LATEST NEWS

Sea Pines CC prepares to reopen following course renovation

  • Sea Pines
    Sea Pines CC

    Sea Pines Country Club in South Carolina will reopen on 1 November following course and practice facility renovations

Richard Humphreys
By Richard Humphreys

Sea Pines Country Club on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, will reopen in November following bunker work, regrassing and the expansion of its practice facility.

Golf course architect Phil Smith has led the project, working alongside the club’s general manager and chief operating officer Robbie Ames as well as golf course superintendent Tom Metzger, with MacCurrach Golf Construction handling the renovation work.

The project has seen tees, fairways and greens regrassed and several bunkers reshaped. The ninth fairway has been recontoured, and a new pot bunker added.

Fairways have been grassed with Celebration Bermuda. “Tom and his team will be able to create visually stunning mowing patterns like you’d see at Harbour Town,” said James Swift, director of golf. “Celebration bermuda is the gold standard of turf in the Lowcountry. It also stays green longer in the fall and is quicker to come back in the spring, even as early as March.”

Greens now feature TifEagle bermuda grass and have been restored to their original dimensions, allowing for more pin placements, while new sand and Capillary Concrete liners have been added to bunkers.

Work at the club has also included the expansion of the practice facility, with the range lengthened by 25 yards, eight new targets added and teeing areas now four times larger

The short game area’s chipping green is now three times larger than before, and also features two practice bunkers.

“I would put it right up there among the best practice facilities in the area,” said Swift. “We had been landlocked and limited in what we could offer. Now we can host golf schools, clinics and other instructional programming. With everything we feature, we’re now a golf purist’s club.”

After reopening the course and practice facilities, Sea Pines will next unveil its new, state-of-the-art indoor teaching and practice centre, which includes TrackMan 4 simulators and monitors, and indoor hitting bays that open onto the expanded practice range.

“Golf is a challenging game, and we want our members to have every tool available to get better,” Swift says. “It’s also an incredibly fun game, and the simulator also gives our members and their families a golf entertainment option where they can get together, enjoy a few beverages and appetisers, and play some of the greatest courses in the world.”

The July 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Thu 10 Jul, 2025

The July 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

We visit Trump Aberdeen, Comporta and Baltusrol, speak with Rees Jones, and ask if anyone likes a long par three

Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Mon 09 Jun, 2025

Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New release asks: ‘what inspired you to become a golf course architect?’

FEATURE ARTICLES

Camiral: Designed for the Ryder Cup
Steve Carr
Opinion | David Williams

Camiral: Designed for the Ryder Cup

Golf course architect David Williams talks about the Spanish resort’s origins and how the Stadium course was created to host golf’s biggest event

From golf hole to helipad: a dual-use design for a private client
Legacy Golf Architecture
Report | Laura Hyde

From golf hole to helipad: a dual-use design for a private client

George Philpott has designed a par-three hole for a vacation property in Costa Rica

Baltusrol Golf Club: Upper class
Evan Schiller
On site | Toby Ingleton

Baltusrol Golf Club: Upper class

Gil Hanse has completed the restoration of AW Tillinghast’s groundbreaking dual courses, as Toby Ingleton reports

New course at Trump International Golf Links: Prepare to be dazzled
Jacob Sjöman
On site | Toby Ingleton

New course at Trump International Golf Links: Prepare to be dazzled

The construction of the second golf course at the Trump club in Aberdeen may have attracted far less attention than the first, but the final result is just as dramatic. Toby Ingleton reports

Royal Portrush: An interview with Martin Ebert
Mackenzie & Ebert
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Royal Portrush: An interview with Martin Ebert

The club’s consulting architect spoke with Richard Humphreys about changes to the Dunluce course since its return to the Open rota

Good Read: Great Golf Courses of the World
Gary Lisbon
Good Read | Gary Lisbon

Good Read: Great Golf Courses of the World

Gary Lisbon tells us about his new book, featuring over 100 courses he has photographed during his travels

Destination design
RTJ II
Opinion | Mike Gorman and Trent Jones

Destination design

Mike Gorman and Trent Jones explain how the Robert Trent Jones II approach to resort golf has evolved, driven by a resurgence in remote golf development

Dave Axland: From the ground up
WAC Golf
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Dave Axland: From the ground up

The shaper-turned-architect has worked alongside some of the most talented designers in the business, but what is his story? Richard Humphreys finds out

Golf de Cannes Mougins: Playing firm and fast in France
Tahoma 31
Report | Stacie Zinn Roberts

Golf de Cannes Mougins: Playing firm and fast in France

French club has regrassed its fairways with Tahoma 31 bermuda. Stacie Zinn Roberts spoke with agronomist Alejandro Reyes and superintendent Thibaut Perez about its performance

Waldorf Astoria: You shall go to the ball
Russell Kirk
Report | Toby Ingleton

Waldorf Astoria: You shall go to the ball

A Cinderella story has unfolded at a golf club within Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Toby Ingleton reports

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse
USGA/Fred Vuich
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Gopher Watch Competition – July 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Thu 10 Jul, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – July 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST POPULAR

FEATURED BUSINESSES