Latest news with #OaklandHills
CBS News
a day ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Fire burns large home in Oakland Hills, destroys portion of building
A fire in the Oakland Hills Tuesday afternoon left a home with significant damage, the Fire Department said. In a social media post, the department said the two-alarm fire burned a home on Skyline Boulevard just north of Hansom Drive and about a half mile south of Fire Station 21. The fire started in the garage of the home, listed on Redfin as a 3,022 square-foot estate, and spread to the main house, but firefighters were able to contain it to just the one house, the post said. Update 1) Fire crews have contained this 2 alarm incident in the 13000 block of Skyline to the structure of origin but this is still an active fire incident. Traffic should avoid Skyline Blvd b/w Parkridge Dr and Keller Rd. No reports of injuries at this time. — Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) June 3, 2025 Video shot from above the home showed the fire gutted the garage area. Firefighters were atop the main house, cutting holes in the roof to let out smoke and heat. Some three dozen firefighters responded to the fire. There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire was not immediately known. Traffic along Skyline Boulevard between Parkridge Drive and Keller Road was affected during the firefight and mop-up efforts.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Roughly 60 firefighters battling vegetation fire in Oakland Hills
(KRON) — A team of about 60 firefighters are currently battling a three-alarm vegetation fire burning in the Oakland Hills near Skyline Boulevard and Grass Valley Road. As of 10:10 p.m., this fire's forward progress is stopped and crews have the fire surrounded, the Oakland Fire Department stated on social media. No structures are currently threatened by the fire. Cliff rescue at Batteries to Bluffs hiking trail The Oakland Fire Department, Cal Fire, the East Bay Regional Park District and the Oakland Police Department are at the scene. KRON4 is awaiting more information about the fire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Built by the Fords, this Michigan golf club added to National Register of Historic Places
Built by the Fords, this Michigan golf club added to National Register of Historic Places Show Caption Hide Caption Dearborn Country Club: 100 years of history Dearborn Country Club, established by Henry and Clara Ford in 1925, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2025. The National Parks Service added Dearborn Country Club to its National Register of Historic Places in March 2025. Dearborn Country Club, which was developed, owned and operated by Henry and Clara Ford, opened in the spring of 1925 and currently has about 300 members. Architect Albert Kahn designed the Tudor Revival-style clubhouse. Renowned golf course designer Donald Ross built the 18-hole facility. Just outside Detroit, in the middle of inner-ring suburb Dearborn's hustle and bustle, neighborhoods, businesses and factories, a 161-acre golf course and clubhouse developed, owned and operated by Henry and Clara Ford celebrated its 100th anniversary as Dearborn's newest inductee on the National Register of Historic Places. The Dearborn Country Club once served as a private entertainment venue for the Fords and their friends. It has since transformed from a gathering place for business executives to a family-friendly club with membership open to the public. The 18-hole course, designed by the renowned Donald Ross, and 19th hole Tudor Revival-style clubhouse, designed by famed Michigan architect Albert Kahn, are preserved by the Dearborn Country Club. Kahn is known for designing Detroit's Fisher Building, among others. Ross is one of the world's best-known golf course designers, with Oakland Hills and Detroit Golf Club among his many works. Local and architectural historian Ian Tomashik, the lifelong Dearborn resident and Dearborn Historical Society volunteer behind getting the Dearborn Country Club on the register, said integrity is one of the National Parks Service's criteria to measure how well a place conveys its historic significance. 'When you walk around the Dearborn Country Club, you still experience the space as people in the 1920s did,' Tomashik said. The ceiling beams are the same as in 1925, as are the stained glass windows. More: Golfweek's Best: Top private golf courses in every state, ranked 'Social landmark' The Fords weren't big on golfing. Legend has it Henry hit his niece with a golf ball on one of his first times swinging a club and never played again, Tomashik said. So why a country club? It was a place for Ford and his upper-level executives to gather for some fun. The course opened in the spring of 1925, and the Fords hosted two Dearborn friends, Louis and Mina Ives, for the clubhouse's first dinner in October 1925. The bill for four dinners totaled $6. In its first years, membership cost $100 a person. The club was open to anyone who lived within a 25-mile radius of Dearborn from the beginning, though its first members were exclusively invited by the Fords, Tomashik said. Though Tomashik didn't find an official guest list in his research, he said the Fords may have partied with Thomas and Mina Edison, along with other famous friends. The clubhouse did not serve alcohol until its members formed a board and bought it after the Fords died. The clubhouse hosted old-fashioned ballroom dances, some led by Henry Ford's friend Benjamin Lovett, a famed Boston dance instructor for whom Dearborn's Lovett Hall is named. 