Contentment in NC?

[Eric Smith]

In the link that Paul Richards put up in reference to Ron Whitten's article on Chicago Highlands, this blurb caught my eye...

Lester George and Tom Lehman are working on Contentment in North Carolina, yet another homage to C.B. Macdonald.

What's the scoop?

[JC Jones]

I heard it was better than Old Mac because it doesn't have to rely on the ocean.

[PCCraig]

In the link that Paul Richards put up in reference to Ron Whitten's article on Chicago Highlands, this blurb caught my eye...

Lester George and Tom Lehman are working on Contentment in North Carolina, yet another homage to C.B. Macdonald.

What's the scoop?

I would also like to know as I've never heard of the project but it sounds very neat. Maybe Lester can check in and update us all?

[Chip Gaskins]

I heard about this during the summer of 2008.....then October 2008 happened and I assumed it was off the table.

If I remember correctly it was going to be in the western part of the state.

[JESII]

I heard it was better than Old Mac because it doesn't have to rely on the ocean.

I hadn't heard that about Old Macdonal ever before. How does OM "rely on the ocean"?

[Jim_Kennedy]

Chip,
Wilkesboro, just west of Winston-Salem, NC - Lehman Design
Elkin, also just west of Winston-Salem, NC -  George Design

One of 'em is correct. 

[JC Jones]

Chip,
Wilkesboro, just west of Winston-Salem, NC - Lehman Design
Elkin, also just west of Winston-Salem, NC -  George Design

One of 'em is correct. 

Lehman Design's website lists Contentment in Wilkesboro, NC as a a current project in the planning stage.  George Design's website is silent.  I wonder why Whitten lists it as a collaboration....

[Jim_Kennedy]

JC,
Lester's site lists it as:

Contentment Golf Club, Elkin, NC
 Planning, Design and Construction of New 18 Hole Golf Course.

[JC Jones]

JC,
Lester's site lists it as:

Contentment Golf Club, Elkin, NC
 Planning, Design and Construction of New 18 Hole Golf Course.

I see it now, gracias.

[Chip Gaskins]

JC,
Lester's site lists it as:

Contentment Golf Club, Elkin, NC
 Planning, Design and Construction of New 18 Hole Golf Course.

Correct, Lester is who I heard if from back in 2008...

[Jim Colton]

If Contentment is on the books or not, maybe Ron couldn't pass up yet another swipe at CB Mac and template holes.

[Lester George]

Gentlemen,

Contentment is alive and well with a solid investment group behind it.  The investors are still looking to put together a few more limited partners. 

It is IN FACT a C.B. Macdonald-Seth Raynor tribute course which we have been working on for a couple of years.  The plans are finished and permits are being applied for currently.  I was there last week with the owner and we are pushing ahead to start clearing soon.  The owner has recently purchased another 100+ acres (bringing the total acres to about 800) which changed the entire dynamic of the site configuration and made things better.  We have a wonderful collection of holes including Redan, Biarritz, Eden, Short, Cape, Sahara, Lions Mouth, Bottle, Valley, Alps, Narrows, Road, Punchbowl, Knoll, Hogback, Long, Plateau and more.

The project is located in Trap Hill, NC out side of Elkin.  Gorgeuos mountain site with really incredible views and wonderful vegetation mix.  We are really excited to be involved. 

Lester 

[Adam Russell]

Finally someone thought to try an engineered style in the mountians. The severity of cuts and fills needed to make most sites work lends itself well to the Raynor style. I've thought the same for a desert style setting. This could be a great addition - there's nothing like it that I can think of in the Southeast. Congrats Lester.

[Eric Smith]

Gentlemen,

Contentment is alive and well with a solid investment group behind it.  The investors are still looking to put together a few more limited partners. 

It is IN FACT a C.B. Macdonald-Seth Raynor tribute course which we have been working on for a couple of years.  The plans are finished and permits are being applied for currently.  I was there last week with the owner and we are pushing ahead to start clearing soon.  The owner has recently purchased another 100+ acres (bringing the total acres to about 800) which changed the entire dynamic of the site configuration and made things better.  We have a wonderful collection of holes including Redan, Biarritz, Eden, Short, Cape, Sahara, Lions Mouth, Bottle, Valley, Alps, Narrows, Road, Punchbowl, Knoll, Hogback, Long, Plateau and more.

