I have been asked by several contributors to this forum to post some information and pictures about Sequatchie Valley G&CC, a nine hole golf course in S. Pittsburg, TN that we recently renovated. My partner, Tad King and I were hired in March of 2011 to completely renovate the existing golf course, which was built in 1953 and had fallen into extreme disrepair in recent years. In order to limit costs, all of the work was carried out by a team of locals with no previous golf construction experience and a small group of seasoned personnel. Our first stroke of luck was to get Gus Grantham on site. As the lead shaper on the project, he did a phenomenal job managing the dirt and building the bones of the golf course. He essentially did the job of two or three ‘normal’ people, all the while exhibiting superhuman qualities, which were mixed with a refined, artistic style that helped bring the vision to a reality. Next, we were very fortunate to have Dan Proctor on site for several months during the summer of 2011. Dan did a great job of helping to set the tone with the bunker style with his artful work on the bunkering at the 7th, 8th, and 9th holes. Finally, Tad and I spent a combined 600+ days on site throughout the process. Similar to Gus’s efforts, Tad managed to sand cap and finish detail all of the fairways, tees, and greens during the late winter and spring of 2012, and I picked up where Dan left off and detailed the remainder of the bunkers.
The golf course is characterized by extremely wide fairways, with approximately 38 acres of 419 Bermuda and 15-20 acres of fescues and warm season natives in the out rough areas. The greens, which range in size from 4,000 – 20,000 square feet, were grassed with MiniVerde. Expansive and open views are common across the 72-acre property, which sits at the base of several nearby mountains. All 419 will be mown at fairway height, with the exception of the tees, which will be mown slightly lower. There is strategic bunkering, some of which is extremely penal, throughout the layout and there are multiple ways to play each hole. Bunker faces were grassed with a fine fescue blend to help establish a rustic appearance. Bold contouring on the greens and the surrounds also helps set up much of the strategy and will provide a great deal of interest as players discover ways to negotiate the ground contours on their approach shots and putts.
Currently, the golf course is under the care of a terrific superintendent, Michael Burrows, and it has come a very long way since his arrival on site nearly four months ago. Prior to Sequatchie, Michael was looking after the Red Course at Streamsong. I am very excited about the direction of the course and look forward to playing it in 2013 when it opens for preview rounds. A grand opening is scheduled for 2014 once some of the other surrounding amenities (clubhouse, etc.) are built. Also, the golf course is undergoing a rebranding and will be introduced with a new name next year.
Some of the photos of the ninth hole show houses in the background. This is a bit misleading as the golf course is golf only and real estate and housing will never be part of the package. Eventually, clubhouse landscaping will soften and block views of these homes, which were in existence prior to the current owner’s involvement with the project.
Another recent post mentioned Gil Hanse’s work at Sewanee, and I think it is worth mentioning some of the interesting parallels between the projects. I will always be amazed that two nine hole golf courses were being constructed concurrently twenty five minutes apart in rural Tennessee during the worst downturn in construction since the Great Depression. Interestingly, the sand that was used to sand cap both courses came from the same source on Monteagle Mountain, which is owned by our client, the Thomas Family, many of whom attended Sewanee at one time or another. Finally, I, another Sewanee alum, initially heard about our project in 2010 from a gentleman who was heavily involved in making the renovation happen at Sewanee. So, it is inevitable that the two courses will forever be linked, both because of their proximity to one another and the intertwined background stories of their construction. I am extremely excited about playing the ‘Sewanee/Sequatchie’ 18, and I hope that others in this forum get to have that experience in the future as well.
As I mentioned in the post ‘unknown redans’, anyone in this forum has an open invitation to tour the site with me if you are interested. Just drop me a line and we will set up a visit. I’ve included some pictures that show the golf course in various stages of construction.
Hole 9 - pre-construction
Hole 9 - Spring 2012
Hole 9 - greenside bunker
Hole 5 - prior to the completion of grass stripping, Summer 2011 (green perimeter marked with pink pin flags)
Hole 5 - Spring 2012
Hole 5 - early Summer 2012
Hole 7 - pre construction
7 green, Fall 2012
Hole 3 - pre construction
Hole 3 - waste bunker, immediately following hydroseeding / late Spring 2012
Hole 3 - waste bunker looking back toward the tee / late Spring 2012
hole 3 - waste bunker, late spring 2012
hole 5 - waste bunker and greenside bunker, late Spring 2012
hole 5 - waste bunker with specimen pine, late Spring 2012
hole 4 - hydroseeding the waste bunker at the Himalayas, late Spring 2012
hole 4 - view of the 20,000 square foot green prior to sprigging, Spring 2012
hole 4 - greenside bunker, late Spring 2012
hole 8 fairway bunker, Winter 2011
Cupcake and Sprinkles, King-Collins bunker detailing trainees
view from behind 5 tee looking toward green, dormant turf & native erosion control matting, Fall 2012