'They were trying to revive line dances and call and response dances from the 1870s … (which were) vestiges from rural America that were disappearing in the 1920s,' Tomashik said. The doors were guarded by security while open to members and their guests during the dances. 'Henry and Clara loved these dances,' Tomashik said. 'The Fords were very friendly and open to talk to almost anyone who came inside. You would see Henry and Clara Ford dancing right there on the floor alongside everybody else, if they weren't sitting up in the balcony, where they overlooked the events.' The balcony still stands on the second floor, where the clubhouse's bedrooms would host guests. Tomashik said the Fords had a suite in the clubhouse, though their Fair Lane Estate, a National Historic Landmark, sits next to the country club's property to the east. The space also hosted conversations about the future of the city. When the clubhouse was built, half of what is now the city of Dearborn was the city of Fordson and half was Dearborn Village. 'Local politicians met at the clubhouse to formally discuss incorporating Dearborn Village and the city of Fordson into the modern city of Dearborn, led by the Fords' private secretary and club member Ernest Liebold, members present included club members Clyde Ford, Henry Penhale and William Cameron, as well as Mayor Joseph Karmann, of Fordson,' Tomashik said. Places on the register must have a historic association in at least one of four criteria: events, people, design, or information/archeological potential. The clubhouse and golf course met National Register Criterion A, which recognizes historic places which made significant contributions 'to the broad patterns' of local history, Tomashik said. 'We designated this for the influence the country club had on building the city of Dearborn,' Tomashik said. 'It became a social landmark that wasn't located in many other of our neighboring suburbs.' Dearborn Country Club member Ray Biscaro, a former president of the club, said history adds to the experience. 'Just to think the Fords and the family and dignitaries were in the same room either dancing or celebrating weddings or just social events, it's pretty neat,' Biscaro said. 'You can golf anywhere, but to come to a place that has this kind of history, you feel very special.' The Register Tomashik started the application process in February 2022 after Biscaro's wife, Marti, called the Dearborn Historical Society looking for help completing the National Register nomination. After years of back and forth with the State Historic Preservation Board that shaped the research and argument for adding the club to the register, Tomashik presented the application to the State Historic Preservation Board in September 2024. The application then moved on for approval from the National Park Service, which approved it in March 2025. Tomashik says the country club has a big historic footprint because it was founded, financed and operated by the Fords, who saved and eventually donated information about Albert Kahn's original clubhouse specifications, letters between Ford employees about its design and even the type of grass planted on the course. The documents are preserved at the Benson Ford Research Center in Dearborn, Tomashik said. 'Oasis' The Fords sold the property in 1944 and members of the clubhouse formed a board and bought it in 1953, Tomashik said. Since then, the clubhouse has maintained its historical significance while shifting its vibe. 'We used to be more of an older salesman-y club, and now we're transitioning and have been a family-oriented club. The average age is younger than even when I joined,' Dearborn Country Club President Bill Monteith said. Since the '50s, the clubhouse has added a pool, locker rooms and an additional restaurant. Monteith said the club has about 300 members, most of whom don't live in Dearborn but are still within 20 miles of the course. The club has about 100 employees, he said. When the Fords owned the place, it was a dry club, but it has served alcohol since members bought it, Tomashik said. Outside of golf, the club hosts dinners, weddings, a kids swim team and other social events, all of which have to be hosted or sponsored by an existing member. Membership, which requires an application and vetting process, is open to anybody, Monteith said. Biscaro said the private club does not publish its membership cost. Many private clubs do not. Monteith has been involved with the club since his parents joined in 1975. He joined on his own in 1989 and has served three three-year terms on the board since then. 'It's my oasis away from hustle,' he said. 'For a lot of us, the country club is our cottage. We spend the weekends at the club versus Up North. This becomes your social club. … We have a unique club. We're very close. The members and staff make the club.'
