The Tree Farm Update

[Zac Blair]

"Uncovering A Dream" article at global golf post:


https://read.nxtbook.com/global_golf_post/international/20220214/green_col.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20More%20%E2%86%92&utm_campaign=dm-021422-intl

Thanks for sharing David!

[Rob Marshall]

Any update on when the course is going to open?

[Lou_Duran]

Curious as to the composition of the soil.  Sand with some gray clay?

[Tim_Weiman]

Any update on when the course is going to open?

Rob,


I don’t know for sure, but am assuming both the Tree Farm and Old Barnwell are looking like fall next year.


Would be great to hear a better estimate if  someone knows.

[jeffwarne]

Any update on when the course is going to open?

Rob,


I don’t know for sure, but am assuming both the Tree Farm and Old Barnwell are looking like fall next year.


Would be great to hear a better estimate if  someone knows.

No idea when the "Official" tree Farm Opening is, BUT my guess would be some form of golf COULD be played there this fall. Most of it is grassed/sprigged(or about to be) and bermuda loves hot weather and water, and they're getting plenty of both.
Multiple pictures on Instagram show great progress-well worth a look.
https://www.instagram.com/treefarmgolf/

Obviously once we get to Octoberish the bermuda stops growing much and kind've in a growth holding pattern till late mid-April, but it really comes down to when Zac wants to present it to the world and in what state.No doubt a ton of work still do.
Heck, he's been hitting shots out there for well over a year


Old Barnwell is a bit behind that.


As far as "preview play" it just depends upon one's definition.

[Ben Malach]

I was at both sites over the 4th of July weekend. I think that the Tree Farm could see some early preview play like 6 holes in June of next year and have 18 open for preview play by October.


Old Barnwell is a little longer out and I wouldn't expect to play there till late '23 to mid '24. As of early last month, they didn't have any irrigation in the ground yet.

[Tim_Weiman]

I was at both sites over the 4th of July weekend. I think that the Tree Farm could see some early preview play like 6 holes in June of next year and have 18 open for preview play by October.


Old Barnwell is a little longer out and I wouldn't expect to play there till late '23 to mid '24. As of early last month, they didn't have any irrigation in the ground yet.

Ben,


Thanks for your input. I saw and toured Old Barnwell in June but have only seen drawings of The Tree Farm routing plan. Having seen both recently, would you say the routings are very different, in part due to a large difference in tree clearing?

[Tim Leahy]

Zac Blair is currently 10 under par in 5th place at the Korn Ferry event in Utah after 2 rounds. Looks like he may be able to put in few more bunkers with a high finish. Go get em, Zac.

[Don Mahaffey]

While I don’t have any inside info on when anyone will be playing golf at either new build, in the south it is common to play some golf in the late fall on turf planted in early - mid summer. 
In the last 5 years we’ve performed 3 builds in the south with Bermuda grass where golf was being played less than 12 months after starting the work.
I’ll be very surprised if some golf isn’t played later this year at The Tree Farm and I predict all 18 are in play by late spring/ early summer next year.

[BHoover]

They’ve already been playing dirt golf at The Tree Farm for months now.

[Don Mahaffey]

Yes, very familiar with dirt golf. I guess I should have stated “on grass”

[Nick Schreiber]

I certainly can't speak for Zac and the team at the Tree Farm (who are several months ahead of us), but at Old Barnwell we're still on target for an opening in September of '23 of the first 18, the practice areas, and hopefully the kids course. Any major delays on our end are more likely to be related to the clubhouse and lodge, which are designed, but have not been submitted for approval.


Ben, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you when you visited! Let me know next time you want a tour.

[Tim_Weiman]

I certainly can't speak for Zac and the team at the Tree Farm (who are several months ahead of us), but at Old Barnwell we're still on target for an opening in September of '23 of the first 18, the practice areas, and hopefully the kids course. Any major delays on our end are more likely to be related to the clubhouse and lodge, which are designed, but have not been submitted for approval.


Ben, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you when you visited! Let me know next time you want a tour.

Nick,


I didn’t realize the kids course was on that schedule. Great to hear. Hope you and the team are all well.


Tim

[Jim O’Kane]

Congratulations Zac on making your dream turn into reality.


