Reversable Nine & Dominant Features @ Palmetto Bluff

[ward peyronnin]

Happy to report that the this project will open for play soon.Rob Collins has kept me in the loop and my last tour was inspiring. King Collins has created a high quality layout on approx 80 Acres that introduces several non traditional concepts with creativity and appeal at Palmetto Bluff in SC.While standard 18 hole reverse loops exists my limited awareness has not clocked a reversable nine hole routing. This is a big boy course, too, not an executive play course. Clockwise/counterclockwise play with teeing grounds furnishing in the neighborhood of 100 yds difference depending on marker position and huge single and double greens enable play to change from day to day in a number of formats I have yet to calculate.

Also, because the developer relies on excavated inland waterways,  a raft of fill material called for transforming the level lo country site into a platform for the creation of what Rob termed a dominant feature; a sand ridge running throughout the course. This is another concept I thnk is cutting edge.

I am aware of designers, who are clever, adopting a found dominant feature such as arroyos or very large hills or headlands, I have not encountered a course where the designer has introduced a dominant feature that ties the whole property, holes and features, together.  I almost think this deserves a separate thread???  But that is up to responses herein.Anyway, I think this will be widely recognized and appreciated over time.I do not know access details but scuttle is iw ill be for memebers only alas. My friend Sean Arble has been recruited to post a routing Rob sent me that I am technically spastic enough to have faoled to up load

[Sean_A]

Ciao

[Michael Whitaker]

Where’s the reversible part?

[Ben Hollerbach]

I had the pleasure of visiting the site back in early August when they had just begun grassing the property, and walked away very eager to come back and see it when it is complete.

In many ways I believe this course is going to be an evolution from what was learned over the past 8ish years at Sweetens. Whereas at Sweetens a singular routing was originally built and countless other routings have been found, Rob and Tad were able to take that experience and understanding to build what is more akin to a playground than an traditional golf course. Each hole, in either direction, has a unique character to it. Their use of the dirt at their disposal allowed them to create a landscape that is visually deceiving, driving players back to the first tee to play it again. The course feels flexible and fun, compact and social, but for such a small parcel, the holes are varied and at time intimate.

Unlike the reversible 9 holes at Bobby Jones in Atlanta, It did not feel like a course that was designed in one direction and then modified to play the other direction. It felt like a course where features and green sites came first, and then potential routing were whittled down into 2 loops.

It will not be confused as a minimalist/naturalist course, It feels more maximalist, more Strantz-esque. I would suspect the reaction to the course will be polarizing, as those who try to connect it with May River will find it out of place.

[ward peyronnin]

Well put Ben; minimalist it is not but then neither is Seetens.
The dominant feature ridge is indeed dominant.Althought the opposite routing is not shown on this map Whitty one can trace the holes by imagining teeing grounds next to the greens and then following the holes in a counterclockwise direction. This will be a fun place with lottsa options like match play days or whiskey loops or junior/parent events etc.The bunkering reminded me of R County Down styling tho maybe I oculd be calledout on that. The green crew really focused on variieties of native on the ridges and monds too so as that grows in mire interest will be added

[Edward Glidewell]

There's a reversible 9 hole course in Atlanta (Bobby Jones) but I don't think it's very successful from an architecture perspective.

Some of the holes really only work well in one direction.