Category: Courses

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Arizona flips the switch on night golf with #miniDunes

Lights, camera, action.

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MARICOPA, Ariz. — Lights, camera, action.

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, located about 45 minutes south of Phoenix, is the latest facility in Arizona to offer night golf. with its newly lit #miniDunes course.

With a celebrity lineup of former NBA standout Eddie Johnson, former NFL linebacker Seth Joyner, former NFL kicker Jay Feely, former Major League Baseball pitcher Archie Bradley and trick shot artist Tanya Tare, Southern Dunes flipped the switch on its six-hole loop, which also serves as the driving range during the daylight hours.

The short course, featuring holes measuring from 60 to 115 yards, opened in 2014 but there’s now 13 poles with Musco stadium lights illuminating the night. Tee times can be booked as late as 10 p.m. with unlimited play options available.

The 18-hole course at Ak-Chin, designed by Brian Curley and Fred Couples and opened in 2002 and is became a part of the Ak-Chin Indian Community in 2010. It is ranked No. 14 on on Golfweek’s Best top casino golf courses in the U.S. and sixth best public-access layout in Arizona.

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Crown Colony CC in Texas undergoes renovation by Trey Kemp, John Colligan

Trey Kemp and John Colligan have started work at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin to restore greens plus much more.

Golf course architects Trey Kemp and John Colligan have started a project to restore the playing conditions at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin in eastern Texas.

Originally designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, Crown Colony opened in 1979. The semi-private club offers stay-and-play packages.

“The course has been kept in great shape over the years, but the greens have gotten smaller, the bunkers have lost their original shapes and the time has come for many of the components to be updated,” Kemp said in a media release announcing the news.

Work will include expanding the greens, which have shrunk, as most greens do over time. Kemp and Colligan have enlisted Sanders Golf Course Construction to help rebuild the greens and the bunkers. Other work will focus on the course’s bridges, tree trimming, tees and drainage.

“The renovation will address aesthetics, playability and maintenance elements of the course in an effort to take it back to its original grandeur,” Colligan said in the media release. “Trey and I are very honored to have this opportunity to restore such a great piece of Texas golf history.”

Kemp and Colligan’s renovation began April 1 and is scheduled to be completed in October.

Kemp and Colligan have teamed up on past projects such as Brackenridge Park Golf Course in San Antonio, Stevens Park Golf Course in Dallas and Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington, Texas.

This Beau Welling-designed course in Texas will have stunning lakefront views

“You look here at this setting like this … it’s going to be super dramatic.”

LAKEWAY, Texas — Beau Welling stood on a spot perched high above Lake Travis on Tuesday and talked very little about what will likely be a breathtaking golf hole.

The architect of the Travis Club, which officially broke ground this week near Austin, Welling insisted what drew him to this project was the idea that a golf course can do more than just determine a handicap. In fact, he said in his first meetings about the property, the conversation had more to do with experience than it did layout.

“We didn’t talk about golf holes. We talked about what this project could mean to the community, even the greater community of Austin and the Hill Country and I immediately was attracted to that,” Welling said during his introductory speech on Tuesday, noting that at 54 his best playing days are behind him, but he still finds happiness on the golf course.

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“The light bulb that went off was that golf was something that attracts people together to have these human moments, create memories and be together. And I think we all learn kind of going through the pandemic that we as a species like we need to be around other people. Well, golf is an incredible fosterer of that. And that’s kind of what we talked about in some of our initial conversations.

“I think about my life and half the memories of my father on the golf course, half my friends come from the golf course. And I think what’s driven our practice really is trying to take our craft, the golf course design and create golf experiences that allow people to have these human moments.”

Although he hails from South Carolina, Welling is familiar with the Lone Star State, having crafted one of the two golf courses at Fields Ranch, the PGA of America’s new masterpiece in Frisco, as well as Bluejack National outside Houston and Escondido near Marble Falls.

And while he talked primarily about relationships, he did add that the piece of property where the signature fifth hole sits — the site of Tuesday’s groundbreaking — should be special. The hole will likely max out at about 221 yards from the back tee, offering a spectacular view of the lake and its surroundings.

