Wicker Point

TTake a moment to breathe before you make the turn through the gates because Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s Wicker Point Golf Club course will take your breath away long before you take your first swing.

Check in at the 4,000-square-foot golf shop with its intimate pro shop, well-appointed locker rooms and cozy post-play bar. The rich, earthy interior here introduces you to the golf experience you are about to remember for the rest of your life. White oak plank walls, pecky cypress ceilings, reclaimed oak flooring and chestnut-stained maple lockers complement the eight-foot, eight-pane craftsman doors, the warm stone fireplace in the Wind Down room and the views. And you haven’t even put your shoes on yet.

Warm up on the 40,000-square foot practice green, practically a course on its own; and then, step on over to the No. 1 tee box. It’s only about 30 feet away. The close proximity of greens to upcoming tee boxes is part of Coore & Crenshaw’s signature design. They wanted the course to be very walking-friendly, like the old courses, as if it’s always been here. And it truly has.

One of – if not the – most in-demand golf course architects in the world, Coore & Crenshaw didn’t build the Wicker Point course as much as they revealed it, the way a woodcarver teases an image from the grain. The gently rolling contours of the land, the burbles of a winding creek, the plantation stands of pine have graced the Wicker Point peninsula since before the Tallapoosa River Valley was back flooded to create Lake Martin a hundred years ago. It’s as if Coore & Crenshaw merely aided the property in becoming all that it dreamed it could be, the centerpiece of Lake Martin’s most exclusive golf lifestyle.

“Four years ago, Cary Whiteard and I walked with these two through the woods out there, wearing snake boots and leggings and carrying a topographical map,” said Russell Lands Vice President Roger Holliday. “I dropped pins on my cellphone to keep us from getting lost. We did several walkabouts, taking notes on the topo map and later matching that up with Google maps.”

Even the concept of the course was developed in increments, starting with the locations of the greens and tee boxes. They did not use dynamite to lower the morainelike rolls but let the lay of the land lead them through the course. When trees were cleared, the flow of fairways became evident, and the architects could see where the bunkers should be located.

“They were very deliberate about the purpose of the bunkers. Sometimes, they are risk and reward; sometimes, they are penalties and other times, just for guidance,” Holliday said. “What makes Coore & Crenshaw special is that their courses are designed to be fair and challenging on all levels of play.”

On No. 8, for example, after determining the yardage from the back tee, Bill Coore instructed his team to not cut a tree that would otherwise be cleared, as it was uniquely positioned to offer shade for the ladies’ tee box.

But you haven’t approached that hole yet; come back to the first hole and take that swing.

The No. 1 fairway in front of you stretches 542 breathtaking yards from the back tee box with sightline over the seniors’ and ladies’ tees. Between banking knolls of plantation pines, the fairway rolls toward the mere glimpse of a creek just inside the fairway, one of the many natural elements the Coore & Crenshaw team preserved.

Though no one would suspect the transition had been excavated, the ridge between the knolls was cleared to expose the creek to view, explained Russell Lands Director of Golf Matt Sheppard.

“Bill Coore doesn’t want blind trouble off the tee. With the ridge there, you couldn’t see the creek, and he didn’t want you to tee off without knowing you had to clear it on your drive,” Sheppard said.

“On this first hole, you just hit the ball as hard as you can. The fairway is wide open, and you’ve got plenty of room. That bunker halfway up the fairway won’t come into play. It’s just for looks. No one will ever hit it that far,” he added.

The native areas under the towering pines were developed with the help of Alabama Wildlife Federation’s Claude Jenkins. The picturesque native grasses and seasonal wildflowers are part of a carefully formulated quail habitat mix developed by Jenkins.

This plantation setting is one of three distinct backdrops you will encounter during your round. In addition to the plantation pine features, the course includes a series of creekside holes, as well as stunning lakeside fairways.

No. 3, a short par 4 at about 350 yards, is the first green the architectural team sited.