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Ryder Cup test in hostile Bethpage 'biggest challenge an away team has ever faced'
Paul McGinley insists Luke Donald's side will need characters to face an incredible and challenging atmosphere Paul McGinley reckons Europe face their biggest-ever Ryder Cup test in hostile Bethpage. The 2014 winning captain says Luke Donald's golf side will need characters to face an incredible and highly-challenging atmosphere when they get to New York in September. McGinley says the hot reaction from the United States-backing home support will test the visitors to the extreme limit. Donald led the team to success in Rome in 2023, but the Irishman said: 'My view was that the challenge that we're going to face over in Bethpage is probably the biggest challenge an away team has ever faced on either side. "That atmosphere is going to be really difficult to play in. Going away from home with 80 per cent of the crowd against you, Americans with their tails up on an American-tailored golf course. They've got home advantage,and it is a very difficult situation. 'Our players have to perform in a very hostile environment, which is a difficult thing to do. I played away from home in Detroit 2010. "I have one experience of it. Luke was my partner actually in his first Ryder Cup. "And playing when 80 per cent of the crowd are pulling against you is a difficult scenario, it requires deep concentration and it requires a bit of an edge in your personality. So we are looking for personnel who might have that edge. 'We are looking at their psyche for sure. You can have all the stats you want because our stats guys do amazing stuff now, but personality is going to be a big deal. "Who's performed in a hostile environment? Who stands up to be counted when the odds are not quite going for you? Personality traits are going to be important. Experience is going to be important.' The experience of Donald will be vital and, speaking to Sportsboom, McGinley continued: 'I was obviously involved with that decision to bring him back. The perception is that we nail the Ryder Cup and America don't. "What we do is win at home. And what American nail is winning at home. Both teams have been poor on the road. 'The Ryder Cups in the last 10 years have been pretty much one-sided with the home team winning. We haven't won away from home now since Medinah. And that was a miracle. "Before that it was eight years before that at Oakland Hills in Detroit, and I was on that team. So away matches are very difficult, much more difficult than winning at home. 'The template that works at home doesn't necessarily transfer, so we have to cultivate a new template to tackle these away matches and not just take for granted that whatever we did in the home match is going to work again, whether that be pairings, whether that be personnel, whether that be approach. 'For me the view is to create a new template away from home and the first roll of the dice with that was to put a captain in who had captained before, and who captained successfully. "So that we're not training in a new captain and dealing with all the differences of being away from home. So, bringing an ex-captain in who's been there was the first roll of the dice of doing something different. 'Luke is the captain. My job is not to tell him what to do, my job is to expand his thinking and make sure that everything is considered before decisions are made. "But ultimately, it'll be his decision. From what he said already publicly and what he has said privately, they're the kind of things that he's looking at.'
USA Today
28-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New club in Florida offers fascinating example of great strategic golf on flat ground
New club in Florida offers fascinating example of great strategic golf on flat ground Show Caption Hide Caption Kinsale Club in Naples focuses on strategic genius of Hanse and Wagner The Kinsale Club in Naples proves that great architects can turn a flat piece of land into a great challenge and opportunity for the thinking golfer. Kinsale Club's new private golf course, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, prioritizes strategy and shot-making. The course features a classic design inspired by Golden Age architects with strategically placed bunkers and firm, fast playing surfaces. Hanse and Wagner, known for their restoration work on famous courses, find creative freedom in building a new course from scratch. NAPLES, Fla. – Kinsale Club, with its new private course designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, showcases what a great team of architects can do with a flat piece of land. Given 174 acres to accommodate the entire club – including parking and all amenities – Hanse and Wagner had to construct all the intrigue from the course with hard boundary edges, a preserved area of wetland at the center and no distinguished landforms rising from the site just a few hundred yards from the Gulf of Mexico. To make it all work, they relied on classic architectural templates for inspiration, making golfers consider strategy and proper lines for every swing. That strategy is dictated mostly by sand – lots of sand. Wherever