Spring Island Blogs

Old Tabby Links Renovations Creating a Buzz

 

Frequently cited as one of America’s best courses, Old Tabby Links closing for restoration on March 12^th was picked up by the media with stories in CyberGolf, World Golf, and the Island Packet to name a few.

Arnold Palmer Design Company and MacCurrach Golf Construction are heading up the project with plans for a new state-of-the-art irrigation system, regrassed greens and other enhancements to restore the natural beauty and rugged character of the course.

The work is scheduled to be completed in the fall, with Old Tabby reopening this November.

Click on the following links to read the full articles:  CyberGolf, World Golf, Island Packet

Sampson plays 144 holes of golf for Patriot Golf Day

Bill Sampson, Director of Golf, played a total of 144 holes on Sunday, September 4th  for the Folds of Honor Foundation and made 15 birdies in the process.  A small gallery followed Sampson throughout the last 9 holes which enabled him to finish strong with birdies on #17 and #18 in front of his cheering fans.  

Please check back later this week to read about the final donation that will be made to the Folds of Honor Foundation from the Spring Island Club.

Way to go, Bill!

2011 Spring Party Member/Guest Golf Tournament

The Spring Party Member/Guest Golf Tournament will take place March 24th through March 26th, 2011 and will consist of a Four-Ball Stableford Competition within flights. All players are required to have a certified USGA handicap index and the staff will use the most current index for all players.

  

Cocktails and heavy hors d'oeurves will be served on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Golf House. The event will conclude Saturday night with cocktails and awards at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at the River House.

  

This is expected to be a well attended event with 36 teams already confirmed to date.

Old Tabby Links - '...seven courses I could play everyday...’

Ron Green, a retired Charlotte Observer columnist, recently shared thoughts on which courses in the Carolinas he could play everyday. It's exciting to see Old Tabby Links sharing company with some wonderful courses such as Pine Needles (Pinehurst), Wild Dunes (Isle of Palms), Cedarwood Country Club, and others.

To read the article in its entirety, please click here.

"I was convinced God lived there"

Vicki Martz, Vice President, Senior Golf Course Architect and Director of Environmental Design for Arnold Palmer Golf Design, in a recent interview with Golf Club Atlas said of Spring Island, “When I first saw the site after our trip over on boat from the mainland, I was convinced that God lived there. I have never seen any piece of land more beautiful and natural.”

Martz described the unique opportunity Spring Island offered for design with conservation in mind:

“Developers Chaffin and Light asked us to design a course that would fit naturally and sensitively into that pristine environment.  From that experience I learned that great design could be unobtrusive and that preserving and enhancing the natural features of the land gives a course character, identity and unique challenge.”

Martz has enjoyed artistic freedom with her golf course designs. Her work on Old Tabby was game-changing for golf, as she described to Golf Club Atlas:

“At Old Tabby, we wanted the golfer to have a ‘core golf’ experience and, in addition wanted to insulate the holes with as much of the wonderful native tree cover that we could. Our minimum width for angle turns was 400 feet at Old Tabby which was quite unique at that time. Conservation, protection and preservation were the ultimate goals of the owners, Jim and Betsy Chaffin and Jim Light. That forward -thinking philosophy was my first encounter with an owner that would shrink the housing component for the overall enjoyment of the experience.”

For the full interview with Martz, click here.