Broomsedge (2024)

Sand has, and always will be, the keystone ingredient to a great golf course. Further, it brings golf closer to its native origins of Scotland and the seaside links of the Old Country, even when it is hundreds or thousands of miles inland. Granted, not every layout can be on sand, and there are certainly great golf courses not on sandy soil—it is not the end-all, be-all. That said, it certainly helps development and construction, conditions, and playing characteristics: sand produces more interesting playing characteristics and landforms—both on a macro and micro level—while also producing firmer, tighter conditioning.

Post-Sand Hills, the emphasis on sandy soils when looking to build a golf course skyrocketed, and even further, post COVID-19, it seems to be the essence of providing an exceptional layout. A quick perusal of the recent Golf Magazine US Top 100 (2024-2025) shows a trend of parkland, clay-based golf courses falling, and remote, sandy soil golf courses continuing to rise. This is not by accident: following Sand Hills watershed moment, developers have caught on and started seeking out sand as a baseline characteristic for golf development.

One of the biggest beneficiaries in the movement has been the sand hills that define Pinehurst’s golf scene. This psychiographic region actually stretches through the interior of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Golden Age golf courses like No. 2, Southern Pines, and Palmetto in Aiken are notable highlights within this region, with numerous architects catching on to the fruitful terrain and soils in the area: Brian Schneider and Blake Conant at Old Barnwell, as an example—which is the early-favourite for the noteworthy addition to the region given its lofty debut in the US Top 100; Kyle Goalby, Tom Doak, and Zac Blair at The Tree Farm; Rob Collins and Tad King at the forthcoming 21 Club; Tom Doak at Pinehurst (No. 10); and more.

Add in: Mike Koprowski and Kyle Franz with Broomsedge, located roughly 100 miles south from Southern Pines, North Carolina (as the car drives) near Columbia, South Carolina. Koprowski, a “jack of all trades” with numerous careers before Broomsedge, while Franz is a longtime architect, working under household names like Hanse, Whitman, Doak, Coore, and more, before his solo breakthrough at Cabot Citrus Farms (Karoo) make up an interesting design team. Koprowski worked under Franz at a handful of locations—including Karoo—after getting into architecture at the renovation of Southern Pines in North Carolina, so it made sense that Koprowski, both owner and co-architect at Broomsedge, would turn to his former (and current) boss for shared design credit at both of their first attempts at a virgin site for golf.

Holes to Note

Second hole, 517 yards; a bold introduction to the golf course after the subtle, yet long opening hole, the second is a strong two-shot hole working its way down into a valley, with a split fairway forcing the golfer between the upper-left, and lower-right side portion.

The 2nd tee shot asks for a left tee shot over the aiming bunker, or to the right, a much more appealing visual line

From the higher fairway on the left, a downhill approach playing into the slope feeding from the right hillside the 2nd green sits into, while the lower right might produce a longer tee ball running through a half pipe down the hillside, but complicates the approach shot having to play down the feeder slope over the approach bunker tandem.

A severe fall off scares the line of play up the right: incoming shots from the left can use the short right funnel to usher balls in, while those from the right have to fight their way down that same slope. The preferred line does depend on where the pin might be given the collection area left of the green (if the pin is left, the approach shot’s difficulty is heightened by playing from the left). Nonetheless, the left side’s advantages far outweigh the right… except when the pin supports play from the right! This flexibility is a joyous addition for a member club as repeat play further enhances the playing characteristics of the hole.

the second green’s attractive location benched into the hillside shows a dramatic fall off on the left side from the line of play, with a Biarritz-ish swale in the middle

Fourth hole, 531 yards; In the vast expanse of modern retreats like Sand Hills, Rock Creek, Old Barnwell, and more, Out of Bounds is rarely, if ever, a factor. Call it the benefits of their untapped locations: the property lines never infringe on play, letting the golfer truly wander the property on wayward shots and find even the most errand shots.

Broomsedge is slightly different against its contemporaries in that regard. Its layout, while certainly feeling large in size and scale, sits on just under 160 acres. In order to maximize the strategic merits of its golf holes in its more-modest piece of property, the architecture duo crammed in two brilliantly strategic golf holes against the boundary lines, with the first one coming at the fourth hole. Up the entire right side of the hole, Out of Bounds casts a large shadow over the right side of the fairway, while a trio of bunkers up the left on the tee await those too cowardly to play to the middle or right side—which is, you guessed it, the preferred line into the green. For the first time in who-knows-how-long (…Talking Stick?), a true boundary fence comes into play in modern architecture, and in doing so, immediately draws direct inspiration from the Golden Age in a way not seen in quite some time.

