Design Notes

Davis Love III is perfect for Harbour Town restoration

Greg Norman adds a short course at Mexico’s Playa Mujeres; Joe Jemsek refreshes the Cypress course at Florida’s Woodmont

Harbour Town Golf Links is readying for an extensive restoration project. The course will close on May 5, 2025, and will reopen in November.

Originally designed by Pete Dye, who was assisted by Jack Nicklaus, Harbour Town has been the home of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage event since it opened in 1969. The Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, course is currently ranked No. 27 among Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public Courses and is No. 5 on its list of Best Courses in South Carolina.

The iconic Dye creation will be restored to ensure championship-level conditions while preserving classic shot values and design. The restoration will thoughtfully consider Dye’s innovative layout but will make improvements to agronomy and maintenance of the course, rebuilding all greens, bunkers and bulkheads.

Harbour Town Golf Links #13.jpg
Harbour Town Golf Links, Hole No. 13, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

The different turfs currently in use — TifEagle on the greens; Celebration Bermuda on the fairways, tees and rough — will remain the same. Work has already begun by replacing railroad ties on some of the bulkheads.

"Everyone at the Sea Pines Resort is committed to honoring the legacy of Pete Dye’s design," said John Farrell, director of sports operations. "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, a five-time RBC Heritage champion and respected course designer, and his company Love Golf Design will serve as consultants for the restoration. Love also designed Atlantic Dunes at The Sea Pines 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 said. "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."

GREG NORMAN COMPLETES SHORT COURSE
Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD) has finished work on a nine-hole short course at Playa Mujeres Golf Club in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The new layout, three miles north of Cancun, joins an existing 18-hole championship spread that Norman created in 2006.

"Greg visited the property at the start of 2024 where he was able to realize that the fundamentals and philosophy of the original design at Playa Mujeres has not only prevailed over the years, but has matured naturally, and remains one of the best courses in the country," Jason McCoy, senior vice president of GNGCD, said to GolfCourseArchitecture.net. "Nature has been particularly generous in this place, since the nobility of the site is unmatched, with its sandy soils, jungle vegetation and proximity to the Caribbean Sea. Playa Mujeres really is a memorable and unique golf experience."

Soon after Norman’s site visit, his design team was entrusted with formulating a par-3 layout.

"From a design standpoint, the task was clear: emulate the design philosophy of the championship course in nine short holes," McCoy said. "We have created smooth movements and gentle collection areas around greens, as well as tying bunkers to the simple and elegant shapes of their exteriors. The undulations around the green complexes allow for player creativity, while the shapes, pin positions and slopes on putting surfaces will provide enjoyment and challenge for players."

A double green, shared by the first and ninth holes and framed by massive waste bunkers and additional holes that zigzag through the jungle and in the direction of the Caribbean Sea are among the attractions.

"Another highlight is the seventh, with players hitting to an island green surrounded by sand, formal white bunkers and holes that play around the main lake," McCoy said. "Players finish at the double green and the large body of water in front of the clubhouse."

The region’s only course to be illuminated for night play, the short course at Playa Mujeres is slated to open by year’s end.

WOODMONT TO OPEN WITH FRESH LOOK
Tamarac, Florida’s Woodmont Country Club will reopen the front nine of its Cypress course this month after a renovation by Joe Jemsek.

The Cypress course and its sibling, the Pines course, were designed as 18-hole championship courses by Robert Von Hagge in 1976. Jemsek reimagined the Pines course between 2016 and 2019, reducing it to nine holes to accommodate additional development. After that project concluded, the club turned again to Jemsek to rework the Cypress course, with the early efforts revolving around the front nine.

"Our intent has been to restore some of the original elements of Von Hagge’s design while renovating the course to meet modern standards," Jemsek told GolfCourseArchitecture.net. “I started with the elements I love in Von Hagge’s course, such as the boldly shaped, flash sand bunkers and freeform, contoured greens. I then added modern elements to break up the sometimes repetitive design concepts utilized in courses from this era. Green complexes now allow for players to enjoy tournament-style setups, with tucked pins and forced carries, but new ground contouring offers alternative paths to access pin locations.”

Greens were restored to their original configurations and to USGA specifications. He did more reimagining with the bunkers, however. “Previously, greens were fronted and flanked by large bunkers, requiring high lofted shots to access putting surfaces,” said Jemsek. “Reducing the size of front bunkers, shifting them laterally, or in some cases removing them altogether, created multiple entranceways and short-grass areas around greens.”

Jemsek credited modern technology to faithfully recreate the distinctive 70s-style bunkering that distinguished the Von Hagge style. “One of the most exciting aspects of the project is our use of Capillary Flow bunker infrastructure, including Capillary Edge, an artificial turf product that will give the bunkers a clean defined edge all year round,” he said. “Additionally, it allowed us to recreate the Von Hagge flashed sand style, which previously was unsustainable from a maintenance perspective.”

Among the specific changes in early summer were removing greenside bunkers at the sixth hole; adding a new tee box at the seventh hole and extending the tee box at the eighth hole. Also at the eighth, local coral rock was utilized in the creation of a “Surrey Wall” feature in the middle of the fairway. Three feet-tall in places, the 150-foot-long wall forces a decision on the second shot at this par 5. Players that carry the wall are left with a more advantageous angle on the approach.

“I think we’re going to see mid-20th-century courses like Woodmont come back into fashion,” said Jemsek. “These layouts have the advantage of being close to home, enjoyable, with consistent playing conditions and mature trees. They are comfortable for most golfers and greatly benefit from modernization.”

Jemsek will start the Cypress course back nine renovation at Woodmont in spring 2025, with an expected re-opening in October 2025.


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