“You look here at this setting like this, when the lake fills back up it’s going to be super dramatic. It’s super dramatic right now with this big ravine, this big canyon,” Welling said. “Alister MacKenzie, the designer of Augusta National, Cypress Point and Royal Melbourne, he said that the chief consideration of any good golf hole is this idea of drama or overcoming a hazard and that all good golf holes have that. And so we will have tons and tons of drama throughout the experience that will be the Travis Club.”

Architect Beau Welling speaks on what will be the fifth tee at the Travis Club in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Errich Petersen for Travis Club)

The first phase of the project, which includes 106 home sites, is about half-sold and the remaining sites, which range from a half-acre to just under three acres, start at about $800,000.

“We are thrilled to introduce this new lake and golf community on Lake Travis. What sets this project apart is the unique natural beauty and recreational opportunities that Lake Travis offers. We have designed Travis Club intentionally by taking great care to preserve and complement the local environment and surroundings, with over 50% of the property dedicated to golf, open space, or conservation areas,” said Leisha Ehlert, CEO of Travis Club. “We have integrated the stunning lakeside views and lush landscapes with the development of exceptional facilities, providing members and their families the ability to enjoy the serenity of lakeside living while having access to a world-class golf and recreation experience.”

After BigShots backed out, this Florida community is rallying to reopen a 9-hole municipal golf course

The county will kick in $6 million, the same amount it promised to give BigShots.

NAPLES, Florida — Commissioners in Collier County have approved a long-term lease and operating agreement critical to the reopening of the Golden Gate golf course.

On Tuesday, the board voted unanimously in favor of the contract, authorizing the commission chairman to sign it.

The action has been a long time in coming.

Nearly six months after BigShots backed out of its plans to build a golf entertainment center on the county-owned land last year, a newly formed charity made an offer to step into its shoes in mid-December, then won a competitive bid to move forward.

The new nonprofit was formed by the Schmieding family, behind the global medical device manufacturer Arthrex, based in North Naples. Known as The Gate Golf Club Inc., it will design, build and operate the community project through a public-private partnership.

The county will kick in $6 million to help fund the redevelopment, the same amount it promised to give BigShots before the company bowed out, then got absorbed by its competitor TopGolf.

The new golf complex will include a nine-hole community course with a driving range, a practice area and a full-service restaurant, with at least 150 seats. It will also have a pro shop, cart barn and maintenance building.

For a nominal amount, The Gate will sublease a portion of the land to First Tee for the development of a clubhouse with classrooms, offices, conference rooms and storage to support that organization’s youth development program.

Arthrex has long been a big supporter of First Tee in Collier County.

In partnership with First Tee Naples/Collier, Arthrex plans to create a golf learning center for kids to introduce them to the sport, while using the sport to develop their character and core values. The First Tee Academy would offer advanced, interactive technology and learning classes, as well as providing a practice area for young players at the site.

Golf complex will have many benefits

Ed Finn, an assistant county manager, told commissioners the project would be built to the highest standards, and give the public access to a public golf course that meets the community’s highest expectations. He listed the many benefits of the project, from boosting the local economy to enhancing green space and increasing golf access by making it more affordable for the community.

Discounts would be offered to county residents on rounds of golf, in the amount of 40% on seasonal rates and 20% on offseason rates. The annual value of the discounts is estimated at $600,000.

Participants in First Tee would also get a break on rates.

The Gate will pay a base rent of $130,000 a year to the county, which will be phased in over the first three years of operations, then subject to an annual adjustment, based on the Consumer Price Index.

A private company will be hired to manage and maintain the operations.

Before construction can begin, the county commission must approve more detailed plans for the project, which are expected to come back to the board within six months.

Once plans are approved and all site-related permitting is obtained, construction will have to be completed with 24 months, or two years, under the terms of the lease, unless there is justification for delays.

“There could be some twists and turns in this,” Finn said.

If all goes as planned, the golf course could open in the fall of 2025.

The cost of the development has been estimated at about $21 million.

The agreement includes an out clause should environmental issues arise that make it too difficult or costly to build.

The Golden Gate golf course has been closed for more than four years.

Collier County purchased the property, located at the corner of Collier Boulevard and Golden Gate Parkway, in July 2019, from its owners for $29.1 million, with the goal of preventing overdevelopment in the wrong hands, and with the intent of maintaining a public golf course.

Project will bring golf course ‘back to life’

A handful of neighbors spoke in favor of the lease and operating agreement with The Gate, saying they’re eager to see dirt move, after so many unforeseen challenges and delays.

