Dublin, Ohio: The International Country Club (ICC) of Niagara is to be redesigned, renamed, and will undergo a complete rebranding.

Jukic Group Limited (Niagara Falls) said the company ‘is committed to making this one of the top golf courses in Ontario and a must-play for any golfer visiting the Niagara Region’.

To achieve this goal, the ownership has retained Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design, an award-winning golf course architecture firm best known for its principals’ work at Wisconsin’s Erin Hills Golf Club, which hosted the 2017 US Open and will host the 2025 US Women’s Open.

The partners’ Canadian work includes The Devil’s Pulpit and Paintbrush, Georgian Bay Club, The Club at Bond Head, Dundarave, and Le Diable.

“Dana and I are ecstatic to be back working in Ontario, and on such a creative collaboration with the owners of this great property,” said Jason Straka, Principal at Fry Straka Global Golf Course Design, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“The Niagara Region is in a prime position to take advantage of a shift in lifestyle after the pandemic. The reimagined golf course will be an important part of this unique and dynamic redevelopment vision. The scale of the property is quite grand and has some great natural features to build upon to create something really special,” added Straka.

Opened in 1976, the ICC sits on more than 500 acres of land adjacent to the small urban centres of Stevensville and Douglastown, a short distance between both Niagara Falls and the US border at Fort Erie.

The lands surrounding the golf course are currently being reviewed for potential redevelopment by FORREC, an international design firm that specialises in resorts and community master planning.

The redevelopment vision is to create a unique golf community that is family-oriented and focused on healthy living with access to year-round recreational activities but will also offer agricultural amenities for those looking for a sustainable ‘Farm to Table’ lifestyle.

In an effort to establish itself as a premium golf experience, the golf course will undergo complete rebranding. What was formerly, the International Country Club, is now Niagara National Golf and Country.

The owners have hired Tom Vanderlip and his firm TV1 Golf Consultants to oversee the renovation and take over the management of day-to-day operations.

Vanderlip is experienced in start-up/rebranding projects in the golf industry, most notably his work at Heron Point, King’s Riding, Copper Creek, Peninsula Lakes and recently at the historic Port Colborne Country Club.

“We have begun to prepare the golf course for the 2021 season and currently are completing a number of projects to enhance the existing golf course facility prior to the larger redevelopment project,” said Vanderlip.

“It’s important to the owners that when we do re-open as Niagara National, that our customers understand the commitment that we are undertaking to make this a wonderful facility that provides the total golf experience.”

Vanderlip said that an announcement to open for the 2021 season is expected soon. “We intend to set a high standard right from the beginning to give golfers an idea of what the long-term plans are for this exciting project,” he added.