf shop. The efforts, including Hanse’s work on the golf course, are part of the club’s commitment to preserve its legacy for current members as well as generations to follow.

“Gil is unsurpassed for his attention to detail in the restoration of some of the world’s greatest golf courses,” said Mid Ocean CEO and General Manager Austen Gravestock, “and we are excited for what he will bring to Mid Ocean Club.”