That was a wildly entertaining history and update to what seems to be a wildly entertaining golf course.


I love the idea of two one-shotters to open and close the round.


I can hear my late Father on the first tee chirping in my ear about the format for our standard $5 Nassau bet and then after I turn over a long iron a bit too hard, proclaim, "Every shot makes somebody happy!"


Continued luck with the project sir. Being in Atlanta, I hope to be able to digest the fruits of your labor in Aiken some day.

[Andrew Carr]

Dixie Cup sounds like fun!


My only golf visits to SC were Kiawah and two other courses in the Charleston area.  I would be happy to see more!

I'm excited for Zac and his partners. We've wished for a project like this for a long time.


I'm also excited that this project might finally get some of the GCA crowd to visit South Carolina! 


Maybe Zac will work with us to resurrect the Dixie Cup and have a group of GCA'ers out for a visit. Our last Dixie Cup was May 2018. Would be nice to bring the event back in honor of Bill McBride. Would be awesome to pair up The Tree Farm and Old Barnwell sometime in '23.

[Tim_Weiman]

Dixie Cup sounds like fun!


My only golf visits to SC were Kiawah and two other courses in the Charleston area.  I would be happy to see more!

I'm excited for Zac and his partners. We've wished for a project like this for a long time.


I'm also excited that this project might finally get some of the GCA crowd to visit South Carolina! 


Maybe Zac will work with us to resurrect the Dixie Cup and have a group of GCA'ers out for a visit. Our last Dixie Cup was May 2018. Would be nice to bring the event back in honor of Bill McBride. Would be awesome to pair up The Tree Farm and Old Barnwell sometime in '23.

Andrew,


I’m familiar with golf in Charleston. Back when Wild Dunes first opened, when there was just a trailer and no clubhouse, a couple friends and I purchased a couple condos as rental properties and enjoyed spending time there off season. Off course, damage from Hurricane Hugo wasn’t fun, but Charleston was a pretty cool place both to golf and party.


Aiken is a different place, much smaller and very charming in my opinion. No doubt it has also become a hot spot for golf with The Tree Farm and Old Barnwell joining Aiken Golf Club (a really good muni), the Chalkmine (a very cool looking 9 hole course), Sage Valley (a Fazio Augusta knock off) and Palmetto Golf Club (designed by Alister Mackenzie as a side job during the Augusta National project).


Aiken will be well worth spending a week, especially if you can find your way onto each of these courses. I don’t think you will find them repetitive. To the contrary will will find that the courses and the clubs each has their own character.

[Rob Marshall]

I've seen some of Zac's recent twitter pictures and the course looks terrific. I know some here have played it and would love to hear some first hand comments.


Private I assume?

[Anthony_Nysse]

I've seen some of Zac's recent twitter pictures and the course looks terrific. I know some here have played it and would love to hear some first hand comments.


Private I assume?

I had a chance to walk all 18 holes of both Tree Farm & Old Barnwell last week with their Superintendents. Fun factor all over both courses, bold shaping & contouring & will push out several of the better courses in SC in on the Top 25 lists. It's easier for me to discuss Tree Farm because it's essentially completed. It's a BIG course with really cool details & touches all over. That is truly a passion project of Zac & Kye Golby knocked it out of the park.


Old Barnwell's contouring is BOLD, but not jarring. Green contouring will ensure some unique putts 7 days a week; some really cool pockets. They are clearing holes #6-#16 right now, really good piece of land.


I think that Tree Farm & Old Barnwell are shooting for slightly different clientele, which should make both courses very successful.

[John_Cullum]

Private I assume?

I think that Tree Farm & Old Barnwell are shooting for slightly different clientele, which should make both courses very successful.

SLIGHTLY different?

[jeffwarne]

I was at both sites over the 4th of July weekend. I think that the Tree Farm could see some early preview play like 6 holes in June of next year and have 18 open for preview play by October.


Old Barnwell is a little longer out and I wouldn't expect to play there till late '23 to mid '24. As of early last month, they didn't have any irrigation in the ground yet.