you might want to land a tee ball, there's often a steep-faced, relatively flat-bottomed bunker in the way. Players must steer their balls around all the hazards, often playing toward the edges of wide fairways to set up the best line for an approach shot. Heading into the greens, plenty more bunkers await. Players who take the proper lines off the tee are rewarded with a much more welcoming approach through all the sand and past the frequent run-offs. It's old-school strategy at it's finest. No reward is granted without a fair bit of risk. It's the best type of golf, and it makes Kinsale stand out in a state where, on too many courses, strategy is dictated as a game of avoiding water. Such design is especially effective when married to firm and fast playing surfaces, as director of agronomy Rusty Mercer has provided at Kinsale. Hanse and Wagner told members they were inspired by Golden Age architects C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor, and Kinsale certainly calls to mind their work. It all adds up to a private course where members should never get bored with playing the same shots again and again. Strategy shifts as holes locations change, and there are multiple ways to play almost every approach shot. Hanse and Wagner have gained fame as the restorers of many classic layouts, jobs for which they put aside their own ideas and try to recreate what original architects had in mind. Los Angeles Country Club, Oakland Hills, The Country Club, Winged Foot, Southern Hills, Merion, Oakmont, on and on – Hanse and Wagner have restored many major championship sites, and many casual golf fans know them best for their work on such Golden Age stalwarts. But building a new course scratches a different kind of itch for the design duo. Their work at Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia and CapRock Ranch in Nebraska, in particular, rank among the top 20 modern courses in the U.S. 'From a creativity standpoint, new construction is so much more liberating because of the way we've chosen to do restoration, being beholden to the original architects,' Hanse said during a preview showing of plans for SkyFall, their new project at Forest Dunes in Michigan. 'So there's not a lot of creativity and not a lot of original ideas. It's more restoration research and then trying to create in the same style and what we see there. Whereas with the new stuff, we can do kind of whatever we want.' Clearly, what they wanted at Kinsale was to challenge golfers on every shot. To create interest on a site that didn't start as much. And to thrill the club's members for every round with a wide variety of interesting shots and incredible greens inspired by templates that have stood the test of time. It will take time to see where Kinsale Club is eventually ranked by Golfweek's Best course-rating program. Below, this author shares his thoughts on how Kinsale Club's layout stacks up in our 10 rating criteria. Our hundreds of raters assign a score of 1 to 10 for each criterion, then offer an overall rating. In non-definitive terms, any course that averages above 6 out of 10 might be the best course in many areas and certainly worth a drive across town, a course averaging 7 out of 10 is a seriously solid layout, and anything above an 8 is one of the best courses in the country. There are only a handful of courses rated above 9 in the world. 1. Routing of Kinsale Club How well the holes individually and collectively adhere to the land and to each other. This site for Kinsale Club was a flat piece of ground with squared-off boundaries, and Hanse and Wagner had no prominent features to play into and away from. They fashioned a first seven holes that play out to a far point at the northwest corner and back before spinning into the separate back nine that plays mostly into the northwest corner. The course was built with walking in mind and is an easy stroll. One unusual choice: The par-5 12th plays to the south next to the range and toward the clubhouse, then players shift to the side for the par-3 13th, which tees off across the line of No. 12 headed west. It calls to mind the far end of the Old Course at St. Andrews, where No. 11 crosses No. 7 fairway. My rating: 7 2. Quality of shaping The extent to which course construction creates design elements that fit in well and provides a consistent look or sensibility. Everything on the course was created by Hanse, Wagner and their team of shapers. Many of the features are quite sharp instead of curving naturally into slopes. Most of the taller shaping helps create breaks in what would otherwise be a flat plain. Many of the greens lie quite flat on the ground at their entrances, but they typically are guarded by bunkers with steep faces to at least one side. My rating: 8 3. Overall land plan Ease of integration of all built-out elements with native land, including course, clubhouse, real estate, roads, native topography and landforms. The extent to which land plan facilitates long views of surroundings and/or interior views of property. It was a relatively tight parcel at 174 acres to accommodate the clubhouse, parking, expansive range, practice greens and course. But it never feels squeezed. Especially