Tag: Course renovation

OCM design team to renovate The Hills as New Zealand heavyweights form new partnership

The founders of Te Arai Links, Tara Iti join forces with business magnate on The Hills.

The developers of highly ranked Te Arai Links and Tara Iti golf clubs in New Zealand announced this week that they will partner with the owners of The Hills course near Arrowtown to redevelop the property.

The design team of Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead – OCM – will rebuild the course. Plans also include the introduction of a golf training facility, fitness center, on-site accommodations, luxurious real estate and a remodel of the clubhouse.

The Hills was opened in 2007 by Sir Michael Hill, one of the most successful businessmen in New Zealand. The course was designed by Darby Partners and included a nine-hole par-3 course designed by Darius Oliver in 2019. The main course is notable for its inclusion of sculptures around the course, which will remain throughout the renovation.

Jim Rohrstaff and Ric Kayne, the developers of Tara Iti and Te Arai, will partner with Hill and his daughter, Emma Hill, on the work at The Hills.

The Hills New Zealand
Ric Kayne, Jim Rohrstaff, Emma Hill and Sir Michael Hill at The Hills (Courtesy of The Hills)

The private Tara Iti in Mangawhai was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2015, and it ties for No. 9 on Golfweek’s Best list of top courses outside the U.S. The South Course at the resort-based Te Arai Links just down the beach from Tara Iti was designed by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 2022, and it ties for No. 23 on the list of best international courses. Doak also designed a course at Te Arai, the North, which should appear on the list of top international courses as soon as it receives enough votes.

As with Tara Iti, The Hills will be redeveloped as a high-end equity club with limited membership. The renovations, including a new routing, will take place over to the winters of 2026 and 2027, and the project should be completed in 2028.

OCM has been busy of late with a rapidly expanding portfolio of international work, having recently completed a redesign of Medinah No. 3 in Illinois. Based near Melbourne, Australia, the firm has done renovation work to such Sandbelt stalwarts as Kingston Heath, Peninsula Kingswood and Victoria. The team also renovated Shady Oaks in Texas, longtime home of Ben Hogan, and it also has a new course named Tepetonka Club under construction in Minnesota in partnership with broadcaster Jim Nantz.

Check out a selection of photos of The Hills as it currently sits, including two architectural sketches that show what the OCM design team have in mind.

Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort completes renovation of Ocean Point course in South Carolina

Major bunker upgrade completed at Ocean Point Golf Links on barrier island in South Carolina.

Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort in South Carolina announced this week the completion of a renovation to one of its two courses, Ocean Point Golf Links, which has reopened for play.

The layout – built on a barrier island near Beaufort – originally was designed by George Cobb and opened in 1964 with five holes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The mother-son architect team of Cynthia Dye McGarey and Matt McGarey of Dye Designs Group completed the renovation that touched every hole. More than 50 bunkers were reshaped, and 11 greenside bunkers were added in addition to multiple new fairway traps and 5.5 acres of sandy waste area. Extensive work on the tees also was included, and more than 13,000 native plants will be planted. Golf Course Services Inc. was the construction partner.

“Ocean Point epitomizes the best of the Lowcountry golf, something my family knows well,” Matt McGarey said in a media release announcing completion of the project. “We enjoyed partnering with the Fripp Island Resort to bring about a more modern playing experience that capitalizes on the unique Lowcountry elements – all with an eye toward the intent of Mr. Cobb’s original design.”

The resort is also home to the Davis Love III-designed Ocean Creek course. The resort was named by USA TODAY in 2023 as one of the top island vacation destinations in the U.S.

Harbour Town in South Carolina to close for major restoration in 2025

David Love III will serve as a consultant to the Harbour Town restoration.

Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, announced it will close for six months in 2025 for a restoration of the Pete Dye-designed layout that opened in 1969.

Part of Sea Pines Resort, Harbour Town is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 2 public-access layout in South Carolina. It also is the No. 21 resort course in the U.S. and the No. 59 modern course built in the U.S. since 1960. Much of the layout plays tight through trees until reaching Calibogue Sound for its final holes, with the 18th playing along the water toward the famed lighthouse beyond.

