Pine Lakes Country Club Restoration Nearly Complete |
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| Written by Brandon Underwood Online Editor | |
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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Fifty-one Myrtle Beach area golf courses were showcased during last summer's World Amateur Handicap Championship (Aug 25 - 29); Pine Lakes Country Club was not among them. The historic course known affectionately as "The Granddaddy" along the Grand Strand was in the final stages of an epic redesign that will reposition the course among the very best in Myrtle Beach while maintaining the integrity, character and tradition that make it so special. Under the direction of nationally-recognized golf course restoration architect Craig Schreiner, Pine Lakes is getting a complete overhaul intent on restoring the course as much as possible to original architect Robert White's vision. Schreiner previously collaborated with 1994 British Open champion Nick Price on The Members Club at Grand Dunes. The multi-million dollar project began in November of 2006 and is on track for a March 14, 2009 grand opening. White, who hailed from the birthplace of golf (St. Andrews, Scotland) gave life to this course as its original designer in 1927. The course opened as the Ocean Forest Country Club that year and served as a nine-hole playground to the rich and famous clientele at the Ocean Forest Hotel. It was Myrtle Beach's first golf course.
The design team along with the development company of Burroughs and Chapin, Inc., did everything possible to maintain the integrity of the original design. The original nine-hole course remains as holes 10 - 18 and sixteen of the original 18 corridors were preserved with No. 17 and No. 18 converted into a Pine Lakes entrance from Grissom Parkway. "I'm really pleased with what they've done here because they've really preserved a great layout," said Schreiner of Burroughs and Chapin. The redesign has included a few subtle adjustments, like slight elevation changes in the fairways and greens in addition to restoration of rectangular tee boxes. Other modifications are much more noticeable. Greens and bunkers were enlarged back to their original sizes and about 100 yards has been added to the course; Pine Lakes has changed from a 6,600 yard par-71 course to a 6,700 yard par-70 course. Seashore Paspalum, a grass known for its tolerance to salt water, will be used on greens and fairways. During the reconstruction, sand was harvested from the site so that indigenous materials could be used for the bunkers in a move that Schreiner called "a really important cultural thing." The most noticeable change is the removal of No. 17 and No. 18, which have been done away with because of their poor quality and to make room for a new entrance from the west. In their place, two brand new holes were built in wetlands adjacent to the original layout.
Hole No. 5 measures 524 yards and is a par 5. It features the most demanding tee shot on the course as golfers must safely cross wetlands to reach the fairway. A long, accurate tee shot leaves the option of shooting for the green in two open on this relatively short dogleg left. A number of changes were made to produce a friendlier visual appeal, like hole No. 14 was slightly altered with the addition of mounds to screen the course from the Kings Highway it borders. The clubhouse, which was also originally constructed in 1927, will serve as a reoccurring backdrop for golfers as it has been made more visually accessible thanks to the changes made by Schreiner. Golfers will also return to the clubhouse at the turn, an option that wasn't available with the original design. This golf course was initially laid out for 27 holes and was a non-returning links course. Pines Lakes will feature four sets of tees: Oak (6,709 yards), Magnolia (6,353 yards), Myrtle (5997 yards) and Holly (5142). The refurbishment of the clubhouse is intended to bring the grandeur and regal stature of the once great Ocean Forest Hotel back to Pine Lakes. Local interior design company, Knotting Hill Interiors by Kimberly Grigg, was chosen to create the exquisite interior design that will match the clubhouse's classic architectural style.
The Pine Lakes restoration project will also involve the addition of a 282-acre exclusive gated neighborhood featuring 179 new single-family homes designed with a classic, lowcountry style. It should be noted that on November, 1996, roughly ten years before this redesign began, Pine Lakes Country Club was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its historical significance and landscape architecture, and is the only South Carolina golf course to be named on the prestigious list.
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Pine Lakes Country Club is scheduled to re-open on March 14, 2009
The first completely new hole is the par 4, 349-yard No. 4.
This short dogleg left replaces No. 17. It wraps around a large, natural
wetlands area that is inhabited by deer, hawks and raccoons.
The clubhouse will consist of the
traditional pro shop and locker rooms for golfers, the Robert White Pub for
post-round meals and celebrations and a Library/History Hall where the memories
and tradition of Pine Lakes will be displayed.