The project is located in Trap Hill, NC out side of Elkin.  Gorgeuos mountain site with really incredible views and wonderful vegetation mix.  We are really excited to be involved. 

Lester 

Lester,

Thanks for the post. Sounds like another very cool project. Aside from the template holes themselves, would you say the golf course and/or the property you're working with has similarities to say The Old White or Lookout Mountain? If so, which one more than the other?

Eric

[JC Jones]

Lester,

Can you distinguish between a tribute course and a course "inspired by CBM-SR" principles?  Do you have a game plan of which holes you wanted to put there vs which holes the land lends itself more to?

Being close by, I am very much anticipating this course.

Thanks

[Lester George]

Eric,
The property is almost a perfect mix of bold mountainside that transitions into rolling lower sections and eventually valley.  We are concentrating our efforts on the rolling and valley pieces.  In terms of Old White vs Lookout it is probably more like Lookout because of the shoulder elevations from the hills that we have incorporated in the routing.  We do have several wonderful creeks moving through the property that remind one of Old White as well.

JC,
In discussions with the owner, he had specific ideas which templates he would like to have.  We spent hundredes of hours walking the site and scouring the topo for the landforms that we wanted for each hole.  Our effort, as always, was to fit the best 18 template holes into the site.  The owner has such a thourough knowledge of other CBM-SR courses that we had to study many of the other examples to reach a balance of templates and principles.  It was a long process getting to a routing (primarily because the site demensions kept changing) that we could all agree was the "best" of his stated goals and our vision of the final product. 

Lester

[Brian Marion]

I grew up in the general area, very nice place to build.

I do question the market though. Winston-Salem is the nearest decent size city but too far to commute and Charlotte is was too far away to commute. If this is a residential course as well, where will they draw from? Retirement maybe?

Course in the area have been hit very hard by the economy. Kris Spence's recent redo of Cross Creek was excellent, turning an ok course into something very nice but I'm hearing that the owners are now struggling mightily due to lost members. Can't imagine drawing from that area either.

[Lester George]

Brian,

There is no residential component.  Contentment is a National Private Club with a very limited number of "local" members and a few hundred nationals.  It is set up on a similar business plan as Sutton Bay, Ballyhack and others.  It will not rely on thousands of rounds or the volume.  It will be set up for "stay and play" for members and their guests.  The overnight lodging will be cottages similar to Ballyhack.  Great golf, less crowd, no real estate, privacy are the selling points.  Being involved with Ballyhack has made this an understandable concept for me.

Lester

[JC Jones]

Lester,

Thanks for answering my question.  The project is very intriguing.  Do you have a schedule to break ground and do you know when the owner will begin marketing?

Thanks

[Lester George]

JC,

Very patient owner who has not satrted marketing yet.  Hope to clear in early 2011.  No schedule beyond that.

Lester

[Don_Mahaffey]

Oh boy, another tribute course.

Inspiring stuff.

[JC Jones]

Oh boy, another tribute course.

Inspiring stuff.

Ninny naysayer.

[Brian Marion]

Brian,

There is no residential component.  Contentment is a National Private Club with a very limited number of "local" members and a few hundred nationals.  It is set up on a similar business plan as Sutton Bay, Ballyhack and others.  It will not rely on thousands of rounds or the volume.  It will be set up for "stay and play" for members and their guests.  The overnight lodging will be cottages similar to Ballyhack.  Great golf, less crowd, no real estate, privacy are the selling points.  Being involved with Ballyhack has made this an understandable concept for me.

Lester

Perfect, thanks for the background info. It's interesting to say the least!

[Lester George]

Don,

The owner is inspired as are we.  Besides all CBM-SR courses tributes. 

Lester

[John Kavanaugh]

Being involved with Ballyhack has made this an understandable concept for me.

Lester

Lester,

Did you learn anything from the building and promotion of Ballyhack that may make this project more acceptable to the Golfweek crowd?