The course will close May 5, 2025, and is scheduled to reopen in November.

The work is being done to restore championship-level conditions. The course has been home to the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing (and all the tournament’s previous names) since the year it opened.

All the greens, bunkers and bulkheads will be rebuilt alongside improvements to agronomy and maintenance. The turf will remain as TifEagle Bermuda grass on the greens with Celebration Bermuda on the fairways, tees and rough.

“Everyone at The Sea Pines Resort is committed to honoring the legacy of Pete Dye’s design,” John Farrell, director of sports operations at Harbour Town, said in a media release announcing the restoration. “We will protect the shot values, both long and short, that have come to define Harbour Town Golf Links for nearly six decades.”

Davis Love III and his design company will serve as consultants to the restoration. Love won the RBC Heritage five times, and he designed the Atlantic Dunes course at the resort.

“I’m both honored and excited to be working with The Sea Pines Resort’s Harbour Town Golf Links team on the restoration of Harbour Town,” Love, who spent much of his youth on the island, said in the media release. “Given my success on the course over the years, it is a layout I know and love. We’ve already begun a thoughtful process for protecting the integrity of this Pete Dye masterpiece.”

The Club at Eaglebrooke in Florida to renovate all 18 greens next year

The Club at Eaglebrooke will resurface its greens with Tifeagle Bermuda.

The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland, Florida – a Ron Garl design that opened in 1996 – will close for a six-month renovation in 2025 focused on rebuilding all 18 greens.

The semi-private facility has never had a large-scale renovation. Mondragon Golf, a Florida-based course construction company, will do the work that is scheduled to begin in April and wrap up in October.

The greens will be resurfaced with Tifeagle Bermuda grass. Other work will include rebuilding bridges and a large bulkhead. The agronomy team also plans to work on select drainage, irrigation, tee boxes and bunker improvements.

“The upcoming renovation will boost our goal of becoming the best semi-private facility in the Lakeland area,” Ryan Roberts, Eaglebrooke’s general manager, said in a media release announcing the renovation. “When the course reopens next fall, non-member/public play will be more restricted. Therefore, if you are interested in joining the Club at Eaglebrooke, now is the best time – before initiation fees increase.”

Eaglebrooke is managed by Indigo Sports, a Troon Company. The Arizona-based Troon is the largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company with more than 900 locations around the world, including responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole-equivalent courses.

Photos: Jay Morrish-designed Pine Canyon in Flagstaff completes $6 million renovation

Pine Canyon’s 19th hole is dubbed “Double or Nothin.”

Pine Canyon Golf Club in Flagstaff, Arizona, has announced the completion of a $6.4 million renovation with a longer, improved layout and sustainable irrigation technology.

The private course, originally designed by Jay Morrish and opened in 1994, bills itself as a “19-hole championship golf course.” The 18 holes play 7,265 from the tips while the 19th hole, aptly named “Double or Nothin'”, is a 100-yard shot to an island green. It’s perfectly situated from the men’s lockerroom patio as well as the clubhouse dining veranda. It’s popular among the membership for social events, tournaments and closest-to-the-pin competitions.

The renovation’s aim was better visuals and playability while adding about 100 years while also being more sustainable with new technology in the irrigation system with 30 percent enhanced water efficiency and reduced sprinkler count.

To go along with the renovation is the announcement that 12 high-end homes are now up for sale in the high country. Owned and developed by Symmetry Companies, based in Scottsdale, the sales launch is for the final new homes at Pine Canyon called Ghost Tree.

Billed as “an exclusive enclave of 12 ultra-luxe homes,” prices will start at $3 million, setting market record of more than $1,000 per square foot. It’s the first time new homes have been up for sale at Pine Canyon since 2021, when all 26 homesites at Pine Run sold out in one day. The Ghost Tree name comes from the iconic gnarled, weathered, decades-old Ponderosa Pine with an Osprey nest atop.

Ghost Tree at Pine Canyon
A rendering of a home’s back patio with a view of the golf course and the ghost tree at Flagstaff’s Pine Canyon Golf Club. (Symmetry Companies)

The golf community encompasses close to 600 acres.

