Love firm to redesign Ocean course at Sea Pines in South Carolina
Love Golf Design, the firm run by PGA Tour star Davis Love III and his brother Mark, has been hired by South Carolina’s Sea Pines resort to redesign the resort’s Ocean course.
The Ocean course, which opened in 1962 and was designed by George Cobb, was the first golf course built on Hilton Head Island. It was previously renovated by Mark McCumber’s design practice back in 1995. The course will close next October and reopening is planned for September 2016.
South Carolina-based golf architect Scot Sherman will serve as lead design associate on the project and has jumped right into permitting and design work. “Sea Pines has set the standard for resorts and golf over many years,” said Sherman. “Its recent resort wide improvements demonstrate the owner’s wish to reach a new standard, and our team is committed to delivering a great result for them.”
“Our goal is to build a golf course that players will fall in love with and want to play over and over again,” said Sherman. “To accomplish this, we will r-think and rebuild everything – even some slight re-routing of the existing layout. We’ll build features and create a strategy that will lead players around the golf course and help them have fun.”
The renovation of the Ocean course is part of a major investment by the resort in its golf courses. Pete Dye and his team recently completed changes to the Heron Point course, which reopened for play in September. Dye’s team softened the green surrounds and contours, enlarged several greens, and changed the putting surfaces were transitioned to Tif-Eagle bermuda.
Additionally, the resort’s flagship, Dye’s Harbour Town course will close for an upgrade next summer, after the 2015 playing of the RBC Heritage event. Fairways will be regrassed with Celebration bermuda, while the greens will be reseeded with Tif-Eagle, and the irrigation system will be replaced.