Even evident from the tee, the green’s angle encourages approaches from the right side working its way both down the slope and a more inviting approach able to utilize the ground. On such a stout two-shot par 4, any advantage possible to make it easier coming in is preferred.

Fifth hole, 230 yards; After the gruelling start of four par 4’s equating to 2,035 yards (or, 27% of the course’s total yardage in just 22% of the golf course), Broomsedge doesn’t let up quite yet. However, the fifth is the final of the opening five holes situated on its own parcel of land, with the 5th green nestled below the 1st tee and returning the golfer back in close proximity to the clubhouse.

From behind the 5th green, with the 1st tee to the right near the chairs

True, the first five holes provide a strong long iron or even wood warm up: 493, 517, 494, and 531 yard par 4’s, and now a 230 yard one-shot; there is no gentle handshake here! From a high tee, the left side funnels balls to the right with a severe back-to-front pitch on the green as well. While the first four greens are subtle, with either a single tilt, twist, or feature defining the surfaces, the 5th is the first green with a fair bit of internal contour.

The high short-left shelf can work balls towards pins anything in the front or middle right, while a back shelf pinches between a gargantuan bunker left and a smaller one up the right. A truly stout one-shot hole!

Sixth hole, 128/212 yards; For most arriving at Broomsedge, the first impression will be the lake in the middle of the property dividing the first five holes from the rest of the property. This lake defines the second-half of the finishing par 5, while the 6th crosses the golf course’s only water hazard.

In doing so, Koprowski and Franz built two separate greens: the right side green, a miniscule green with a fronting bunker complex and water short, while the left green sits flush against the water up the left with a redan-style kicker slope short right helping balls work their way down the slope to the green complex.

Both greens are in use, with them alternating back and forth by the day. That said, the right green is seemingly a better option from a pacing standpoint, especially with back-to-back par 3’s. At Cypress Point, their famous back-to-back 3’s at the 15th and 16th measure 137 yards and 235, respectively; Pacific Dunes, with their 10th and 11th seaside par 3’s, play 206 yards and 148 yards; two world-class examples with a substantial yardage difference that helps increase the contrast between the two. Leaning into that difference in yardage helps differentiate the two holes even further (other than the obvious differences), and provides a better flow to the routing: after five gruelling holes, coming to a short par 3 across the pond transitioning to the other side of the golf course is a much more enjoyable experience, rather than the brute across the water, especially with a contrasting 100 yards of difference between the 5th and 6th. After all, Broomsedge’s members have started a movement called “survive the five,” in which a good round is set up by simply not blowing up on the opening five holes… with the property split between the opening five and the other thirteen, why have the transition hole between the two locations be a continued trope from the opening five? Even further, with the forthcoming eighth hole, that makes three par 3’s on the front nine over 210 yards if the left green is in play, the right, shorter green provides far more variety for the routing.

A closer inspection of the right green at the 6th

Eighth hole, 311 yards; In every sense of the word, Broomsedge is an unusual routing: the front nine, beginning with four stout par 4’s before turning the corner at the par 3, 5th, continues with three par 3’s in the next four holes before ending on a par 5. How many front nines in the world of golf feature such idiosyncrasies?

The final one-shot hole on the front is the longest of the bunch, but plays considerably shorter than the scorecard suggests. In fact, you could argue it plays shorter than the 5th at 230 yards. That is largely due to the feeder slope short left that funnels balls down to the green. Somewhat unsuaully given its gargantuan length, this is the most severe green on the front nine, with a surplus of contour and slope from the back to the front and a large ridge running perpendicular to the line of play even visable from the tee.

Upon reflection, the 8th draws parallels to the 14th at Tom Doak’s Pinehurst No. 10 just over 100 miles to the north of Broomsedge. Merely a coincidence, though Franz did work under Doak early in his career as an interesting anecdote. In both instances, a feeder slope dramatically shortens the apparent scorecard length, with severe green complexes awaiting conquering before advancing to the next hole.

