KEITH FOSTER works on the renovation of the Baltimore Country Club-Five Farms.

BY: RORY SPEARS Golfers on Golf Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy.

One of golf’s top architects Keith Foster of Upperburg Virginia was sentenced earlier today in Federal Court in Virginia.

Foster will serve 30 days at a still unknown federal facility, his report date is still TBD, but is expected to begin shortly. Foster will also have 1-year of a supervised released.

Foster was charged with violations of the Lacey Act, which is transporting items made from animals on protected lists, and bringing them into the United States illegally.

Government law enforcement officials openly admitted in court they substantially overstated the offenses in public releases and statements, and that Foster’s store the Outpost donated much of it’s profits to various area charities, the judge told Foster he needed to be made an example of before handing down the sentence. Government officials did make clear that no part of Foster’s golf design business was ever under investigation or suspicion.

Foster is one of the leading golf architects in the world for restoring classic golf course designs. As recent as one year ago, Foster had 11 courses on a Top 100 Classic Course list by a national publication.

His work in the Chicago area includes, new construction at both Shepherd’s Crook in Zion, and for 9 of the 18 holes at the Highland’s of Elgin. His stellar restoration of Knollwood in Lake Forest helped the course return to it’s roots of almost 100 years ago Foster brought in the white-tour edge sand at Knollwood, and the look it brought to the golf course was so outstanding, many other golf courses in the area are now using it.

Foster had been hired by Olympia Fields in 2018 to begin master planning improvements for both the North and South golf courses, but was let go by the club’s board after his guilty plea with the U.S. Government was made public.

The Gog Blog Speaks Out will have more to say on this story in the regular Monday Column next week.