Course of the Week: Pawleys Plantation G&CC reopens following restoration project

Photo: Golf Tourism Solutions

Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club, Myrtle Beach, S.C., a Jack Nicklaus design, reopened Oct. 2 after a comprehensive greens and bunkers restoration project.

Founders Group International (FGI), Pawleys’ parent company, contracted with Nicklaus Design Group and its design associate Troy Vincent to lead the project.

Photo: Golf Tourism Solutions

“Pawleys Plantation opened in the late 1980s and it was time to look at the layout and reimagine what it could be,” said Steve Mays, president of FGI. “When you have a golf course associated with an icon like Jack Nicklaus, of course, you want to incorporate his input and use the Nicklaus Design team to ensure the course continues to fulfill its potential going forward.”

Over time, trees had encroached on the course, narrowing fairway corridors beyond the original intent and the size of the green complexes had shrunk. To create more room, Vincent and his team eliminated the sprawling bunkers that lined more than half of the layout’s holes, replacing them with additional fairway space and native areas and removing trees when necessary.

Photo: Golf Tourism Solutions

“We followed Jack’s ideas from 2018,” said Vincent, who has worked alongside Nicklaus for 15 years. “It was our intention to make the course more playable, to give players more options and we have carried that out. I think everyone will be happy.”

The project included:

• Stripping, tilling and restoring every green complex and surrounding fringe to its original specifications, netting nearly 40,000 square feet of additional putting surface.
• New greens featuring Tifeagle bermudagrass.
• Resurfacing the collar around every green with Tahoma 31.
• Replacing bunkers on holes 1-4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 18 with smaller fairway bunkers, native areas and expanded fairways.

In addition to the course work, Pawleys is also undergoing a clubhouse renovation, including a new deck and the opening of a new restaurant.

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