Columbus, Ohio based Hurdzan/Fry Golf Course Design is proud to announce that two of its most recent designs have been named among Golf Digest's "Best New Courses for 2006." Bully Pulpit Golf Course in Medora, North Dakota has been named the Best New Affordable Public Golf Course in the U.S., and Georgian Bay Club in Collingswood, Ontario Canada was voted runner-up for Best New Canadian Course honors.

Located on the far western side of North Dakota, along I-64 in the small town of Medora, Bully Pulpit was designed in the minimalist style, meaning that very little earth was moved building the golf course. The natural beauty of the site gives the golf course personality by highlighting all its existing natural features. The 900-acre site included grazing land, a rare wooded area in this rain impoverished area, a mile or more of Little Missouri riverside, and the Badlands. Four of Bully Pulpit's 18-holes were built in the Badlands, a severely eroded landform devoid of trees, but with a collage of colors and textures. Dr. Hurdzan says, "There is no question that some golf courses are more special than others, but Bully Pulpit not only defines that ‘special' quality, it is also unique. The course is deeply rooted in concepts of beauty and perceived by enchanting patterns of color, texture, and height that are in perfect coordination. The golf course is like art displayed through a landscape. Bully Pulpit is one of the finest public courses we have ever designed, and it's affordable for all golfers, a great combination."

Like Bully Pulpit, Georgian Bay Club has been called one of the finest in the region. Located just a couple of hours drive north of Toronto, Georgian Bay Club is a meeting of land and water that has become a relaxed refuge from the big city for its members. The golf course is built on the Niagara Escarpment, a ridge of high hills that starts at Niagara Falls and flows north several hundred kilometers into the Bruce Peninsula that separates Georgian Bay from its parent, Lake Huron. "The site had dramatic topography and resources, but most of all, many natural places for golf holes. Georgian Bay Club is on a awesome parcel of land and the golf course only enhances its beauty," says Hurdzan/Fry lead architect on the project, Jason Straka.

The awards will be officially announced in the January 2006 issue of Golf Digest.