CATEGORY: OUTDOOR SPACE
WINNER:  PRO CARE HORTICULTURAL SERVICES
LANDSCAPE DESIGNER: LOWELL ROLSKY

A project limited only by imagination-every designer’s dream. In this case, the dream turned into reality when homeowners who live on their own golf course decided to transform their nondescript backyard into an oasis for both themselves and members of their private golf club to enjoy.

Only two homes, owned by brothers, sit on the course. This home is visible from the driving range and passing golf carts. The backyard had an existing elevation of 30 feet with a lake at
the bottom. Rolsky turned the drop into multiple waterfalls fed by the lake, with a hot tub at the foot of the cascade. The water seems to tumble into and around the spa, like a pool in a rain forest. The hot tub has a pair of its own petite waterfalls, one that spills into the tub and another that flows into the main cascade.

The fast-moving water won’t freeze, so the feature can run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The foundation is an eight inch-thick layer of gunnite, which is stronger than a lining andshouldn’t be at risk for a puncture.

Pro Care used about 70 tons of sandstone-lighter than granite and limestone-but hauled even more to the job site. Over two-and-a-half months, the crew arranged boulders for a
natural appearance. With 37 years of experience, Rolsky says he doesn’t need so much as a sketch for this process. ‘We’re artisans with the stone;’ he says.