Sea Island

State-of-the-Art Setting

Sea Island’s Golf Performance Center was designed to improve every aspect of your golf game, whether you are a PGA TOUR player or newcomer to the sport.

BY DALE LEATHERMAN

THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS HAVE BROUGHT remarkable changes to the golf scene at Sea Island, The Broadmoor’s sister property located on the Georgia coast. Among these additions are an eighteen-hole Speedway putting course; six cottages, a pool, pool house, and ocean-view golf practice facilities at The Lodge; and the redesign of the Plantation Course. Yet the pièce de résistance for instruction and improvement is the new Golf Performance Center (GPC).

“The GPC is dedicated to helping golfers play better and enjoy the game of golf with a holistic, comprehensive approach, regardless of their skill level,” says Director of Golf Brannen Veal. “This new facility combines the latest cutting-edge technology with the finest teachers in the country, taking what we provide to an even higher level than before.”

Within the 17,000-square-foot facility are six instruction and club-fitting bays, a putting studio designed by world-renowned putting instructor Phil Kenyon, a fully equipped golf club workshop, a fitness center with locker rooms, a spacious retail area, and both indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces for groups.

“Years ago, a decision was made to take a holistic approach to golf performance and to use experts in every area of the game to give our students the same kind of experience Tour players get on a weekly basis,” says Craig Allan, GPC director.

“We outgrew our facilities from a space and capability perspective—in terms of being able to provide the level of service and technology required to remain a leader in this industry. This left two options: Start over in the existing facility or build something brand-new. After collaborating with our leadership and laying out our long-term goals, it became clear that a new facility was the direction we needed to take.

“The new building has all the latest technology, which can be intimidating to some, so it was very important that it was designed to be welcoming and have an atmosphere of inclusiveness,” Allan says.

“We want people to feel energized about golf when they come here. We cater our programs to all golfers, from those just starting the game all the way to PGA TOUR professionals. These instructional programs are specific to the golfer’s needs and use all the tools in our toolbox, including the new technology in the bays. Our goal is to help all golfers.”

Allan was determined that the facility’s layout be convenient to navigate, with a logical progression from the moment a person checks in.

“If you intend to work out, the locker room is immediately across the hall,” Allan says. “If you’re in the putting studio and want to go to the putting green, it’s next to the building on that side. If you’re in the club-fitting area and want to go out under the canopy, it’s adjacent to that side of the building. If you’re on the group veranda and want to go to the group bay to enjoy the simulator, it’s conveniently located down the stairs, right below.” Instruction Irish-born instructor Justin Parsons joined the GPC staff as an Elite Instructor after nearly a decade as director of instruction at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in Dubai. A specialist in 3D analysis and functional movement screening, he has worked with leading players on the PGA, European, and Asian tours.

“What I’ve always wanted was for golfers to be able to undertake whatever discipline they need in a professional setting,” Parsons says. “At the GPC, a player can do that, working on fitness in the morning, moving onto swing analysis or some in-depth putting work or club fitting.”

He adds that the facility’s aesthetic and relaxing atmosphere help golfers get into the right frame of mind. “That’s where GPC personnel factor in great instructors like Randy Myers and Gale Peterson,” he says. “When I see them interacting with students and putting them at ease, I realize why the center has been so successful. They have the capacity to humanize what we do, to make people comfortable very quickly.”

The combination of expert insight and

“The physical, technical, and modern technology is also mental aspects of the game are essential in the putting studio. “We hired Phil Kenyon, interlinked. I take a keen interest in arguably the world’s best putting instructor, as our all of them ... and I like our ability director of putting, and we to be multifaceted in our approach collaborated with him to design our new state-ofto someone’s instruction.” the-art studio,” Allan says. “His right-hand man, David Angelotti, operates the studio on a daily basis and provides people with an experience they can’t get anywhere else—from the standpoint of technology, experience, and level of instruction.” The putting studio has a Zen Greenstage platform that recreates various slopes a player can encounter, along with cameras to analyze the putting stroke and subsequent roll of the ball. A PuttView system projects the correct track for the ball—a valuable tool in learning to read greens. Brian Harman, two-time PGA TOUR winner, has a relationship with Sea Island that dates back to his junior days when he worked with Jack Lumpkin, who prior to his passing served as senior director of instruction. Harman continues to work with GPC team members,

NEW PLANTATION COURSE IS A

Historic Tribute

“Since opening in October 2019, the Plantation Course has received rave reviews from PGA TOUR players, Sea Island members, and guests,” says Sea Island Golf Director Brannen Veal. “Drawing from more than thirty years of living and playing at Sea Island, Mark and Davis Love III built a golf course that is fun and challenging and provides amazing visuals on all eighteen holes.”

