To protect water quality and prevent erosion, five lakeside holes will be sodded by Christmas
Golf icons Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw envision a golf course that looks and plays like it has been here for many years
The natural terrain of the fairways will change very little
honors the existing terrain. “There’s a crew of about 20 people working day by day, along with Coore and Crenshaw’s two design shapers,” said Russell Lands’ director of golf, Matt Sheppard. “Every week, you see something else happening, and the next thing you know, it starts looking like a golf hole.” Since the first stages of development, the architects have made joint and individual visits to the area, depending on the expertise required for the scheduled work on the course, but their vision of the project is so strong that their narrative is the same, Sheppard said. “You can hear similar talk and words about the shape of the golf course and the lay of the land. You hear the way they think about golf and why things should or shouldn’t be a certain way. It’s remarkable,” Sheppard said. After a week of torrential downpours in the wake of Hurricane Ida in September, the design team fell behind schedule but is moving at a good pace and should be ready to plant grass before winter, said James Morgan, course superintendent for the project. “This year with COVID-19, there have been 22 LAKE
manufacturing delays for pipe, irrigation and pump stations, but we’ve made scheduling adjustments here and there and haven’t really had any lost time,” Morgan said. The course will feature Zeon Zoysia grass for the approaches, tees, fairways and rough and Tifeagle Bermudagrass on the greens, accentuated by bunkers with sand native to the area. The uniquely Alabama appearance of the course will include longleaf pine plantations on many holes, and nine holes will be bordered by the lake. In addition to the native forests, out-of-play areas will be plentiful with native grasses and wildflowers. To preserve and encourage the growth of these species, Russell Lands is working in conjunction with Alabama Wildlife Federation biologist Claude Jenkins, the most recent recipient of the National Wildlife Federation’s National Conservation Leadership Award. Players will feel they are enveloped in the natural environment as they navigate through varying terrains and topographies, with each hole providing a unique challenge. Natural creeks and pine plantations on the starting holes will give way to the first look of picturesque Lake Martin on hole eight, the second par-3 on
NOVEMBER 2021