The $6.4 million golf course renovation represents the largest investment in the course’s history. Michael Kuhn & Associates did the renovation.

In addition to the golf course, Pine Canyon has a full-service spa, fitness facilities and numerous outdoor recreational activities such as a soccer pitch, a flag football field and a whiffleball diamond.

Check out some images of the golf course renovation and home renderings.

Robert Trent Jones Jr. completes renovation of Osprey Meadows at Tamarack Resort in Idaho

Robert Trent Jones Jr. brings Osprey Meadows back to life at Tamarack Resort in Idaho.

Robert Trent Jones Jr. has completed a renovation of the Osprey Meadows course at Tamarack Resort in Idaho, introducing a new level of playability to a layout that he designed and originally opened in 2006.

Then owned by a different group, the course about 90 miles of Boise had closed nine years after it opened because of economic hardship, and it was purchased by Tamarack Resort in 2021. Offering mountain, meadow and lake views, the course includes its main 18 holes plus a bonus par 3 named Gambler’s Hole.

“The grand opening of Osprey Meadows is the highlight of our summer, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for players to experience all 19 holes of this beautiful course,” Scott Turlington, president of Tamarack Resort, said in a media release announcing the completion of the renovation. “It’s extremely rare to get a second chance to make a first impression. In fact, it doesn’t happen very often, and we’ve got that opportunity now.”

Jones Jr.’s firm, Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects, reduced the number and length of forced carries, and fairways were widened. Further refinements are planned. The course can now be stretched to 7,447 yards.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to reinvigorate the award-winning Osprey Meadows Golf Course at Tamarack,” Jones Jr. said in the media release. “The confidence that the Tamarack ownership has exhibited in the long-term value of this unique golf experience is unprecedented. We appreciate their vision and commitment.”

Check out a selection of photos from Osprey Meadows below.

Desert Highlands in Arizona plans major Nicklaus Design renovation in 2025

Home to the first two Skins Games some 40 years ago, Desert Highlands plans to rework the course in 2025.

Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona, has planned a renovation to its Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course next year, with work to include everything from greens to bunkers.

Opened in 1983, Desert Highlands was the home to the first two Skins Games in 1983 and 1984. The layout is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 8 private course in Arizona and ties for No. 143 on the list of top modern courses in the U.S.

Next year’s renovation will be spearheaded by Nicklaus Design and will focus on six main areas: design enhancements to several holes, rebuilding all the greens, tee reconstruction, bunker reconstruction, vegetation management (especially removing overgrown obstacles) in the desert areas and the restoration of turf on tees, fairways and rough. Plans are for work to start in April and finish by November 2025.

“The plans Nicklaus Design has for Desert Highlands are nothing short of compelling,” general manager Desi Speh said in a media release announcing the plans. “This renovation project will not only further solidify Desert Highlands as one of the state’s most sought-after golf experiences, but also enhance the aesthetic appeal of our community. We have every degree of confidence Nicklaus Design will return our golf course to its purest form, while maintaining the quality and status that has been a standard bearer in the North Scottsdale area for over 40 years.”

No. 11 at Desert Highlands in Arizona (Courtesy of Desert Highlands)

 The media release spelled out changes to several holes:

  • A new forward tee box on No. 5 will allow players an easier opportunity to cross the wash in front of the putting surface in two shots.
  • Nicklaus advised changing the eighth green complex to better see the putting surface from the landing area. The green will be rotated more perpendicular to the line of play and sloped more from back to front to open the views. The mounding will be brought closer to the right and back of the green to allow some shots to bounce onto the putting surface.
  • New tee boxes will be created on the 10th hole to move players away from the back of the range and to accommodate possible practice-area expansion.
  • A high ridge blinding the alternate fairway will be eliminated on No. 13, creating a slightly longer carry and riskier drivable par 4. Plans also could include relocating the forward tee or building a new one.
  • A few saguaro cacti will be relocated on the finishing hole, as they set up in front of two tee boxes. An additional back tee also could be built.

