CALABASH, N.C. -- Renovations to the three nines at Brunswick Plantation & Golf Resort have been completed, and the courses have reopened for play. The resort, which is one of "America's Best Master Planned Golf Communities" according to Where To Retire magazine, now offers a golf experience that is among the best on the Grand Strand, resort officials said.
"The look, feel and challenge of Brunswick Plantation are dramatically different now that we've completed our renovation," said Shawn Hicken, head golf professional at Brunswick Plantation. "Looking out over the courses, I think golfers will be excited by the new look of the courses with all the added trees, shrubs and grasses, and that they'll also enjoy how the modifications have influenced the playability of the courses."
Seven new tee boxes have been added so that any two of Brunswick Plantation's three nine-hole golf courses, The Magnolia, The Azalea and The Dogwood can be combined in any grouping to offer 18 holes that play to nearly 7,000 yards.
The grass on all 27 greens and the practice green has been replaced with Champion Bermuda grass, a new ultra dwarf grass that provides fast and smooth putting surfaces. (Champion Bermuda's exceptional performance recently prompted the PGA Tour to switch from bent greens to Champion Bermuda at its TPC at Southwind, site of the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn.)
Overall, more than 300 new trees have been planted throughout the golf complex to better define hazards and the fairways. A total of 176 towering palm trees, weeping willows, crape myrtles, wax myrtles, magnolias and dogwoods have been added, as well as 2,000 new azaleas and 3,000 ornamental grasses.
Infrastructure changes extend to the construction of two new bridges and the addition of new tee signs, yardage markers, ball washers, club stands, and even new rakes. Three new sand bunkers have been added, six older bunkers removed and several grass bunkers have been reshaped.
The physical changes in the courses are primarily intended to make Brunswick Plantation golf more visually appealing and memorable. To further enhance the overall golf experience, Brunswick Plantation has also moved from 8- to 10-minute intervals between tee times, which is more in line with the intervals provided at other upscale courses and country clubs.
Brunswick Plantation is a 1,700-acre residential golf resort on the northern end of Myrtle Beach's Grand Strand. The resort's golf facilities also include a driving range, practice green, and a 14,000-square-foot plantation-style clubhouse with the "19th Hole Lounge" restaurant and a fully stocked golf shop.
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