“Arthrex is bringing this golf course back to life,” said CeCe Zenti, who lives nearby, in the Par One subdivision.

The proposal, she said, will allow people of all backgrounds to play golf, including young families, and their children.

“This is a project whose time has come,” Zenti added.

During the board’s discussions, Commissioner Rick LoCastro said it was an “opportunity we don’t want to waste,” with the “50-pound brain” of Arthrex’s founder Reinhold Schmieding behind it. Arthrex, a formidable force in its industry, has overseen and completed many big construction projects, as it’s continued to expand its footprint in Southwest Florida and beyond.

While it’s hard to determine if the proposed golf complex is perfect in every way, without the benefit of more detailed plans at this time, LoCastro said a “9.5 right now” is better than a “10 that never comes.”

“Will it be a 10? I don’t know,” he said.

Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro, shown here at a meeting on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, said the golf course project is an “opportunity we don’t want to waste.”

A ‘long time in coming’

Commissioner Burt Saunders, who represents Golden Gate, has championed the project and other uses at the shuttered golf course property, including workforce housing and a veterans nursing home.

“For me, this has been a long time in coming,” he said. “So, I’m delighted.”

He motioned to approve the agreement and thanked the commission for “staying the course.”

Commissioner Bill McDaniel seconded, expressing his support, after getting a few questions answered about the project, and the lease terms.

Although a bit painful, Commissioner Dan Kowal said he’s glad the deal with BigShots fell through because the county ended up with a much better offer that will be more beneficial to the “entire county.”

He said the involvement of First Tee will make the project “fantastic.”

The local chapter has the potential to become a “model for the country,” as part of the redevelopment, Kowal said.

The proposal by BigShots also included a home for First Tee, so when the deal fell apart it came as a big disappointment to its leaders, supporters and participants.

LoCastro gave credit to the hard work of Cindy Darland, executive director at The First Tee of Naples/Collier, who continued to push for its inclusion, as part of a larger community project, with passion and clarity. He pointed her out in the second row of commission chambers.

“You might be sitting in the second row,” he said, “but I think on this project you are front and center.”

Once-troubled Florida resort has a new strategy: Go more expensive, more exclusive

With financial troubles dogging the property, the once-pristine golf course was neglected.

The once-troubled Banyan Cay Resort & Golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, is being recast into an exclusive golf club for wealthy Palm Beach and West Palm Beach residents who want to hit the greens near their pricey coastal homes —and are willing to pay big money to do it.

Banyan Cay golf is now known as Dutchman’s Pipe Golf Club. The name is derived from a flowering vine that is favored by swallowtail butterflies.

“If you live in Palm Beach island or West Palm Beach, minutes from your home you have a brand-new golf experience,” said Alex Witkoff, co-chief executive of the Witkoff Group of New York, one of the property’s new owners.

The golf course is just east of Interstate 95, off Congress Avenue and north of Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, near the Tanger Outlets shopping mall.

Witkoff touts Dutchman’s Pipe as the only new golf course east of I-95 in West Palm Beach in 25 years, a location just minutes from well-heeled residents in Palm Beach or West Palm Beach.

Convenience and luxury have their price. Initiation fees for Dutchman’s Pipe will range from $300,000 to $350,000, Witkoff said.

To attract these upscale club members, Dutchman’s Pipe’s existing Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, built only seven years ago, is being redone to make it more attractive and better to play.

There are also plans to transform Dutchman’s Pipe into a “holistic retreat” in the heart of the city, with a globally-recognized chef helming three restaurants. Fitness and wellness amenities will be built at the club and resort, which also will be completed by the site’s new owners.

As for former members of the Banyan Cay club, they are out of luck. Their memberships and fees were wiped away in the bankruptcy filing.

Former club member Rick Cerone said some members have joined Eastpointe Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens or play at The Park, West Palm Beach’s new public course.

Palm Beach West, the new playground for the rich

Witkoff’s plans for the former Banyan Cay reflect the continued transformation of West Palm Beach into an extension of Palm Beach, a trend that first earned the city the nickname “Palm Beach West” during the COVID pandemic.

Since the Banyan Cay resort hotel and club first was announced in 2015, the demand for upscale hotels has dramatically increased, especially with the wealth migration to Palm Beach County during the pandemic.