This New York State public golf course is going through a renovation (and ready for an amateur event)

Locals can play the course for just $36 and it was named the best local course seven times this century.

Luke Whalen still sometimes thinks of himself as “one of the kids” and can’t believe how quickly the time has flown. Granted, it hasn’t been that long since the 21-year-old was actually a child. But the Poughkeepsie native put himself at the head of the local golf grownups table last summer, winning the Dutchess County Amateur.

That victory, tournament chairman Mark Webber said, was “good for competition.”

“There’d been talk over the years that, ‘Only 3-5 guys every year have a real opportunity to win it,’” Webber said. “For Luke to emerge and play the way he did, coming from behind and beating some of the best players, it’s great, especially as a young guy.”

The competition is steeped in history that dates back almost 90 years, and it’s a delight that some of the familiar names involved are septuagenarians who’ve still got game and a passion for the event. But organizers understand that its growth and future will depend on an influx of youth.

So, it is encouraging to them that a college student is the defending champion, and that a few prominent high school stars will be competing.

The Dutchess Amateur Championship will tee off July 12, running three consecutive days at the newly renovated McCann Memorial Golf Course in Poughkeepsie.

Players will play on a McCann course that recently had an overhaul of its traps and drainage system on the front nine. With the installation of Capillary Concrete, a polymer-based concrete in the bunkers, moisture can more easily be regulated, and debris doesn’t rise to the surface, Webber explained.

“One of the issues golfers have had was the traps, that they didn’t drain well and had rocks in the sand, so it was a blemish we needed to fix,” McCann course superintendent Chris Kemble said of the project that began three years ago with the hiring of an architect. “We repositioned some of the traps that come into play and made them smaller for maintenance purposes.”

The renovation began in 2022 and the last seven holes of the front nine were completed earlier this month. The expectation is that, with the more consistent sand, the golfers will have more traditional bunker shots. The work this spring was done relatively quickly, Webber said, and the finished product is “impeccable.” A similar project is planned for the back nine.

The course was built in 1972 with William Mitchell the chief architect, but was redesigned in 2001 by Stephen Kay. Locals can play the course for just $36 and it was named the best course by Hudson Valley Magazine seven times this century.

“The new bunkers will definitely play differently, and the upgrades are a positive,” said Whalen, who typically plays at McGann twice a week after his spring semester ends at Coastal Carolina University.

“We look forward to it every year,” Kemble said of the Amateur. “We love the buzz about it, the compliments we get from the golfers. With all the hard work the crew has put in, they’re looking forward to everyone seeing the course.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8ZjW5Bs37u/

The tournament field is currently 55 golfers, down 20 from last year, and that prompted the extension of the sign-up period. Their hope, Webber said, is to draw at least 10 more golfers. There has been an overall decline in participation in recent years and, Webber said, some of the challenges include summer scheduling conflicts and the interest level of young golfers locally.

Organizers are making a concerted effort to promote the event more, including a social media push and word of mouth. It’s also why the entry of those teenagers and 20-somethings is so significant.

Whalen totaled a 2-under 214 in the three-round tournament last year, surging in the second and third rounds to finish five strokes ahead of Brian Viola, the 2022 champion and his former golf instructor. Colin Offenbacher shot a 220 for third place, and Mike Fisher and Nick DiMarco Jr. tied for fourth.

“My game is pretty sharp right now; better than it was a year ago,” said Whalen, who has improved his putting. “I’m hoping to go back-to-back, but the mindset isn’t any different for me as a defending champion. It’s like, ‘Just go play a few rounds of golf.’ I think if I do what I can, I should be able to throw up some good numbers.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

Photos: Saint John’s Resort near Detroit opens new course by Raymond Hearn, plus much more

100% of the resort’s net profits will go to charitable initiatives.

Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, will open its new Cardinal Golf Course on June 22, with several other top-tier golf amenities having been constructed to complement the 18-hole course.

Golf architect Raymond Hearn was tasked with reimagining  the old 27-hole layout at what was then the Inn at St. John’s on the west side of Detroit. His new main layout is a total rethink of the property to create an original experience across the rolling landscape.