“As we were walking around the property with the architects, trying to see if it was a viable location for a golf course, this is the area where they said, ‘Yes, we can make a golf course here,’” Sheppard said.

Unlike the first two long holes, No. 3 ends with a small green. Coore & Crenshaw have proportioned the green sizes to the fairway lengths. A small green paired with a short hole.

No. 4 is a favorite among those who have labored over the Wicker Point Golf Club course for the last four years, and it’s one that Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw spent a great deal of time developing. On their first visit to the property, the architects spent 12 hours here.

“This hole ties the whole course together,” Sheppard said.

Little Ben’s Creek runs along the right fairway edge from tee box down, merging with another creek in front of the green. The creeks influence play in several places on this hole, where the two creeks border the green on three sides.

While the sights and sounds of Mother Nature enhance the golf experience throughout the course, she’ll bring a smile to your face on the No. 4 green. In the ethereal solitude that is a golf course, the soft bubbling of Little Ben’s Creek as it runs by the green, the gentle breeze in the treetops and the unexpected music of birds in the ravine create the formula for a thoughtful, relaxed putt. A goal of the architectural team was to make every hole memorable, and this delightful, intimate connection with nature may well be what you recall about playing No. 4.

“Ben told us the creek that runs through the front nine has the opportunity to be as impactful and as pivotal in the building of the course, as Raes Creek at Augusta,”

Sheppard said.

The par-4 No. 7 hints at the third setting at Wicker Point, as it’s the first hole where you catch a glimpse of the lake through the trees. While the entire course includes about one-and-a-half miles of Lake Martin shoreline, the lake comes into play on six holes.

“One of Russell Lands’ requirements for the course was that they had to use the lake,” Sheppard explained. “That was Bill’s biggest challenge, routing 18 holes in a way that used Lake Martin and made it look like it had been that way since the lake flooded the area in the 1920s.”

When the lake comes into play, it does so in a big way on the par-3 No. 8. All along the 185 yards from tee box to the green, the right side drops steeply into the lake, and the fairway rolls like flowing water.

“It’s no easy birdie hole, that’s for sure,” Sheppard said of this striking lakeside play.

The challenge on No. 9 before the turn is a classic architectural lion’s mouth, a frontside bunker encroaching the green so tightly that the putting carpet wraps from one side of the sand to the other. Talk about risk and reward.

You’ll want to take a brief break in your play now. Check in at the clubhouse to freshen up. Designed by Hank Long of Henry Sprott Long & Associates of Birmingham, the clubhouse sets the tone for classic golf and provides the perfect spot to dine, host an event or just relax after a round. Prepare yourself for the unique surprises designed into each finely tailored hole on the back nine of Coore & Crenshaw’s Wicker Point Golf Club course. You’ll discover it’s even more spectacular than you could ever imagine, as the course challenges your game along Lake Martin like you’ve never before seen it.

As you sip a cool beverage in the clubhouse, you might start working on the list of friends you’ll invite to play here.

Wicker Point Golf Club members will also have access to overnight accommodations for guests at the golf cottages, finely appointed guestrooms with an optional living space available for family events. The groundbreaking for the golf cottages was imminent at Lake magazine’s presstime, with the intention to reduce future construction noise, said Steve Arnberg, Russell Lands Vice President Real Estate Sales.

With the back nine nearing completion at mid-summer in preparation for the fall grand opening, the once-in-alifetime experience of working with golf greats Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw will be missed as the construction process nears its end. At the same time, there is plenty of excitement about the prospect of another exclusive worldclass golf club on Lake Martin.

What comes next, Sheppard said, is a new challenge –living up to the promise.

“We’ve promised an exclusive experience, an inviting atmosphere of true Southern hospitality,” he said. “Everything we’ve done here has been focused on that goal.”

Previous Pages: Lake Martin comes into play on holes 8, 11, 12, 13,16, and 17; Facing Page: On the 17th green, bunkers guide the golfer away from the water hazard.