But plans by Witkoff and its partners elevate the hotel and adjoining golf course to a different, rarified level of luxury, akin to the exclusive Breakers Palm Beach resort and club, where club initiation fees reportedly also cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Dutchman’s Pipe’s owners are experienced operators of luxury hotels, residences and clubs.

Dutchman’s Pipe is owned by Witkoff Group, Access Industries of New York and London; and PPG Development of Hallandale Beach.

Witkoff and PPG are behind South Florida’s newest luxury golf club, the Shell Bay Club in Hallandale Beach, formerly the Diplomat Golf Resort & Spa. Access Industries is a global investment firm led by Len Blavatnik, who has previously invested in major projects in Miami Beach.

Witkoff said West Palm Beach is entering a new level of affluence.

During the past three years, parts of the downtown have become crowded with upscale restaurants, many of them from New York; luxurious new condominiums built or planned; and steel-and-glass office towers stuffed with perks typically seen in boutique hotels.

These developments, in turn, have attracted hospitality operators to West Palm Beach who have opened or plan to open private membership social clubs typically built in major cities such as New York, London and Miami. One new club already is open in West Palm Beach, and two more clubs are planned for downtown.

In addition, old West Palm Beach neighborhoods wedged between Flagler Drive and Dixie Highway are sought after by homebuyers who want an in-town location. The demand has supercharged home sales to seven and even eight-figure sales.

Witkoff also pointed to the surge of super-wealthy residents who have snapped up homes in Palm Beach.

The trend continues. During the first quarter of 2024, the median sales price of a single-family home in Palm Beach was $12.5 million, up 54 percentage points from the same period last year, according to Corcoran, a real estate brokerage.

The Jack Nicklaus-designed Banyan Cay Golf Course, part of a larger development in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Courtesy of Banyan Cay Resort & Club)

Plans for Dutchman’s Pipe and the unfinished resort

Witkoff said the new ownership group will complete the 150-room resort hotel, which will open in the fall.

The hotel remains only partly built, even though by now it was supposed to be a lushly landscaped Destination by Hyatt property, featuring a fitness center, pool, cabanas, tennis center, tiki hut and spa, plus meeting space.

The unfinished hotel has been a years-long eyesore for residents in the nearby Lands of the President community, many of whom own condominium units that overlook the hotel or the golf course.

The 250-acre Banyan Cay property used to be the site of the President Country Club, which fell into financial trouble and was sold to an investor group for $11 million in 2011. That investor group then flipped the property to Banyan CayDev LLC, led by Domenic Gatto Jr., for $26 million in 2015.

Gatto opened the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course in 2017, but work on the resort hotel stopped, started and then stopped again.

In 2022, lender Calmwater Capital sued to foreclose on the property and sought repayment of $85 million in loans. The parent company behind the construction of Banyan Cay Resort & Club then filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, where it tried to sell the property to another owner. The deal fell apart at the last minute, however, and the lender took control.

Witkoff and partners acquired the property in January for an undisclosed amount, scoring a $75 million loan from Calmwater Capital.

The former Banyan Cay Resort under construction June 7, 2022 in West Palm Beach. (Meghan McCarthy/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network)

A better, more lushly landscaped golf course

With financial troubles dogging the property in the past couple of years, the once-pristine golf course was neglected.

Witkoff closed the course on Jan. 15 and started a redo. Now the greens are being refurbished in anticipation of a reopening in the fall.

In addition to fresh grass for the golf course, the new owners also are adding a new practice facility, new berms and a new bunker. Astroturf also is being added to buffer edges to maintain a strong course shape. And some holes are being reshaped to increase “quality of play,” Witkoff said.

Even the driving range is being redone so that golfers will be able to hit a ball more than 300 yards.

Golf memberships are being offered by invitation only at first. Social memberships will be made available in the future, Witkoff said.

There will be plenty of perks for club members.

Not only will the resort feature tennis courts but it also will have courts for pickleball and padel, a mix between tennis and squash.

Three dining venues — including a members-only grill and poolside al fresco dining led by Chef Julian Jouhannaud, formerly of Anabel’s London and Le Bilboquet — will offer “world-class” fare. Meanwhile, health and wellness amenities will include personal training, a day spa, and event space.

Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo in Dominican Republic to be restored by Jerry Pate Design

Jerry Pate Design will upgrade the playing surfaces and bunkers at a massive Dominican Republic resort.

Casa de Campo, the sprawling destination in the Dominican Republic with three resort golf courses, has announced plans to restore its Pete Dye-designed Teeth of the Dog layout starting in January of 2025.

Teeth of the Dog – named for the small, sharp rocks along the shore – is widely considered one of the best courses in the Caribbean. Opened in 1971, the layout features seven dramatic holes that play tight enough to the ocean to get a player’s socks wet. The course not only was built by the legendary Dye, he lived there with his wife, Alice, for years, and some of his ashes were spread on No. 8 of Teeth of the Dog after he died in 2020.

The restoration will be done by Jerry Pate Design, the company owned by the winner of the 1976 U.S. Open and the 1982 Players Championship. After that latter victory, Pate threw Dye into the water on the new Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass that Dye had recently designed.

The Pete Dye-designed Teeth of the Dog course at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic (Courtesy of Casa de Campo/Matthew Majka)

Much of the work to be done at Teeth of the Dog is cosmetic. All tees, fairways and greens will be re-grassed with Dynasty Paspalum, which is ideal for seaside courses, especially one like Teeth of the Dog where ocean spray easily can blow onto the golf holes. The fairways will be sand-capped three inches deep, which promotes firm and bouncy turf ideal for golf.

Pate’s team also will expand the current greens back to their original sizes, with some slight recontouring. All greenside bunkers will be reshaped and expanded to flat bottoms with enhanced faces for a sharper, more dramatic look. Other work includes renovating the cart paths.

Work is expected to be completed by November 2025.

“I have long admired Pete Dye, as he was a creative genius who transformed the modern game of golf with his immense talent and imagination, and no course typifies that more than Teeth of the Dog,” Pate said in a media release announcing the restoration. “The layout is truly one of the best in the world, and our job is to preserve Pete’s lifeworks and put a bit more bite back into Teeth of the Dog.”

Casa de Campo
Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog in the Dominican Republic (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)

The resort’s other two Dye-designed courses will remain open to guests. The 27-hole Dye Fore course features many holes along incredible jungle cliffs above a river with long views down toward the ocean, while the 18-hole Links course plays through the center of the 7,000-acre property with wider fairways and tricky greens.

The resort as a whole is massive with a world-class marina, a smorgasbord of dining options, a wide assortment of activities ranging from shooting sports to the beach and one of the best beach bars in the world. The property includes an assortment of accommodations ranging from hotel rooms to luxury villas frequently rented by top celebrities.

The updates to Teeth of the Dog will be the first large-scale work to the course since it opened.

“We will miss Teeth of the Dog for most of 2025, but we are excited and honored to take Pete’s masterpiece to a new level and completely restore the integrity of his legendary course to new heights,“ Gilles Gagon, longtime friend of Dye and the golf director emeritus and senior director of golf sales at the resort, said in the media release. “With all the many years Pete and I worked together, I know he would be beyond pleased with the upcoming work to be done on the course that ignited his stellar career and legacy as one of the world’s premier golf architects.”

Construction begins on 18-hole layout at Jack’s Bay Club in Bahamas

An 18-hole course will be built alongside an already existing short course by Tiger Woods.

Nicklaus Design has started construction on an 18-hole course at Jack’s Bay Club in Eleuthera, The Bahamas.

Jack’s Bay Club is a 1,200-acre resort club and community that already features a 10-hole short course named Playground that was designed by Tiger Woods’ TGR Design firm. The Nicklaus Design course will be the 18-hole, full-size counterpart to Woods’ short course.

The new layout is scheduled to open in 2025 and will be branded as the first Jack Nicklaus Heritage course. Jack’s Bay Club also will be the only Nicklaus-branded community in the Bahamas.

Jack Nicklaus himself is not involved in the project. Instead, Chad Goetz, a senior design associate at Nicklaus Design, will oversee the creation of the layout. Doug Maslo, director of development and construction for Jack’s Bay, will oversee the construction.

The course will feature several oceanside holes while interior holes will cover land said to include rolling terrain, lakes and blue holes that connect with the ocean.

