[J_McKenzie]

We are in the finishing stages of our renovation/resoration of Brunswick CC located in Brunswick, Ga.  Designed by Ross in 1938 (nine holes original, nine holes redesign) and constructed as a public works project into 1939, this course should serve as a model for what can be done to provide interesting and fun golf on a very flat and "featureless" piece of ground.  The photos below show a series of greens just before sprigging and half-way through grow in.  I think the greens floated out in mix help show some of the contours:


Early photo of #4, 160 yds. par-3, the first green we did.  Notice concrete path.


Hole #4, concrete path removed and replaced with sand aggregate.


Hole #4.


Second landing area on Hole #6, a reachable par-5. Dirt berm added to protect tees on #7 from adjacent US Hwy. 17.


Hole #6,  Berm has been grassed.


Hole #7, short par-4, photo doesn't come close to doing this green justice.


Hole #7, view from the tee.


Hole #12, second landing area on very short par-5.


Hole #12


Hole #15, 200-yds. par-3.


Hole #15.


Hole #17, 165 yds. par-3.  Probably the most difficult hole on the course.


Hole #17.


Hole #18, sharp dogleg left par-4.


Hole #18, notice original bunker that has been restored short right of green and new sand aggregate path


The course is scheduled to reopen November 1.

[wsmorrison]

It would appear to be a huge success so far.  It looks great.  It was a sleepy little course when Tom Paul and I stopped by several years ago before meeting Paul later in the day.  Thank you for posting and keeping us abreast of the progress.  More!

[J_McKenzie]

Wayne,

This project has been as much fun as anything we've done so far and a great success for the club.  As you could probably tell, BCC has really never been anything but break-even club and it's future was certainly in doubt had they continued down the road they were going.  The board really stepped out on a limb when they decided to go forward with the renovations as the membership went from around 310 to as low as 120.  However, once people saw that the club was serious about making improvements- not just with the course, but with the  razing of the existing clubhouse, the membership numbers have jumped and currently stands at just over 400.  

Credit the board members and the BCC staff for having the vision for what could be done there and for having the passion to share it with others in the community.  BCC is a great case study for other clubs in a similar situation.

 

[BCrosby]

Thanks for the pics. BCC looks very good. I especially like the fact that you didn't force "verticality" into features on what is an almost dead flat piece of land. I am looking forward to seeing it in person.

Did you have access to Ross' hole sketches or routings? To what extent did you use old aerials or photos of the course?

I'm a bit surprised that there were WPA projects as late as '38. In any event, I'm curious to know how a government funded project morphed into a private club?  

Bob



 

[TEPaul]

J Mckenzie;

Most all of those holes just remind me so much of the "old south" (when I was a kid a long time ago) which means to me you guys have done a great job with the renovation.

[A.G._Crockett]

Beautiful pictures; thanks for posting.  I played BCC about 5 years ago, and hope to get back at some point soon.  I remember the 18th green well; the renovated version has to be triple the size?

I'm also curious about the answer to Bob Crosby's questions, if those are known.

[J_McKenzie]

Bob,

We were very fortunate that an old county engineer familiar with the project from the 1930's turned over to one of the BCC members all of Ross' original pencil sketches, original draftsman copies of Ross' sketches, and all of Ross' type written notes concerning the front nine redesign and construction procedures.  Incredible stuff to see.  We also researched the archives from the local newspaper for information, which is how we found out that it was a WPA construction project and that Ross was on site at least twice, including once during construction.   Craig Disher, a contact we made from this website, was kind enough to find and provide for us a 1953 aerial of BCC which we used primarily to determine original bunker locations.

A.G.,

Just about every green is 8 to 14 inches lower (back to original grade) and almost twice the size of the greens prior to the renovation.  The greens now average about 6,000 sq. ft. as compared to 3,800 sq. ft. before we started.

Here is a draftsman copy of Ross' sketch for Hole #8, a 210 yd. par-3.  This is one of the holes he redesigned- please note that the square drawn in dotted lines denotes the original sand green location:



A picture of Hole #8 prior to the renovation or when you played here:



Photo of restored green:



Tom Paul,

That's about as good a compliment as we can get.  And trust me when I say that the pictures really don't do the place justice.

Thanks, John

[BCrosby]

John -

Great stuff. Thanks. I gotta get down to Brunswick.

Bob

[Scott Witter]

J_Mckenzie:

"this course should serve as a model for what can be done to provide interesting and fun golf on a very flat and "featureless" piece of ground."

I can appreciate exactly what you are saying...do you believe this comes from the green sites and putting surfaces, since at least from the photos it appears that most every where else the land is essentially flat?  It would seem and make sense that the WPA and Ross wouldn't haven't done much in the way of earthmoving, even though this was in the later stages of his career.  I get the sense that we are in agreement that  the strength in the green sites is where the 'model for interest and fun lies' and this alone can have such a positive influence on the quality of golf.

[paul cowley]

Scott.....this site is so flat, maybe 5' average elevation change overall, that all the green sites were essentially fill pads averaging about 3' to 4', and then shaped.

Much of the fill came from the ditch systems that were created to drain the fairways......very efficient.

If the entire site didn't consist of well draining sandy soils to begin with, this course would never have been built.

More on this manana.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The club's website is full of good stuff:

www.brunswickcountryclub.com

Here's a great image from a postcard:

[TEPaul]

"Much of the fill came from the ditch systems that were created to drain the fairways......very efficient."

Paul:

That sounds identical to what Ross apparently did on the "low" hole fairways and greens at Seminole.

[KBanks]

Great to see Brunswick CC reclaim its Ross heritage.

Has it reopened yet?

Ken

P.S. Are the fox squirrels still all around the course?

[J_McKenzie]

Ken,

Unfortunately, the fox squirrels are no longer around.  There were a couple that hung around up until about a year before the renovation started.  Don't know what happened to them.  

The course is on schedule to open November 1.  

John

[David Stamm]

Seeing things like this come to fruition is very heartening. Well done!

[J_McKenzie]

9th green- Artist Rendering from around 1941



9th Green today



Steve,

The photo is taken from a different angle (further to the left and farther away), but you can see how much work has gone into restoring the greens to what Ross originally designed.  The new clubhouse will hopefully have the simple feel of clubhouse pictured in the postcard.

John

[KBanks]

Ken,

Unfortunately, the fox squirrels are no longer around.  There were a couple that hung around up until about a year before the renovation started.  Don't know what happened to them.  

The course is on schedule to open November 1.  

John

Thanks John. I really look forward to seeing the work at BCC.

Ken

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