Good news, a Kris Spence makeover in the Charlotte area

[Carl Johnson]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article99821492.html

[Jeff_Brauer]

Carl,
If you had lied in the thread title, and said Doak or Coore had done the remodel, you would have had a lot more clicks!

[Carl Johnson]

Carl,
If you had lied in the thread title, and said Doak or Coore had done the remodel, you would have had a lot more clicks!

Understand .  But it is what it is.  I think Kris does good work.  He did a nice job on my club's course about 8 years ago.  I'm just trying to put some information out there.

[Matt MacIver]

Interesting. I think Richard Mandell is doing some work at Myer's Park next year, and Providence will get a facelift under new McConnell ownership, from someone at some point.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Carl,
If you had lied in the thread title, and said Doak or Coore had done the remodel, you would have had a lot more clicks!

Also, Carl made the mistake of letting people know this course is in NC and it's a Ross (front nine at least, for some time).

Nobody on this board cares about unranked North Carolina Rosses (except 1-2 exceptions they trot out as tokens). The archives are littered with 1-5 comments on NC Ross threads. Recent example: Sean's tour of Hope Valley is sinking like a stone. Zero replies and already on page 2.

(Personally, I am happy with this state of affairs. Lotta NC Rosses out there flying under the radar. On this forum, when we find something we like it gets smothered, and the fun of discovery goes out the window. Unranked NC Rosses are like lost tribes of the Amazon.)

[BCowan]

Carl,
If you had lied in the thread title, and said Doak or Coore had done the remodel, you would have had a lot more clicks!

Also, Carl made the mistake of letting people know this course is in NC and it's a Ross (front nine at least, for some time).

Nobody on this board cares about unranked North Carolina Rosses (except 1-2 exceptions they trot out as tokens). The archives are littered with 1-5 comments on NC Ross threads. Recent example: Sean's tour of Hope Valley is sinking like a stone. Zero replies and already on page 2.

(Personally, I am happy with this state of affairs. Lotta NC Rosses out there flying under the radar. On this forum, when we find something we like it gets smothered, and the fun of discovery goes out the window. Unranked NC Rosses are like lost tribes of the Amazon.)

Mark,

    Mark Saltzman did an excellent tour of Hope Valley which received great responses.  I don't know why we have excessive photo tours when Marks photos were excellent as was the comments.  In general I agree with your premise.  The positive is those gems remain less cluttered.  I come to GCA for the Gems..

[Brian Finn]

I'm very excited to see the updated Mooresville course. Since moving to Charlotte about a year ago, I've played most of my rounds on a bunch of lesser known Ross courses within an hour or two of me.  There are several that had 9 holes of Ross that later added another 9. My personal favorite among this group is Fort Mill, which I'm always surprised doesn't get at least a little gca love. I'm planning to play Mooresville soon, and will report back when I do.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Evidently they don't expect to recoup the $10,000,000 they spent on course and clubhouse. Not at $30-$40 a pop. I thought Kris Spence did a bunch of work at Meyers Park about five years ago.

[Carl Johnson]

Evidently they don't expect to recoup the $10,000,000 they spent on course and clubhouse. Not at $30-$40 a pop.


Tommy, this is a municipal course, so I think of it like a public park.  The return is not one of dollars, but of a benefit of recreational land to community.  Now, one might well question whether the $10 million could have been better spent on a different community recreational project (or other community project), but I leave that to the good citizens of Mooresville.  Although I'm unlikely to make the trip north from the city (Charlotte), the idea of a nice municipal golf course strikes me positively.  If I recall correctly, the "clubhouse" is conceived broadly as a community center rather that just a "golf" clubhouse.


I thought Kris Spence did a bunch of work at Meyers Park about five years ago.


Yes he did -- not sure about the five years, though.  I'm thinking it was, maybe, a little earlier than that.  My club's Spence project was finished in 2008, and I recall the Myers Park work at about the same time.  Kris has done a number of projects in North Carolina.

[Bruce Wellmon]

2 quick pics from an enjoyable day at Mooresville GC yesterday.
The par 3 7th.

The par 4 2nd.

[Carl Johnson]

Bruce, I take you found the experience worthwhile?  Any other comments?

[Bruce Wellmon]

Carl,
       Mooresville is very solid.
       A surprising amount of elevation changes, good green complexes with a lot of subtle movement. I liked the new holes, especially the par 3 7th, the par 5 8th and the par 4 9th. I'm not sure if #2 is a new hole or made use of an existing corridor, but, was a strategic short par 4 with elevation changes. #3 had elements of #12 at Carolina, where you could see the top half of the flagstick on a par 3. 10 is a brute of a par 3. It's tight in a few places, like #11. And it had a railroad track on one hole. A big plus in my book.     

[Brian Finn]

I had the pleasure of playing with Dr. Wellmon and two other gca'ers yesterday, and really enjoyed the course.  I don't believe much, if any, of the original course remains.  Regardless, the new design by Kris Spence is quite good.  The first nine holes play over nicely rolling, open land, with terrific greens and quite a bit of variety.  There are few trees in play on the front, resulting in some nice views across several holes.  The stretch of 5 through 9 was especially strong in my opinion.  The second nine plays into the woods a bit, but the strategic design, highlighted by well-placed bunkers and more great greens continues throughout.  The existing corridors did not have much room for widening, but only on one or two holes did it feel narrow.  While I preferred the front, the back nine was perhaps more impressive, due to limitations of the land.  Even playing my worst round in a long time, I lost only one ball.  I would highly recommend a visit to anyone in the area.  Tough to beat $33 to walk on a weekend.

[Matt MacIver]

Thanks for posting - not on my radar but looks nice. Interesting the Bermuda looks completely dormant - it should be this time of year but several area courses weren't as of last weekend.


I played Carolina GC last week and I'm glad to report it's still as good as advertised.

[Matt Wharton]

Thanks for posting - not on my radar but looks nice. Interesting the Bermuda looks completely dormant - it should be this time of year but several area courses weren't as of last weekend.


I played Carolina GC last week and I'm glad to report it's still as good as advertised.

Thanks Matt! 

[Ronald Montesano]

I has family in Charlotte and look forward to hitting up Mooresville the next time I finds self in that area. Poor Charlotte, with Pinehurst just an Uwharrie away, its public tracks struggle to have any minimalist value in general.

[Carl Johnson]

Bruce and Brian, thanks for the reports (and photos).  Looks like I need to brave the traffic and head north on I-77.