“This may be the most spectacular piece of land that I have been blessed to work with in my career – this is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Goetz, who has designed courses around the world for Nicklaus Design over the past 25 years, said in a media release announcing that construction has started. “We want to create a course at Jack’s Bay that harmonizes with the environment and features strategic shot-making opportunities. Most of all, we want to create a course that is fun for all types of players and immerses them in the natural splendor of this remarkable piece of land.”

Jack's Bay Bahamas
The routing and site plan by Nicklaus Design for an 18-hole course at Jack’s Bay Club in the Bahamas (Courtesy of Jack’s Bay Club)

Nicklaus Design is part of Nicklaus Companies, which Jack Nicklaus founded but is now controlled by American businessman Howard Milstein, who owns 8AM Golf. That family of companies includes Golf Magazine, Golf.com, Miura Golf and other golf brands.

Jack’s Bay Club is being developed by Eleuthera Properties Ltd. The club includes four miles of oceanfront property and a wide assortment of high-end amenities.

Photos: La Costa to open Gil Hanse-renovated North Course in June after NCAA Championships

Check out the photos of the renovated host site for the 2024 men’s and women’s NCAA Championships.

Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, has announced June 1 as the full reopening date of its Championship Course, which has been rebranded the North Course after an extensive renovation by the architectural team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner.

The opening to resort guests and members follows the NCAA Division I Women’s (May 17-22) and Men’s (May 24-29) Championships on the North Course. The layout is also slated to host those college championships in 2025 and 2026.

Hanse and Wagner implemented significant changes to the North layout. Among the renovations: A new drivable par-4 11th was built, the green of the par-3 16th was repositioned in a fashion reminiscent of Augusta National Golf Club’s No. 12, and the par-5 18th was stretched to more than 600 yards with water on both sides of the fairway.

La Costa in California
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California (Courtesy of Omni La Costa Resort and Spa)

The revised layout will feature six sets of tees that play from 4,500 to 7,500 yards. Other changes include transitioning irrigation lines that will continue to use reclaimed water, the removal of several man-made ponds and the reintroduction of natural barrancas that feature drought-tolerant and native species of plants.

“The North Course is now positioned to return to its stature as one of the top venues for championship golf in Southern California,” Hanse said in a media release announcing the opening date and completion of work. “We were able to combine a respect for the natural contours, landforms and vegetation with an emphasis on strategic design. This combination of beauty and interest should prove enjoyable for everyday play by members and resort guests, while asking compelling questions to be answered by the best players in the world during championship events.”

Originally designed by Dick Wilson and opened in 1965, the North layout had been renovated previously several times. It was part of a resort with a tournament pedigree that includes hosting the PGA Tour’s Mercedes Championship from 1969 to 1998, the inaugural WGC-Accenture Match Play in 1999 and the LPGA’s Kia Classic in 2010 and 2012.

The resort also announced its Legends Course has been rebranded to South Course. Both the North and South were the courses’ original names before being changed to Champions and Legends.

La Costa in California
A renovated guest room at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California (Courtesy of Omni La Costa Resort and Spa)

The resort also will feature a reimagined practice facility designed by Beau Welling that will include Toptracer technology. It’s all part of an extensive multi-year renovation to the entire resort that stretches from guest rooms and villas to the spa, lobby bar and meeting spaces.

“Working with the ‘best of the best’ course architects like Gil Hanse and his design team is a prime example of our continued commitment and investment to be in the highest echelons of U.S. golf destinations,” the resort’s managing director, Craig Martin, said in the media release. “This transformation signals a full return to championship glory at Omni La Costa and joins the now-completed renovation of the property as a whole resulting in an elevated experience for our members and resort guests to enjoy for decades to come.”

Check out the photos of the course and resort, many of them shot by Patrick Koenig, who recently broke the record for most courses played in a year.

2031 PGA Championship headed to Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, site of Phil Mickelson’s win in 2021, will host a third men’s major.

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, will be the host of another major.

The venue, site of then-50-year-old Phil Mickelson’s PGA Championship triumph in 2021 to become the oldest player to win a men’s major, will again host the PGA Championship in 2031.

The PGA of America also announced Wednesday that the 2029 Girls and Boys Junior PGA Championships will be at the Ocean Course.