Pinehurst No. 10’s 14th, with playing characteristics similarly to Broomsedge inverse and an equally long one-shot hole down the hill

Tenth hole, 405 yards; The inward stretch begins with the second-shortest two-shot hole on the golf course, but perhaps the most strategic. From a high tee tumbling down and to the right before rising out of the valley, two choices present themselves: for the conservative player, laying back to the left provides a level approach shot over the valley below, safe from the bunkers; for those longer or more aggressive, playing over the right bunker provides a shorter second shot, but from the bottom of the valley playing back out of and uphill from the hole’s lowest point.

Hidden from the tee is two fairway bunkers up the left that any ball not played over the aiming bunker on the right will end up in. From the valley below, hoisting a second shot from the fairway bunkers up and over the false front proves a difficult task. The choice is yours: lay back and play from the flat, or be aggressive up the right and avoid the two bunkers.

According to co-architect Mike Koprowski, the 10th’s inspiration comes from William Flynn’s 10th at Shinnecock Hills. While slightly different off the tee—for one, Shinnecock’s tee shot is blind over the ridge—the second shot does emulate the same feeling, though less pronounced and slightly less intimidating than Shinne’s version. Nonetheless, at Shinnecock, the golfer is also tasked with deciding between laying back and keeping their tee ball on the high side, or playing to the bottom and accepting the touchy wedge back up the valley over the false front—similar to Broomsedge’s 10th.

For those aggressive, the low side is far more intidimating than laying back, but a much shorter club in is certainly an appealing trade off!

Eleventh hole, 135 yards; Much like the par 3, 6th, the eleventh features two greens. However, the upper green—which, judging off the scorecard, is the main green (the sixth lists two yardages; the eleventh does not)—was an impomptu in-the-field addition during construction… a great call! The charming par 3 wedged against the outer part of the property on a ridge is a gorgeous, exacting, and fun one-shot hole. The lower green, which also acts as a second green for the 13th on the low side of that hole as well, will be used to provide a bit of grace to the 11th’s green, which is very tiny and will no doubt see a bit of wear and stress as rounds increase.

That said, the eleventh has quickly become a star-hole on social media and Instagram, and deservingly so: it is a charming little par 3. For members of Broomsedge, the flexibility of the routing increases the enjoyment of multiple rounds during a long weekend stay, but as a visitor, not getting to enjoy the upper green would be somewhat of a letdown. The lower green is an enjoyable wedge down the hill to a reverse-redan style green kicking things right and around the bunker, but not nearly as tantalizing and exciting at the upper green.

Thirteenth hole, 410 yards; Broomsedge is both Franz and Koprowski’s maiden attempt at designing golf on a virgin site, though Franz did get a crack at a large-scale overhaul at Cabot Citrus Farms’ Karoo (which Koprowski worked with Franz at). The difference between the two is certainly noticeable, with Broomsedge much quieter than Karoo on the greens and subdued in contrast to Karoo’s split-fairway, bunker and contour mania. There are shades here and there to tie the two together, with the most obvious moment being the dramatic thirteenth.

The third and final hole with two greens potentially in play, the 13th falls from a higher tee into a valley before either playing to the lower-left green, or upper-right. A central bunker divides the fairway into two obvious routes.

Strategically, the two alternate routes to the thirteenth are world’s apart in the questions asked for each green. The lower thirteenth’s green opens from the right side, meaning those looking to bounce the ball up must play to the right side, either close to the centreline bunker or even further right, though at that point anything right of the bunker adds a bit of yardage in. From the right, the mouth of the green funnels balls down to the left, with the green running away from the golfer. From the left, you play more into the natural slope of the green working its way from the high side on the right.

On the upper green, getting the tee shot as far to the right side as possible opens up the green and removes the plethora of bunkers from the line of play as best as possible. Like the lower green, a feeder slope short and right works balls towards the flag, whereas approach shots from anything left of centre directly have to take on sea of bunkers that obstructs seeing the ball land.

The dichotomy between the two greens is certainly evident, with the lower green being more graceful, low-to-the-ground, while the upper green is about as loud and aggressive as Broomsedge gets. Will the difference between the two greens eventually lead to a favourite amongst members? Perhaps; the subtlety of the lower green seems poised to take that title. Is the upper green the more exciting for visitors? Likely. Even so, the upper green’s inspirations clearly derive themselves from Pine Valley’s stacked bunkers leading into the 2nd green, or “Elenor’s Teeth” at Apawamis.

Even with the brashness of the approach to the upper green, the actual surface is gentle, if a sophisticated surface, complicated by a single hump in the middle of the green defining nearly every putt. Given the loud approach shot, the simple—yet effective—green complex ends the hole on a gentler note, as if it’s the outro playing after the song’s long, aggressive guitar solo to set up the next song on the tracklist.

