 |
Presented in partnership with E-Z-GO & the American Society of Golf Course Architects
|
|
The Grande 17th
A noteworthy creek restoration puts a new shine
on a Myrtle Beach gem.
|
Golf in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is generally done the right way. The Members Course at the 2,200-acre Grande Dunes resort is a case in point in general, and specifically its 17th hole.
The 17th at the Members, GCM’s latest Unique Golf Hole selection, is the result of a collaboration among many personalities and entities, from a tempting design by an accomplished golf course architect and prominent professional golfer, to complementing roles by a demanding owner, a couple of veteran superintendents, local environmental expertise and a discerning but grateful government agency.
Not surprisingly, the collaborative effort played out beyond the course’s opening early in the summer of 2005, but it was well worth the wait.
“To me, it was a hole that had so much negative all around it, but you’d never know it now. It’s turned out to be one of the more popular holes on the golf course,” says Craig Schreiner, a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects who designed the layout along with PGA Tour star Nick Price.
Grand challenge
The Members Course is the newest gem in the burgeoning portfolio of one of the Grand Strand’s more established developers, the Burroughs & Chapin Co. The 17th hole is one of those risk/reward short par 4s so much in vogue nowadays on the golfing landscape. But it’s had more issues than most.
For openers, the hole, a slight dogleg left, crosses a creek that’s on the tail end of a large wetlands area that empties into the region’s most definitive feature, the Intercoastal Waterway. Also, mounding, trees and native areas were built and/or enhanced along the hole and behind the green to shield it from a highway and related commercial development as well as the effects of periodic dredging operations on the Intercoastal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
But the real issue was the creek itself. A stretch of more than 300 feet was in a serious state of degradation caused by erosion of the banks on both sides, necessitating a full-scale stabilization project. The work lagged well behind the rest of the course construction because of delays in obtaining a creek restoration permit from the Corps.
“Initially we shored up the banks with sod. Later, about a year after the course opened, we went in and planted wetlands aquatic vegetation species indigenous to the area,” Schreiner says, adding that the project also included the creation of a flood plain and various oxbows along the creek with the help of a local restoration expert.
Risky rewards
As for the playing area of the hole itself, Schreiner staggered four tee boxes at just the right angle to be properly positioned with the fronting creek and allow the 17th to be played at yardages of 388, 361, 316 and 241. The idea was to give golfers the option of biting off as much of the creek as they dare on the tee shot for a good angle into the green on the next shot.
“We took that feature and incorporated it into the design of the hole,” says the 20-year veteran of golf course architecture, who last spring moved his headquarters from the Kansas City area to Myrtle Beach. “It turned out extremely well and, more importantly, ultimately we wound up stabilizing creek banks that were deteriorating.”
The design of No. 17 also included a series of bunkers along the right side of the fairway and more bunkering at the green complex. During the late work on the hole early last spring, a large bunker just to the left-front of the green was added as further consequence for long hitters.
 |
Looking back down the hole from behind the green, the renovated 17th hole on the Members Course at Grande Dunes Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
Super focus
Schreiner, who has a reputation as a maintenance-friendly designer, adds that another issue with the hole entailed opening the green complex to improve sun and air movement for the smallish, 6,000-square-foot putting surface.
“We had to really pay attention to the prevailing winds on the hole to get the maximum amount of air flow,” he says.
The work at No. 17 over the past three years has also been facilitated by two savvy superintendents — Randy Allen, CGCS, the director of golf course operations for Burroughs & Chapin and the Carolinas GCSA’s 2006 Distinguished Service Award winner, and Scott Grumman, who oversaw the construction and grow-in of both Grande Dunes venues, the Resort Course in 1999 and the Members in 2004.
Grumman has stayed on as the Class A superintendent at the Members Course and says the maintenance at the 17th varies little from that of the overall layout, including the management of a variety of turf — L-93 bentgrass greens, TifSport bermudagrass tees and fairways, 419 bermuda roughs and zoysiagrass bunker surrounds.
Grumman notes that the area’s seasonal heat and humidity are intensified at the 17th green because the shielding mounds and trees do indeed inhibit air flow.
“The summers are tough; you’ve got to watch the grass like a hawk,” says the 18-year GCSAA member, who is a Connecticut native but has dealt with turf management in the Carolinas throughout his career. “We might have to cut some more trees at No. 17, and I imagine this spring we’ll put a fan back there to get a little more air moving.”
Nature’s stewards
Grumman says keeping an eye on how the creek restoration holds up is a given. The new native wetlands plantings included reeds, cord grass, butterfly bushes and wax myrtles and have progressed nicely over the last 12 months.
“We’ve been letting nature take its course and have had a lot of growth, but we’re going to have to do some selected pruning this year and keep the plants under control,” he says, adding that another feature likely to be added soon is a permanent walkway across the creek for caddies.
Both superintendent and architect agree that the integration of environmental enhancements into the creation of No. 17 has been a hugely successful endeavor after a somewhat apprehensive beginning.
“There were a lot of things going on to make the hole fit the way we wanted,” Schreiner says. “There were a lot of obstacles to overcome around the perimeter. In the end, though, the Corps got what it wanted, a stabilized and beautiful natural amenity, and we got a feature to play a golf hole off of.”
Editor’s Note
Does your golf course have a hole that is unique above all the others in playability, especially from the standpoint of maintenance? If so, GCM would like to feature it in a future issue. Contact senior staff writer Terry Ostmeyer at 970-577-0346 or by e-mail at tostmeyer@gcsaa.org.
RECENT issues
 |
 |
January |
December 2006 |