Residential Golf Course Architects, Part IX
Heroes of the
Southeast: Byrd, Jackson, Johnston and Lee
In the rarified atmosphere of golf course
architecture there is world-famous
and then there is almost-famous. The famous are true globe-trotters
while the almost-famous are regional specialists—those who know an area’s natural
landscape
and the local crews who can work it. In this, the ninth installment in
our Golf Architect
Series, we look at at the Southeast and architects are Willard Byrd, Tom
Jackson, Joe
Lee and Clyde Johnston.
FLORIDA: Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club
Of these four, Joe Lee has the best claim to
national recognition, though
not because his work can be found far and wide. Born in Florida in 1922,
Lee (with his partner, Dick Wilson), drew acclaim for Sunshine State
courses like
Pine Tree Golf Club, the Blue Course at Doral and the original 18 at Bay
Hill, all of
which have, through time, lost some of their Lee-Wilson imprint.
Lee was a stylish, dignified Southerner with a trim
build who spoke softly and played
a solid game of golf himself. The course he designed at
Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club in the charming town of Stuart
shows Lee’s mix of a tournament-worthy difficulty amid landscape
flourishes that go easy on the eyes of even a frustrated player.
FLORIDA: Quail Ridge Country Club
In a recent book by course-design expert Ron
Whitten, the Joe Lee legacy is finally
presented in a worthy manner. The hardcover book, with extensive photos
by Theresa
Airey, is titled “Gentleman Joe Lee: 50 Years of Golf Design.” Well
deserving of
space in the book are Lee’s two complementary 18s at
Quail Ridge Country Club
in Boynton Beach.
Each layout is a stout par-72, with the South layout deemed the brawnier
and more
imposing of the two. Its sister course, Quail Ridge South, is more a
course you can
cruise over, although bunkers and pretty water hazards come into play.
SOUTH CAROLINA: The Cliffs at Glassy
The steep slopes and deep hollows over which Tom
Jackson laid out
The Cliffs at Glassy golf course could not have been tamed by most course
designers. The architect’s
thoughtful routing, learned by feel as well as via the mentoring of both
George Cobb and
Robert Trent Jones, combines topographic drama with well-timed pauses
for serenity.
From the very first few holes, a player sees his shots fly over distant
brows and soar down ridgelines in take-your-breath trajectories. In
1995, Golf Digest rewarded Jackson’s work here by ranking the course No. 4 on
a national list of Most Aesthetic layouts.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Carolina Country Club
Just down the road from Glassy Mountain, in the
cool highlands of Spartanburg, Jackson
authored a course for true golf lovers at
Carolina Country Club in 1984. With 20 years
of course-building behind him, Jackson chose to contain the front nine
in a compact,
intimate space to the south of the clubhouse then unfurl the back nine
on a grand loop
through woodlands to the north.
Ideal for competition, Carolina C.C. hosts the
annual Wofford Invitational Championship, a prestigious collegiate
event, and each May hosts the BMW Pro-Am.
FLORIDA: Amelia Island Plantation
Lest you imagine that a Tom Jackson design can only
work in a setting of high, rugged
terrain, take a look at the low-lying Amelia River course at
Amelia Island Plantation
on the Atlantic coast near Jacksonville. On this level, oak- and
palm-studded property,
Jackson did his designing with ocean breezes well in mind.
The Amelia River course plays to a yardage of 6,823 from the back tees.
Its fairways
have adequate width and appealing ground contours. As in his mountain
designs,
Jackson throws in a blind shot or two on this links to test the nerves
of a newcomer
and to keep the regulars on their toes.
GEORGIA: The Landings on Skidaway Island
Working in good company at The Landings (where
courses by Arthur Hills, Tom Fazio
and Arnold Palmer also compete for accolades), Byrd went for a British
links type of
playability for his Plantation Course. Its front nine
goes out to the southwesterly tip
of the island, and the back nine returns to the Plantation Clubhouse.
Holes No. 8, 9 and
10 are especially scenic, overlooking Adams Creek and Ossabaw Sound.
Byrd lived to the age of 85 and designed or renovated 100-plus courses,
but he surely
had few finer sites to ply his craft upon than this one at
The Landings. His company
records are now archived at North Carolina State University, as a
valuable documentation
of important progress in the fields of land planning and landscape
architecture.
NORTH CAROLINA: Ocean Ridge Plantation
Golfers at this landmark community find themselves
surrounded by resort comforts,
but they recognize the Lion’s Paw course as one of the few un-pampering
amenities
at
Ocean Ridge Plantation.
Byrd got everything right at this open, hilly
layout, filling it up with bold contours and
features. Its hazards—ribbony creeks, recurring wetlands and towering
hardwoods—are
also the elements that make the Lion’s Paw layout so handsome to behold.
The GolfCourseHome®
Golf Architect Series
I. The No. 1 Real-Estate Enhancer:
Jack Nicklaus
- Find out why
this golf course architect adds the most value to the real estate
surrounding
the golf courses he designs:
Click here!
II.
Tom Fazio: Elevating Course Design--and Home
Values
III.
Arnold Palmer: His Brilliant Second Career
IV.
Arthur Hills: Value-Adding Visionary
V.
Robert Trent Jones II:
Continuing the Legacy
VI.
Bob Cupp & Tom Jackson:
Veterans with Prime Portfolios
VII.
Pete Dye:
Lifelong Innovator (Part-Time Intimidator)
VIII.
Greg Norman: Still a Champ & Competing, But
On a Larger Golf Landscape
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