New "El Boqueron" Inspired Course - 21 Golf Club

[Ben Hollerbach]

Blake,
I consulted for the owner during the early planning on the project.

Ben,


I think we can understand the Lido project - the original was considered among the
World’s very best course - but why El Boqueron? What is the appeal for the developer?

Tim,

I believe there are multiple facets of El Boqueron that are appealing. Beyond the mystique of a lost MacKenzie design, what MacKenzie drew up 100 years features quite a number design features that we today would consider relatively modern. The concept of a compact reversible routing with large and wildly undulating greens offers a recipe for a wonderful playground and a playing opportunity that has the potential to resemble a larger scale original Sheep Ranch.


Considering the multiple El Boqueron titled discussions and dozens upon dozens of references to the original course in the archives of this website, I believe many here understand the appeal of El Boqueron as well.

[Tim_Weiman]

Ben,


Thanks. In the years ahead I will be spending a couple months in Aiken each winter and would certainly plan to see this course. The Mackenzie angle makes it more appealing than 21’s idea for the first course.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

King-Collins draws up South Carolina’s 21 Golf ClubNow underway in the Carolina Sandhills is 21 Golf Club, a private enclave 15 miles from Aiken, South Carolina which will feature 36 holes. The first 18-hole layout, called the Hammer Course, will be a match play-oriented spread designed by Tad King and Rob Collins, the team that authored Tennessee’s Sweetens Cove and Nebraska’s Landmand. Collins envisions a special creation, based on the quality of the site itself.
“Opportunities of this stature in the world of golf course architecture are precious few,” said Collins. “The land which 21 Golf Club sits is a geologic anomaly in the Southeastern United States. The combination of the boldness of the terrain with its deep, deep sandy soils and the seemingly endless and uninterrupted views offer a rare tapestry for our team. We plan to deliver one of the most exceptional and distinctive experiences in American golf.”
The first course to be built will be 21 Golf Club’s dedicated match-play course, the Hammer Course. Its name refers to the popular game of Hammer, which many view as the ultimate expression of match-play golf. In keeping with the traditions of the game, the Hammer Course will demand boldness, creativity and skillful execution. As King-Collins successfully accomplished at Sweetens Cove and Landmand, the Hammer Course will allow players to choose from several teeing areas to alter each hole’s routing on the fly. Angles, yardage, and par can all be adjusted to whatever best suits the moment. Plans call for an additional three holes to be added to the design. These extra holes will serve to decide matches not settled after a traditional 18-hole round, creating a competitive environment unlike any other.
Following completion of the Hammer Course, 21 Golf Club will begin planning work on its second course, inspired by Alister MacKenzie’s original plans for El Boqueron (the famed Lost MacKenzie) in Argentina.
In addition to its two golf courses, 21 Golf Club will include a state-of-the-art practice and performance center developed in cooperation with Black Cat Design, as well as a short course.


https://www.firstcallgolf.com/design-notes/feature/2024-01-10/king-collins-draws-up-south-carolinas-21-golf-club

[Peter Flory]

I noticed in a prior article that they referenced that the El Boq plans had greens averaging 35,000 sf.  That's not actually true when you lay the plans over the original plot.  I show that they average 22,360 with a range of 16,360 to 25,660. 


The greens at the Old Couse average 22,267.  So that is a perfect comparison to get a feel for the scale. 


The El Boq footprint was about 73 acres vs about 92 for the Old Course.  5,152 yards vs 7,313 (Open yardage).  And the old Sheep Ranch was about 83 acres, so right in between.


So from a safety standpoint, the El Boq greens should be large enough that people won't be hitting into each other, especially with so many short irons.  And it's tough to decipher the AM green plans completely, but there are obvious sections that provide for a lot of separation within the greens. 

[Michael Chadwick]

I can only hope some 21 Club founders lurk on this site, because Peter should likely have an advisory role on the basis of what he did with Lido.

[Peter Flory]

I don't have any special knowledge about it, other than merging the plan over google Earth.  Once you do that, you have the exact dimensions and the elevations.  All of the sculpting that Mackenzie would have done would have presumably been at the green complexes and those are subject to interpretation from the plans.  Mike DeVries put a lot of thought into that aspect of it.

The original site was basically a tilted plane with about 110 feet of tilt with the clubhouse on the high side in the middle.  So, it's kind of unique.  I don't think that the exact magnitude of the tilt matters that much, but it seems like you'd want to have the same general tilt so that the holes have similar dynamics to what they were designed to have. 

I don't know what Ben's involvement was, but I'm sure that it was helpful.