Oakhurst Country Club’s designer, Jack Kidwell, grew up in central Ohio and loved the game of golf.  He began his career as a caddie, and eventually became a well-known golf course designer and architect.  Over a span of 40 years, he designed and renovated over 100 golf courses in the state of Ohio.  His architectural mindset was that courses should be designed with the flow of the land, built for the average golfer, and for an affordable cost for any skill level.  Comparable to Old Tom Morris, Jack was a professional golfer with a Class ‘A’ PGA membership, a Golf Course Superintendent with a Class ‘A’ Superintendent membership, and was the president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 1980.

Oakhurst Country Club was Jack Kidwell’s first designed course and very much reflects his design philosophy, a designation we are very proud of! Michael Hurdzan, who later became Jack’s business partner, began his love for architecture as a teenager when he was working at a course owned by Jack. After Michael had seen Jack’s initial designs for his first golf course, Michael had asked Jack to teach him. This led to Jack inviting Michael to work with him on what would later become Oakhurst Country Club.  Jack continued to mentor him and their relationship evolved into the formation of their design company, Kidwell and Hurdzan, in 1970.  Their design company produced many great course designers.  The company later became Hurdzan Golf in 1985, after Jack’s retirement due to his progressing Parkinson’s disease, and Michael’s subsequent purchase of Jack’s shares.

Jack Kidwell was inducted into the Southern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame in 1977, served as President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 1979, was recognized as Man of the Year by the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation in 1982, and was inducted into the Ohio Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1997.