Pine Lakes Country Club, Myrtle Beach, S.C., built in 1927, is reopening to public play following a two-year renovation project, according to a report by the Myrtle Beach SunNews.
The renovated course features a unique breed of Paspalum grass throughout the layout. Pine Lakes is the first known course in South Carolina to go wall-to-wall with the grass on tees, fairways, greens and rough, according to the SunNews report, and is the northernmost course on the East Coast to use it comprehensively.
“It grew in a lot faster than we anticipated and than we were told it would,” said Alan Jarvis, Pine Lakes’ Superintendent. “The color and density going into the winter were just wonderful. So far we’re impressed with it and like it. I can’t wait for this summer, because I’m expecting great things from it, based on what we saw last summer.”
Paspalum Is especially attractive to coastal courses because of its tolerance to salt and minimal watering. Courses along Myrtle Beach’s “Grand Strand” have tradtitionally used either Bermudagrass or bentgrass on greens —other than winter overseeds—and many have struggled to keep grass healthy because of water quality, particularly in times of drought.
“If I had to build a golf course on any coastal area, I would use Paspalum,” Jeff Stone, Superintendent at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, where the grass has been used on tees and greens since 2002-03, told the SunNews. “I’m sold on it. There’s not a grass out there that will survive in these coastal conditions as well as Paspalum will, and nothing beats it surviving [golfer] traffic.”
May River Golf Club in Bluffton, S.C., is another course in the Myrtle Beach area that now has Paspalum on tees and fairways, the SunNews reported. Other courses that have “dabbled” with the grass include River Hills Golf & Country Club, where it was installed in 2003 and has since flourished on the heavily shaded 13th tee box.
And at the Rivers Edge Golf Club, Superintendent John Shaver told the SunNews that he believes his course will change its greens to Paspalum this summer, after monitoring the grass on its practice putting green since last summer. “I’m interested to see the reviews on the greens at Pine Lakes,” Shaver said.
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