The subdued green complex at the upper 13th is a welcomed relief after the dramatic approach

Fifteenth hole, 409 yards; Following the brilliance of the 4th, the perimiter fence comes into play one last time at the fifteenth. This time, a split fairway with a decision on when to take on the Out of Bounds up the right. For those confident off the tee, playing over the bunker to the right fairway opens up an easier approach shot down the mouth of the green; for those playing out to the left, the green becomes much smaller with Out of Bounds long.

On the fourth, Out of Bounds is unavoidable off the tee: it lingers all up the right, no way out. On the fifteenth, golfers can play way left away, if neccesary. However, the Out of Bounds is much closer to the green complex here than the previous iteration, and the green is noticably more narrow and longer on the line of play than the fourth. For those who play way left, a significantly harder approach shot awaits, while those aggressive up the right have a decidedly easier approach in.

From the left fairway, the back left green is in a perfect spot and sure to collect the timid shots with OB looming long, but yet again, the green is more graceful than some of the more tuned up surfaces at Broomsedge, with the hole’s strategic merits more than adding enough interest to the hole. Credit to the design team, most of the time, there is a notable subdued nature of Broomsedge in and around the greens, which contrasts against a surplus of bunkers and the occasional central hazard that does its job of providing a “wow factor.” Very rarely is both tee-to-green and the green complex notably flamboyant: if one is more severe, the other is subdued and vice-versa. The fifteenth is prime example, with numerous options off the tee, but a classy, sophisticated green complex awaiting at the end of it all.

A drone view really highlights just how close Out of Bounds is to the right side of the green:

Looking at the 15th in reverse

Eighteen hole, 629 yards; Such an intricate, complicated golf course featuring numerous routes, greens, alternate holes and greens, and more ought to have a finishing hole live up to the level of intensity set through the first seventeen holes, and perhaps the most dizzyingly strategic hole is saved for the closer. With a teeing area high above the eventual green complex to end the round, a decision immediately greets the golfer: the safe route, up the right, is littered with bunkers, but requires no forced carry; or, up the left side, a daring carry over a natural bunker/waste area and cutting off significant yardage on this swooping dogleg left three-shot hole.

From the aiming pole up the left to the bunkers on the right, the possible lines off the tee is as varied as possible

For those who elect to play out right, a much harder layup awaits over the water cutting across, separating the fairway. But! For those who pull off the aggressive line up the left, a chance to get home in two awaits.

If all that wasn’t enough of an exclamation mark on a finishing hole, there is a centreline bunker complex that splits the hole in two. It is certainly the most intense finishing hole in recent memory, and one that really cements Broomsedge as its own golf course among a competitive market that includes Pinehurst, Aiken, and more.

Certainly, Broomsedge has its own unique identity in the Carolina Sandhills. It’s not Old Barnwell, nor is it Pinehurst No. 2; it’s not Palemtto, Tree Farm, or Pinehurst No. 10, and that is a great thing. It is more rerestrained than Franz’ Karoo, but also louder with more “choose your own path” choices than most other modern layouts. With its English-style model of allowing visitors to play on certain days of the week, this means a unique layout each time you show up to Broomsedge, which is perhaps its strongest characteristic and a testament to the design team’s thoughtfulness to provide a unique experience day-in, day-out—even if it is multiple days in a row.

With no less than three holes with alternate greens, a multitude of setup options exist, but Broomsedge is at its best is when it harkens back to the Golden Age: the 6th, with its Eastward Ho!-esque fairway tumbling down is a brilliant long 4; as is the Shinnecock-infused 10th, and so forth. That said, it’s another layout where we learn something new about Franz’ own design style: while Karoo is eccentric and a multitude of split fairways and wild, expansive green complexes and Luling seems to be of similar flavour, Broomsedge—perhaps to the testiment of owner and co-architect Koprowski’s own influence on the project—sees a more subtle approach, yet not without its own dynamic, flamboyance occasionally. Their balancing act is a key componant of the experience at Broomsedge, and one that makes for a unique golf course in a competitive market. As Franz has stated a handful of times in interviews across various platforms, he hopes golfers see something new and unique in their own catalogue, and Broomsedge more than does that, all while knowing and being able to tell it is in the same catalogue as other projects.

An overview of the 17th