The Tree Farm had its Founders meeting Oct 21st and all 18 holes were played by several groups(I did not play but walked the course as I have many times). The playing surfaces were immaculate.
I played it Thanksgiving Day and the turf was particularly crispy.
There is still plenty of work to do and they are restoring/enhancing the off fairway aesthetics, but when I played Thanksgiving my son and I never moved our ball and both played the round with one ball each.
We've had a ton of rain(7 of 8 days) and I walked/toured it with friends yesterday-wet in select low spots but very well drained given the low temps, lack of sun and volume of water.
The Tree Farm begins member and guest limited play March 1, but would be highly playable at the moment.


I played the 7 preview play holes at Old Barnwell Saturday.
They began planting later and are northern grasses to facilitate immediate play and stabilize the shaped soil
The other 11 are cleared and are in various stages of root grubbing, earth moving and shaping.
All 18 will be fully grassed or re-grassed with the permanent bermuda come late spring-presumably a fall '23 opening.
I won't draw comparisons due to the fact Old Barnwell is about 6 months behind and only has 7 holes grassed at the moment, but I will say both are OUTSTANDING pieces of land and are very different in feel and appearance, both are rolling topography with mostly sandy soil. Both routings are exciting and full of variety, choices and fun.


There are plenty of Instagram photos of both that can whet your appetite better than anything I can type.


https://twitter.com/bschneider126/status/1602797561638707203/photo/3

https://twitter.com/z_blair



Aiken County is VERY blessed to have such fine additions.

[Edward Glidewell]

The photos of both courses look absolutely fantastic. I hope I'll be able to get out to at least one of them at some point since it's only a few hours away.

[Stewart Abramson]

There are plenty of Instagram photos of both that can whet your appetite better than anything I can type.


https://twitter.com/bschneider126/status/1602797561638707203/photo/3

https://twitter.com/z_blair

Darn, the price just jumped 20%

[Ronald Montesano]

https://twitter.com/bschneider126/status/1602797561638707203/photo/3

https://twitter.com/z_blair

Translation of tiny type. Love that he calls them Instagram photos, when they are twitter accounts  

[Tim_Weiman]

I was at both sites over the 4th of July weekend. I think that the Tree Farm could see some early preview play like 6 holes in June of next year and have 18 open for preview play by October.


Old Barnwell is a little longer out and I wouldn't expect to play there till late '23 to mid '24. As of early last month, they didn't have any irrigation in the ground yet.

The Tree Farm had its Founders meeting Oct 21st and all 18 holes were played by several groups(I did not play but walked the course as I have many times). The playing surfaces were immaculate.
I played it Thanksgiving Day and the turf was particularly crispy.
There is still plenty of work to do and they are restoring/enhancing the off fairway aesthetics, but when I played Thanksgiving my son and I never moved our ball and both played the round with one ball each.
We've had a ton of rain(7 of 8 days) and I walked/toured it with friends yesterday-wet in select low spots but very well drained given the low temps, lack of sun and volume of water.
The Tree Farm begins member and guest limited play March 1, but would be highly playable at the moment.


I played the 7 preview play holes at Old Barnwell Saturday.
They began planting later and are northern grasses to facilitate immediate play and stabilize the shaped soil
The other 11 are cleared and are in various stages of root grubbing, earth moving and shaping.
All 18 will be fully grassed or re-grassed with the permanent bermuda come late spring-presumably a fall '23 opening.
I won't draw comparisons due to the fact Old Barnwell is about 6 months behind and only has 7 holes grassed at the moment, but I will say both are OUTSTANDING pieces of land and are very different in feel and appearance, both are rolling topography with mostly sandy soil. Both routings are exciting and full of variety, choices and fun.


There are plenty of Instagram photos of both that can whet your appetite better than anything I can type.


https://twitter.com/bschneider126/status/1602797561638707203/photo/3

https://twitter.com/z_blair



Aiken County is VERY blessed to have such fine additions.

Jeff,


Thanks for comments about The Tree Farm and Old Barnwell. Years ago one of the things I appreciated about Ballybunion was the tradition of exchange days with nearby clubs, something that was common in Irish golf.


It feels like Zac and Nick would benefit their respective members and the Aiken community by establishing such a tradition with their clubs, perhaps an alternating spring and fall exchange day.


Just a thought!

[Buck Wolter]

You can bid on rounds to both The Tree Farm (with Zac) and Old Barnwell on the fundraiser for The National Links Trust


The National Links Trust Holiday Auction | 32auctions