on the course, Hanse and Wagner had enough room to make each hole feel distinct and connected to the greater routing. The clubhouse is still under construction, but when opened, players will be able to tumble out to No. 1 tee and pop right in from the adjacent 18th green. My rating: 7 4. Greens and surrounds Interest, variety and playability of putting surfaces, collars, chipping areas and greenside bunkers. The greens are varied and always interesting. The ground game is frequently an option going into the greens if a player has taken the proper line, but steep-walled bunkers that feature relatively flat bottoms tend to block any wayward lines. The putting surfaces feature multiple tiers, humps, bumps and hollows, and putting is never an afterthought. Most greens roll off to one side or another, either onto tightly mowed runoffs or bunkers. Many of the greens have been shaped with modern twists to classic template holes, inspired by the courses of Golden Age architects C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor. My rating: 9 5. Variety and memorability of par 3s Differentiation of holes by length, club required, topography, look and angle of approach. Ranging in length from 135 yards up to 250, the four par 3s play in all directions and feature the most immediately recognizable modern twists on template variations. No. 4 is a take on the classic Redan hole, No. 8 is a Biarritz, No. 13 (which crosses No. 12 fairway) is a classic Postage Stamp, and the short 16th plays into a punchbowl. These holes offer a fascinating mix of shots. My rating: 8 6. Variety and memorability of par 4s Range of right-to-left and left-to-right drives and second shots required, as well as spread of length, topography and look of the holes. There is not a thoughtless par 4 on the property. Each of them grabs your attention from the tee box, with strategically placed bunkers forcing players to think before they swing. Firm ground helps, as balls will roll and roll and until they are within reach of the green for a second shot, or roll and roll until they settle into a bunker. The par 4s are often lined with sandy waste areas. The fairways are typically generous in width, except for those always-encroaching bunkers. A favorite was the short third, 310 yards off the back tees but laced with sand almost everywhere you might want to land a tee ball – it's a brilliant little par 4 offering many options. My rating: 7 7. Variety and memorability of par 5s Variety of risk/reward opportunities on tee shot; how interesting the second shots are; variety of third shots required. The course opens with back-to-back par 5s, starting with the 583-yard first before offering a more reasonable scoring opportunity with the 500-yard second. Each of Kinsale's par 5s offers opportunities for better golfers to play boldly, but with plenty of obstacles that must be narrowly skirted for players trying to reach the greens in two shots. Each offers hope but can easily dash it. My rating: 7 8. Tree and landscape management Extent to which ornamentals, hardwoods, conifers and other flora enhance the design and playability of a course without overburdening it or compromising strategic flexibility and agronomy. Except for a wetlands preserve at the north-center section that divides much of the front nine and the back nine, and at the western boundary along a road, there are almost no trees in play at Kinsale. Most of the trees that are on the course grow out of the sandy waste areas to the sides of holes. It's a wide-open plateau with long views of other holes from almost every vantage point. My rating: 7 9. Conditioning and ecology Overall quality of maintenance, discounting for short-term issues (weather or top dressing); extent of native areas; diversity of plant life and wildlife. Rusty Mercer, the director of agronomy, came to Kinsale from Streamsong Resort, and he knows a few things about firm ground. He has the Bermuda grass playing surfaces dialed in, with bouncy conditions that promote the ground game. It's a stark and welcome contrast to play Kinsale in winter after playing many other Florida courses, where rye overseed and soggy conditions frequently make a ball land and stop like a dart. One word for these TifEagle Bermuda putting surfaces: pure. My rating: 9 10. 'Walk in the park' test The sense of the place as worthy of spending four hours on it. Kinsale isn't dramatic, and it doesn't feature very interesting terrain or ocean views, even though it is so close to the Gulf of Mexico. But the property is all about golf in the best ways. With easy strolls from green to tee and frequent views of upcoming holes, Kinsale creates a sense of excitement to be playing something different than the usual Florida fare. It's a prime example of how great architects can put the focus on the golf, and even on a flat piece of land create an environment that beckons golfers. My rating: 7.1 Overall rating This is not a cumulative score. As soon as you finish a hole at Kinsale, you want to play it again to see if a different line might work better. With classic strategy so much in play, this course would never become boring or repetitive. There's no greater compliment. My rating: 7.1