Sea Island’s history as a golf resort began with the Plantation Nine, created by Walter Travis in 1928. Seventy years later, Rees Jones merged the Retreat Nine (designed by Dick Wilson) and the original layout to create the eighteen-hole Plantation Course, a companion track to the resort’s highly regarded Seaside Course.

Working with Love Golf Design architect Scot Sherman, the Loves created a challenging layout with expanded views of the ocean and St. Simons Sound, and spiced it with unmistakable historic features. Travis’ signature “chocolate drop” mounds dot fairways. Railroad ties like those fronting the second green evoke memories of Pete Dye. Centered fairway bunkers are a nod to the work of Seth Raynor and C.B. MacDonald. Famous Golden Age greens are faithfully replicated, such as the Redan, Biarritz, Thumbprint, and Punchbowl. And the Plantation’s 10th hole sports a Principal’s Nose bunker like the one on St. Andrews’ Old Course.

Parsons, and Allan. “Sea Island has always been at the forefront of golf destinations and golf instruction,” Harman says. “Now they have a golf instruction facility on the forefront as far as technology.

Fitness

The GPC’s gym was designed to inspire. Light and airy with thoughtfully placed equipment, its windows and doors open onto a patio that overlooks the driving range, St. Simons Sound, and the ocean beyond. “It’s a very energizing setting and has been extremely well-received by golfers,” Allan says.

Created to resemble the PGA TOUR Fitness Trailer that players utilize on the road, the gym is the domain of Director of Golf Fitness Randy Myers and Senior Golf Fitness Specialist Tom Hemmings. Because of its configuration, it’s available only by appointment. “We’ve created an environment in which golfers can be evaluated and put on a plan they can do at home,” Myers says. “Unlike a traditional gym, we have more space for functional movements with kettlebells, cable machines, and tubing—or swinging a golf club. In addition, the Technogym fitness equipment allows us to monitor cardiovascular health and stamina.”

Parsons says he is convinced that fitness is “where some of the magic happens,” as coaches are able to make a person’s body more flexible, more stable, stronger, faster—whatever is needed. “You can see a big transference over to the technical side of a person’s game when the physical side becomes more able,” he explains.

Mental fitness is also crucial to a successful round, and that is also addressed at the GPC. Dr. Morris Pickens, a sports psychologist specializing in competitive performance enhancement, has his office there. His golf students have won four major championships, twenty-seven PGA TOUR events, one NCAA championship, and countless amateur victories.

Club Fitting

The new GPC’s club-fitting space has a large double bay where two fitters can work side-by-side in an area that houses all the fitting tools in one place. The walls are lined with fitting clubs and a large array of custom shafts. Fitters can still take golfers out on the grass for a real-world experience, too. Immediately across the hall from the bay is the workshop, so quick adjustments can easily be made during a fitting session. The new, larger workshop has all the machines necessary to dial in any club, from loft and lie to swing weight scales to grinders and everything in between. Most importantly, the team that uses them includes four full-time club fitters with more than fifty combined years of experience. The GPC fitters are perennially ranked by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine as some of the top club fitters in America.

“One of the wonderful aspects of the club-fitting program is Craig Allan, who has a very diagnostic and honest approach to club fitting,” Parsons says. “He uses his expertise along with the latest technology to give clients information about what does and does not work for them. And Craig’s expertise is being passed on to a team of club fitters who have learned to value putting the right equipment in every player’s hands.”

Group Gatherings

While the GPC is well-equipped to provide each golfer with an individualized experience, the facility also offers spaces that were especially designed for groups. A meeting area and patio are located on the second floor, with views of the practice range and St. Simons Sound beyond that.

“The group meeting space is beautiful, with a twelve-seat table overlooking the sound. Adjacent to it is a veranda facing the sunset,” Allan says.

It’s an ideal space for events, and it complements the other areas at the GPC that accommodate gatherings. For example, below is a double bay where players can hit out to the range through the large door or, inside, hit into a simulator. “Behind the simulator, we have comfortable seating and a bar-height table for twelve,” Allan says. “It’s a fun space that can be used by individuals or groups during or after hours.”

Two-time PGA TOUR winner Harris English, who works with Parsons and Sea Island Senior Golf Fitness Specialist Tom Hemmings, says that the “new GPC is incredible. From the technology in the hitting bays to the state-ofthe-art putting studio to the club workshop and the gym, it’s all we need as professional golfers to hone our games when we are at home. We literally have everything we need right there in one building. In addition, having the best people working there is a huge advantage. From swing coaches, putting coaches, and master club fitters to fitness trainers, they’re all right there.”

.ESSENTIALS. SEA ISLAND

Sea Island is a Forbes Five-Star resort located off the southern coast of Georgia, halfway between Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. Amenities include five miles of private beach, a Beach Club, Yacht Club, Shooting School, three championship golf courses, award-winning spa, and much more. Visit SeaIsland.com or call (888) 565-2364 for information.