Sawgrass CC refurbished its entire 27-hole infrastructure. Carolina Trace CC restored its Lake Course, and PGA West GC regrassed its Wanamaker Course.
Several clubs reported the completion of major golf course renovations as October drew to a close:
- Sawgrass Country Club, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., held a ribbon-cutting on October 28 to celebrate the completion of a multi-million dollar renovation and official reopening of its 27-hole championship golf course. The course was renovated as part of the club’s Master Golf Course Plan to refurbish its golf course infrastructure. All fairways, tees and bunkers were included in the project. Substantial improvement work was also completed on bridges, drainage, cart paths, bulkheads and the irrigation system. A greens renovation is planned for the future.
“This commitment to our Master Golf Course Plan demonstrates our commitment to providing an exceptional golf course that is considered among the best in the nation,” said Barry McDonald, Sawgrass’ General Manager. “We want Sawgrass Country Club to continue to be the first choice for those seeking a high-value private club experience.”
Sawgrass partnered with golf course architect Robert Walker to complete the design and manage the East and West course project. MacCurrach Golf Construction completed the construction work on the entire 27-hole project.
- In Sanford, N.C., Carolina Trace Country Club celebrated the opening of the award-winning Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed Lake Course after a complete renovation.
“We are excited to complete this project and restore the Lake Course to its original glory,” said David McDonald, President of Fort Worth, Texas-based Escalante Golf, which acquired the club last year. “Robert Trent Jones, Sr. is one of the most respected golf course architects of all time, and the resulting layout will challenge accomplished and novice players alike.”
Highlights of the renovation included: leveled, squared tee complexes with additional sets of tees for every skill level; a series of brand new bunkers to enhance shot values and hole definition; relocation/rehabilitation of existing bunkers with new drainage liners and premium sand materials; and the elimination of numerous bunkers to improve playability.
David Whelchel served as golf course architect and, along with course superintendent Tim Hart, managed the project.
Trees that encroached onto the course over the past 40 years were removed and trimmed, to open up site lines and return the layout to its original playability. All fairways were re-contoured to provide a more consistent and smoother playing surface.
The club also plans to remove existing asphalt cart paths and replace them with eight-foot wide concrete cart paths.
Located in the northern edge of North Carolina’s famed Sandhills region, Carolina Trace feature two championship courses (both designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr.), tennis courts, pool, a fitness center, fine dining and picturesque views of Lake Trace.
“Our vision for Carolina Trace entails elevating and enhancing every aspect of the club and member experience,” McDonald said. “It begins with the Lake Course and will continue with other aspects of the club. Our entire team has been enamored with Carolina Trace since we first drove through the gates and saw the lake setting. It is a wonderful community and we are truly excited to be its stewards. David Whelchel, Tim Hart and their team did a fantastic job and the end result is something that our members and guests will truly enjoy.”
- In Port St. Lucie, Fla., the PGA Golf Club debuted new turf on its Wanamaker Course, which underwent a significant re-grassing project during the off-season, heightening the playing experience by introducing new turf to fairways and bunker surrounds, and planting several ornamental species to reframe holes.
Celebration, a hybrid Bermuda grass, was installed on all 14 fairways. The strain is hearty enough to out-compete common Bermuda grass, making it ideal for weed control, and possesses a striking blue-green color. Its texture and density also helps it to recover quickly from divots.
“The original grass was Tifway 419, a hybrid developed back in the 1960s,” said Dick Gray, PGA Golf Club’s Superintendent. “The DNA of common Bermuda is quite old, so with Celebration we’re getting current, 21st century genetics.”
In addition, a number of bunker faces on the Wanamaker Course’s Tom Fazio design were sodded with Empire Zoysia. With its slower growth rate and better density than Bermuda, the zoysia will require less mowing and fewer inputs.
These changes to the fairways and bunker surrounds were complemented by playing corridors reframed with four ornamental grasses: Burgundy fountain grass, white fountain grass, dwarf fakahatchee and muhlenbergia (also known as “muhly”).
“The ornamental grasses multi-task,” Gray said. “They add greater definition to the playing experience by cutting down on long, open spaces and re-directing players’ eyes toward their intended target. They also help us manage areas of the course that were difficult to effectively maintain, due to lack of sunlight or severe slope.”
The re-grassing initiative was one of several exciting changes made for this season at PGA Golf Club. Its 20,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse has been enhanced and expanded by Tom Hoch Design. The state-of-the-art centerpiece includes a completely revamped and modern golf shop; the American-British fusion Taplow Pub, featuring a cozy, welcoming interior with cutting-edge audio / video components; and the NINETEEN-SIXTEEN Bar & Grille, a members-only restaurant adjacent to the 18th Hole of the Wanamaker Course.
Additionally, the PGA GC has relocated notable trophies and artifacts tracing its nearly 100 years to the new “PGA Gallery” area of the clubhouse. A showcase of the major championship trophies of golf includes the PGA Championship’s original Wanamaker Trophy. The Senior PGA Championship’s Alfred S. Bourne Trophy and the Vardon Trophy, with its iconic overlapped hands sculpture, are also prominently displayed.
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