Latest news with #DonaldRoss
Hypebeast
7 days ago
- Business
- Hypebeast
The Gap x Malbon Invitational Showed Where Golf Is Going
We were on the ground for the first-everMalbonxGapInvitational, held at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey—a private Donald Ross design with serious pedigree, including multiplePGA TOURstops and, more recently, a major USGA event. Malbon has a proven formula when it comes to experiential golf, but this outing had a different flavor. Gap's fingerprints were all over it. The branding struck a refined balance: understated but intentional. A custom banner hung beneath the Plainfield CC entrance sign, a move rarely seen at clubs this traditional. Custom tee markers, co-branded flags and drinkware brought the identity to life without overpowering the setting. It wasn't the most produced event we've seen from Malbon, but every detail felt considered. Gap and Malbon used the occasion to preview their new limited-edition capsule, a 33-piece collection designed to celebrate timeless style across generations. Unlike other Malbon collabs, this one was manufactured by Gap. And the pieces blended the heritage brand's vintage sensibilities with modern fits: washed-out plaids, rugby stripes, faded knits and a clever 'PAR' logo rendered in Gap's iconic serif font. But through it all, the slouchy silhouettes and dropped shoulders still made it unmistakably Malbon. The crowd reflected that same mix of heritage and contemporary edge. Golf culture tastemakers likeNikki Bladesstood alongside names better known in the wider fashion and media conversation—Jimmy fromThrowing Fits,Mark Boutilier, Davis Burleson fromWhatspoppin. Celebrity athletes likeMichael StrahanandCC Sabathiawere also in the mix, underscoring how far the game's cultural reach has stretched. The campaign itself features Swedish proJesper Parnevik—long considered a fashion disruptor—alongside his children Peg and Phoenix, echoing the multi-generational narrative woven through the collection. For Gap and Malbon, the invitational wasn't just a product launch. It was a statement about the future of golf style and who gets to shape it. The collection itself launches on Friday, 12PM ET viaMalbonandGap.
USA Today
24-03-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Historic Donald Ross golf course seeking to be rebuilt after extensive Helene damage
Historic Donald Ross golf course seeking to be rebuilt after extensive Helene damage ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The city is seeking the team that will help rebuild the historic Asheville Municipal Golf Course, designed by Hall of Fame golf architect Donald Ross. The 18-hole city owned course sits along the Swannanoa River, which crested at record-breaking levels during Tropical Storm Helene. The waters significantly damaged the front nine holes, which sit within the floodplain and floodway, leaving behind downed trees, debris, powerlines and multiple feet of silt. The city posted an ad for design and engineering services March 20, the first in a series of requests for qualifications for major rebuilding projects, according to a news release. The release billed it as a "milestone" marking the beginning of a "strategic and coordinated approach" to restoring and enhancing the city's infrastructure after the storm. The back nine escaped the worst of the damage and reopened for play Oct. 28. It will remain open throughout the restoration project. But the front nine holes were completely submerged, water eroding away much of the course, including extensive damage to the irrigation system, portions of the stormwater piping, all 18 tee box complexes, and several bunkers, greens and fairways. A building housing bathrooms near hole five was swept away. As were cart paths and trees. Across the property's 122 acres, more than 100 trees were down, many of them large hardwoods. The course, affectionately known as 'Muni,' opened for play in 1927 and is one of the oldest golf courses in Western North Carolina. It remains the last "affordable" public fee course in Asheville and is home to Skyview Golf Tournament, the longest running professional tournament in the country owned and operated by Black residents, which held its 64th annual tournament in July. The request for qualifications is looking for a design team to both help restore the course and fortify it against "future environmental challenges" for the roughly 49 acres of the front nine. After design and permitting, the anticipated construction start is mid-2026. The course will celebrate its 100-year anniversary in summer 2027. How will course operations change? When Helene struck Western North Carolina Sept. 27, the city was wrapping Year 2 with its new course operators, Commonwealth Golf Partners. Golfers said the course was looking better than it had in years. As part of its March 25 consent agenda, Asheville City Council will vote to amend its existing management and operations agreement with Commonwealth to allow the Muni to remain open as a 9-hole course through the design and future construction project. Rather than a traditional lease agreement, like the one the city had with former operator Pope Golf, it shares loss and profit between Commonwealth and the city. Chris Corl, whose department oversees the course, said they are hopeful to move through the process as quickly as possible to reopen as a full 18-hole course. Courses with only nine holes typically require a subsidy, he said, and "ours is no exception." Preliminary pro-forma models have the course operating at a loss of over $415,000 annually with only nine holes, after factoring in significant staffing, maintenance and equipment reductions, he said. Under the new agreement, if approved, Commonwealth has agreed to cover 100% of any losses over and above $350,000 annually — which will average to about $30,000 in net operational losses for the city for each month the 18-hole course is not fully open. "The sooner we can get the course back to an 18-hole operation the sooner we can convert the property back into a revenue generator for the City," Corl said in a March 21 email. By deed the property must operate as an open-to-the-public golf course while owned by the city. Will FEMA cover the restoration project costs? Although this is the first request for qualifications to be issued of the city's many major projects, "it does not mean that this project is top of the priority list," Corl said. Staff is actively working on a "strategic approach" to sequencing recovery projects along its general obligation bond and other capital projects. The course is the least complicated of the recovery projects and staff was able to get more quickly to this first step, Corl said. It will generally be restored to its pre-storm condition, with the exception of incorporating resiliency and mitigation measures. The course is on the National Register of Historic Places which will require the city to work with the State Historic Preservation Office throughout the design and planning process. Before the storm, Commonwealth and the city were already working to restore the course to as close to the original 1927 Donald Ross design as possible and had finished updating the layout of bunkers, tee complexes, mounds and fairways in accordance with a restoration master plan. Corl said the city anticipates this project will be reimbursed through the FEMA Public Assistance program, and the estimated potential construction cost is between $6 million and $7 million, with an estimated design fee of up to $1 million. More: Destruction at Asheville's historic muni golf course; How extensive was damage? More: Helene impacted Asheville cemetery where Thomas Wolfe buried. WCU students assess damage Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@ or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.