“The land was a perfect setting for me to draw on my inspiration from previous Donald Ross, Tom Bendelow and Willie Park Jr. projects and one of my favorite courses, the Old Course at Sunningdale (in England) by Willie Park Jr., which I implemented on both the championship course and the short course,” Hearn said in a media release announcing the opening. “Our goal was to create a fun golf experience. I believe we have achieved that, and then some, with this project.”

Saint John's Resort Cardinal
The routing for the new Cardinal golf course at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan (Courtesy of Saint John’s Resort)

The project includes a seven-hole short course by Hearn named Little Cardinal, which plays across 7.5 acres with holes ranging from 44 to 112 yards. Also built was an 18-hole, 2-acre putting course – complete with food, drink and built-in music – that was themed after the famous Himalayas Putting Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. These are first-of-their-kind amenities for the Detroit area, and the concepts of alternative golf options have been proved at some of the top resorts in the U.S.

“These exciting golf attractions provide a relaxed environment focused on fun and offering a less intimidating introduction to the game, encouraging newcomers to want to participate, learn and improve,” Stan Witko, executive director of golf for Saint John’s Resort, said in the media release.

It’s all part of a renovation to the property formerly owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The property was donated in 2021 to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation and has been rebranded as Saint John’s Resort. A $50-million transformation includes updated rooms at the resort’s hotel, a 6,200-square-foot pavilion, a ballroom and more. The charitable foundation has pledged 100 percent of net proceeds to educational and humanitarian initiatives in Metro Detroit and beyond.

Check out a selection of photos of the new courses and putting green below:

Photos: Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw near completion of revamped Pines course at The International

Less is more as Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw replace outlandish length with a focus on playability .

It’s a case of addition by subtraction at The International in Bolton, Massachusetts, as the famed team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have replaced an emphasis on outlandish length with a much-improved golf experience on the club’s Pines Course.

Known for decades as the longest course in the U.S., the Pines opened in 1955 with a design by Geoffrey Cornish and legendary amateur Francis Ouimet. The course originally stretched to 8,040 yards, an extreme length for that time period. Nearly two decades later, architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. stretched it to 8,325 yards in a renovation.

Coore and Crenshaw have scrubbed that focus on length and difficulty in their total renovation that began in 2022. Scheduled to reopen this fall to limited member play, the private Pines is a whole new golf course. And they have removed some 1,200 yards – the combined length of three mid-sized par 4s – as the course will now play to a much more reasonable 7,103 off the back tees.

International Pines Bill Coore
Architect Bill Coore walks the Pines course at The International in Bolton, Mass. (Courtesy of Escalante)

Not a single playing corridor or green site remains from the old layout, as Coore and Crenshaw reimagined the course to better take advantage of interesting topography and mature vegetation. Instead of length and head-banging difficulty, the Pines will now offer playability with an emphasis on natural and strategic golf holes.

“Bill, Ben, shapers Ryan Farrow and Zach Varty, and the rest of the Coore and Crenshaw team have worked their magic, taking an exceptional site and crafting what we strongly believe will be considered one of the country’s best new golf courses,” Paul Celano, director of golf at The International, said in a media release announcing the upcoming completion of the project. “Their deep admiration for courses built during the early 20th century, the so-called ‘Golden Age of Architecture,’ is an ideal match for our vision of a golf-first experience at The International that preserves and honors the club’s 120-year history.”

Another addition: The Pines will now feature fescue turf tees, fairways and rough. Besides making for amazing aesthetics in the rough, fescue provides a firm and bouncy playing surface that should highlight the strategic opportunities intended by the design team. Add in sandy waste areas carved through the pine trees, and it will be an entirely new experience for golfers versus the old layout.

The Pines is one of two layouts at The International, along with the Tom Fazio-designed Oaks course that recently received a lighter renovation by Tripp Davis. The club was purchased out of bankruptcy in 2021 by Escalante Golf, owner of golf properties in 15 states, which has invested heavily in the New England club.

Check out a selection of photos from the Pines course as the renovation nears completion.