The 113th PGA Championship is scheduled for May 2031. It will be the third time the Wanamaker Trophy is up for grabs along South Carolina’s coast. The Ocean Course previously hosted the 2012 (won by Rory McIlroy) and 2021 PGA Championships. It’s the ninth course to host three or more PGA Championships.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Future sites through 2034

Other significant events at the Ocean Course include the 1991 Ryder Cup won by the American side, the 2005 PGA Professional Championship (Mike Small) and the 2007 Senior PGA Championship (Denis Watson).

Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course in South Carolina (Courtesy Kiawah Island Golf Resort)

The Ocean Course rankings

“We are ecstatic to bring the Junior PGA Championships and PGA Championship to the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in 2029 and 2031,” said PGA of America President John Lindert, who is PGA director of golf at the Country Club of Lansing in Michigan. “Past PGA Championships at Kiawah Island have provided no shortage of memorable moments and historic performances, all taking place along a breathtaking coastal setting. The Ocean Course’s challenging layout and rich history make it an ideal destination for our championships.”

The Ocean Course was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1991, shortly before the Ryder Cup. At the suggestion of his wife, Alice, he engineered fairways and greens closer to the tops of the dunes alongside the Atlantic Ocean instead of on lower grades, as is common on many traditional links layouts. This increases exposure to frequent winds while providing incredible views from just about any vantage.

If this major city swaps a municipal course for an MLB park, the region’s golf program could implode

Pulling one from a five-course chain owned by the city could bring the region’s entire golf program crumbling.

As one of the leading candidates for Major League Baseball expansion, the city of Portland, Oregon, has been plotting and planning, trying to come up with a new stadium site that works for all parties involved.

MLB is expected to bring two more long-overdue franchises into the big leagues while also necessitating the creation of eight new minor-league teams around the country.

Lobbying has already begun in earnest for cities like Nashville, Charlotte, Salt Lake City and Montreal, meaning the stadium site might be an important factor in swaying the league to add another Pacific Northwest franchise (to accompany the Seattle Mariners).

But a group leading the charge to get baseball in Portland has set its eyes on a specific golf property for a future stadium, and the ramifications could be costly.

The Portland Diamond Project is hoping to purchase the RedTail Golf Center in Beaverton, Oregon, with eyes on developing not only an MLB stadium, but also developing an entertainment district in the area.

According to a story at Oregon Public Broadcasting, however, pulling RedTail from a five-course chain owned by the city of Portland could bring the region’s entire golf program crumbling down.

RedTail was built in 1966 on a former farm and then was redesigned into a 7,100-yard championship course in 1999. It includes a covered, lighted driving range and the course is one of the most popular in the region, offering a quality experience for a reasonable price.

More: Golfweek’s Best top public and private courses in Oregon

It’s also the most profitable of the city’s courses.

According to a story at OPB.org:

Established in 1918, Portland’s golf program is self-funding, relying on fees collected from rounds of golf, concessions and stores at each course to fund the program’s expenses, all without taxpayer assistance.

RedTail, the committee argued, plays an important role in that ecosystem.

“Without RedTail subsidizing the rest of the system, the golf program would need significantly higher greens fees, maintenance cuts, and a new taxpayer funding source to survive,” the committee members wrote.

Golf Advisory Committee chair Tom Williams said RedTail has a popular driving range and classes that aren’t available at every course, making it very profitable for the entire system.

The city estimates that the golf program will earn about $512,000 in profit this fiscal year and $15 million in total revenue, according to budgets obtained by OPB. By comparison, RedTail is projected to earn $670,000 in profit alone.

Oregon, it should be noted, has long been a golf trendsetter, well before the success of Bandon Dunes on the state’s western coast.

For example, Oregon was the first state to implement an Environmental Stewardship Guideline (best management practices) for golf courses all the way back in 1999. It’s now a national program administered by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG) and is supported in part by the USGA in partnership with the PGA Tour.

But in 2019, the city’s courses need a significant bailout to survive, although the pandemic has helped to right the ship financially. However, pulling RedTail’s lucrative balance sheet from the system could lend itself to a downward spiral, one in which the city can no longer afford to keep the other four courses.

And green fees are considerably less expensive at the muni chain, with RedTail’s daily rate always under $50 and typically closer to $25.

“Many golfers in this region begin their golfing journey on city of Portland golf courses, because they are the most welcoming to new golfers and they are the most affordable,” Williams told OPB.