Rick Robbins, ASLA, ASGCA, RLA

After nearly 23 years of living in Cary, NC, I have relocated to the small town of Leland, just outside historic Wilmington. Actually, I am living in a rented condominium near the clubhouse at the Magnolia Greens development while our new home is being built at the Compass Pointe development. We purchased a lot overlooking the 10th green of the Compass Pointe GC and construction is set to begin next week. If things go as planned, we will be able to move in around Christmas but we expect it will be after January 1st. It is exciting to move to a new place but also difficult to leave the many long-time friends we have in Cary. The good news is that many of them will come to see us here when it gets cold in Cary and it is only a 2-hour drive. We also look forward to making new friends as we get to know people here.

At long last, the new Compass Pointe golf course in Leland, NC has opened!  The course was available for play by the residents of the development on June 14 and 15, for members on the 16th and a Grand Opening event was held on the 17th.  Bobby Harrelson, owner and developer of the course officially cut the ribbon and opened the course for play by everyone.  As of this writing, the course has been very well recieved as the web site comments on the golf media behalf and those of the residents of the Compass Pointe development will attest.  Being the first new 18-hole course opened in the state of NC in over 6 years, it is an exciting event.  It was very good to see the excitement created on the 2nd day of play when the club held a par 3 scramble tournament from the Family Tees for 83 members.  

 

Recent domestic projects have been moving forward at a steady pace this winter.  The grow-in process at Compass Pointe in Leland, NC continues as the superintendent, Marty Walker, gets the new 18-hole course ready for a grand opening in May.  With a few weeks of warm weather, the new turf will begin to turn green once again and the course will be in great shape for everyone to see what the first new course in the region in years is really like.  This week, 125 new palm trees are being planted in key areas of the course, especially around the newly completed short-game area.

Speaking of new short-game practice areas, we have been working with Devils Ridge GC in Holly Springs to rearrange their facilities in order to create more inclusive features.  Some shifts are proposed to be made to the existing range tees that will give us space to build a chipping green, a sand practice bunker and green, new artificial turf tees, a "waiting green" and a set of tees and target green for practicing 35 - 70 yard pitch shots.  The plans have been drawn and the permit process with the Town is under way.  The facilities should be completed by May and ready for use by late June.

The proposed new driving range for the site in Butner, NC is also proceeding well.  The owners have received unanimous approval from the Town of Butner for re-zoning the property and to approve the "Special Use" permit for practice range construction.  The purchase of the property is scheduled to close by the end of March and construction should proceed soon thereafter.

Renovation of the bunkers at Magnolia Greens Golf Club in Leland, NC (sister course to Compass Pointe) is moving ahead at a good pace.  Changes have been made to holes #3 & #8 of the Magnolia Course already and the contractor will begin reworking holes #1 & #6 of the Camellia Course later this week.  The program is intended to make the bunker maintenance more cost effective and make the course play better for the many retiree members.  The management and owner of Magnolia Greens are committed to significant renovations to the entire 27-hole layout over the next several years. 

A lot of things have been happening recently with more to come.  Below are some highlights of recent events and some future plans as well:

• The golf course at Compass Pointe in Leland, NC is now finished and is in the final stages of grow-in.  The greens are in great shape already and fairways are not far behind.  The course will be allowed to mature over the winter and will be set to open in the spring of 2016.  Meanwhile, the staff will be doing final completion items such as clearing small brush out of the roughs, removing all construction debris and generally clearing the site of all remaining trash and undergrowth.  This course will demonstrate the type of design that will reduce the use of irrigation water due to limiting the area of active maintenance by the use of waste areas, wetlands and native grass areas.
• The owner of the Compass Pointe project has recently purchased the 27-hole Magnolia Greens Golf Course, located only a few miles from Compass Pointe.  We are already engaged in providing consultation on a renovation program to bring each of the 3 nine hole courses up to the same standards as Compass Pointe over the next several years.
• Rick recently returned from attending a Golf Study Tour sponsored by The Toro Company and attended by over 70 golf course designers from the US, Europe and Australia.  These periodic Study Tours are held to allow for learning about different types of courses in different regions and has added significantly to the education of those who attend.  This tour was held in England with Sunningdale New Course, The Red Course at The Berkshires, Royal St. George and Royal Cinque Ports as venues for study.  The courses are all historic and demonstrated the best of "Heathland" and "Linksland" style golf design.
• In late October, Rick will join several other noted golf industry members in speaking at the Golf Water Forum in Shenzhen, China.  This conference is sponsored by Forward Golf Management Group and will address the issues and solutions to how golf facilities can be designed to reduce the use and improve the quality of water resources.
• While in China on this visit, Rick will visit his newly completed renovation of the Yinhong #6 Course in Beijing and also visit 2 new projects.  Interest in new jobs in China is still quite high and we are all waiting eagerly for the Central Government to produce the regulations and direction for construction of courses.
• Recently, Rick visited the project at Echo Valley in Des Moines, Iowa.  He added 9 holes to an existing 18-hole course that was built in the 1960's.  Some renovation work has been done to one of the original 9's and now the owner is considering a complete renovation of the 3rd nine holes to solve flooding issues and bring it up to modern standards.  We should begin planning and design this winter and begin work next summer.
• In an effort to stay involved with past designs, Rick visited 3 courses this month that have been opened for 10 years or more. Royal St. Patricks and Horseshoe Bay G.C. are both near Green Bay, Wisconsin and The Tribute at The Otsego Club is in Gaylord, Michigan.  Rick met with the owners and the staff to review any items that affect the design intent or ability to properly maintain the courses.  It was great to return to all 3 courses and see that they were all being well taken care of and that the owners are still pleased with the results.
• Rick's consulting work at Blowing Rock Country Club has contributed to the club and NCDOT reaching a settlement for damages from highway widening that is, according to the attorney for the club, "over 50 times the amount that was proposed by the state".  Rick is happy to have assisted in getting what is a fair settlement that will allow the club to repair the damages from the construction work.