Zinkand Golf Design (ZGD), led by golf course architect David Zinkand and his more than 25 years of experience designing, managing and shaping projects in the field, is currently building a new 12-hole golf course at South Carolina’s Chechessee Creek Club.
Amid a quintessential Lowcountry setting punctuated by live oaks and colorful wetlands, ZGD is creating a fun playing experience featuring only short par 4s — the longest is just over 300 yards — and par 3s. The course begins with a five-hole loop of par 3s draped over a blanket of continuous turf that beginners and higher handicaps will find eminently playable.
Despite the lack of longer grass, these varied holes will still test the short- and mid-irons of better players. The routing continues with a second, seven-hole loop that asks heightened strategic questions thanks to more pronounced bunkering, several forced carries and putting surfaces with greater contour.
ZGD’s 12-hole course design will present an alternative for members that does not require the time commitment of 18 holes. This more flexible playing experience could allow Chechessee’s significant national membership to enjoy an extra round, especially on the evening of arrival or morning of departure. The club’s 18-hole course was designed by Coore & Crenshaw and opened in 2000. Zinkand served 14 years with Coore & Crenshaw as a design associate and project manager before hanging his own shingle.
“Our new 12-hole course fulfills the club’s vision for a fun, bold playing experience that both complements and contrasts its existing 18 holes,” Zinkand said. “The first loop provides avenues to the hole for any level of play without sacrificing design character, while the second loop offers a balance of shot options for all skill levels.”
To facilitate a spirit of golf adventure, ZGD’s scope is simultaneously focused on creating a rugged environment that preserves and incorporates vegetation native to the Lowcountry. This will further connect the site’s natural aesthetic to the golfing experience and fulfill the firm’s prioritization of both a sense of place and adventure during a round of golf.
“Our team is also establishing extremely varied habitats outside of turf areas, focusing on native plants and ground formations that will expand the site’s ecological diversity,” Zinkand said. “These planned habitats include installing what may be a true one-of-a-kind golf course feature — a carnivorous plant bog.”
Earthwork on the golf course began earlier this year and will continue throughout the summer. All shaping should be completed this fall, with member preview play beginning during the winter or early spring and the course grand opening occurring the first half of 2026.
KALAMAZOO CC GOES THE SHORT ROUTE
Construction is underway at Kalamazoo Country Club’s new 11-hole short course, under the direction of architect Andrew Green.
Located in southwest Michigan, Kalamazoo also has an existing 18-hole championship layout, parts of which date to a Tom Bendelow design from 1910. Rather than restore that course, the club elected to have Green produce a completely new design, which will commence this month, on the heels of the progress of the short course.
Green was on-site in early June and his enthusiasm for the project is palpable, certainly based on his first impression. "I looked out over this site and said, ‘This is a golf cathedral,'" reported Golf Course Industry magazine.
The 11-hole short course is divided into two distinct loops — Blue and Red — and is designed for players of all skill levels. An alternative to the traditional nine- or 18-round, the course will allow for shorter, faster rounds with emphasis on creative short-game strategies.
In August, construction begins on the championship layout, with member play anticipated in spring 2027. This is a breakthrough project for Green, his first original 18-hole design, amid a celebrated career as a classic course restoration specialist. The new course will increase total green space by 30 %, from 83,000 to 117,000 square feet, which will boost playability and elevate the competitive potential.
"Kalamazoo is going to have a golf course that attracts membership from all over to play,” Green said, "not just because it’s new, but because it’s memorable.”
THE SOCIAL ASPECT
Our vision for San Diego Country Club has been approved by the membership, with a major renovation to begin in the fall of 2026. I can't wait to get to work on this magnificent piece of land! pic.twitter.com/2w7FMS8P4t
— Brian Schneider (@bschneider126) April 19, 2025
TOM MARZOLF, TURFGRASS TEAM AGAIN
Tom Marzolf of Fazio Design memorably teamed up with Turfgrass in 2016-17 to reimagine a heralded modern design when they made over Ireland’s Adare Manor, host to the 2027 Ryder Cup.
They’ve paired again in 2025, this time in the U.S., to remodel Interlachen Country Club in the Orlando, Florida, suburb of Winter Park. The 1986 Joe Lee creation needed updating its infrastructure, notably the irrigation and drainage aspects. If the golf course would be dug up to replace the aging hardware, the club decided to bring the layout into the modern era.
Marzolf’s plan melds a fair bit of the course’s original design with playability and strategy elements that align with current tastes. Greens will be expanded to provide more hole locations. Bunkers will be relocated to better test today’s big bashers and their faces will be flashed for enhanced aesthetics.
As he accomplished so successfully at the Cypress course at Florida’s Bonita Bay, Marzolf will sandcap the approaches. These newly firm surfaces will allow for a variety of ground game choices. The green surrounds will be shaved down to yield a choice of recovery shots. Turfgrass will partner with Marzolf to provide the agronomic features to complement the design features.
"It’s always a pleasure to collaborate with the Turfgrass team," Marzolf told GolfCourseArchitecture.net. "Their attention to detail, scientific precision and commitment to excellence make them an invaluable partner on any project. We have achieved great success together overseas, and I am thrilled to be working with them once again — this time on American soil at a truly special club like Interlachen."
Turfgrass will shepherd the renovation process from construction through grow-in, monitoring all individual elements, such as greens mix, bunker sand, drainage gravel and turf selections. They will work closely with Fazio Design, Interlachen superintendent Bryce Gibson and contractor Total Turf Golf Services.
"Interlachen is a club with a proud tradition and a clear vision for the future," said Adam Moeller, of Turfgrass. "Our goal is to support that vision by ensuring the agronomic foundations are world-class—so this golf course not only looks and plays beautifully but also stands the test of time alongside the Fazio/Marzolf design."
