New green, state of the art traps, two new chipping areas and an enhanced practice area are just a few of improvements golfers will find at the newly renovated Plantation golf course, which formally reopened for play last weekend.
Plantation residents celebrated the completion of the $7 million-dollar makeover Oct. 22 with a breakfast and ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by PGA Tour golfer and Plantation member Billy Horschel.
“I think people are going to enjoy it,” said Horschel, praising the redesigned course for its clean lines and the Plantation staff for their tradition of keeping the course in top condition. “There’s no doubt it will be the best conditioned course in the entire state.”
While at first hesitant to become too involved in the course’s redesign, Horschel said course architect Greg Letsche welcomed his input.
“Greg wanted me to be involved to give my perspective as a PGA Tour golfer and from having seen thousands of courses,” Horschel said, adding that he was particularly excited that Plantation members will have access to the enhanced practice area.
“Now we can work on all facets of the game,” he said.
Plantation General Manager Rob Schlingmann and President Steve Booma praised Letsche for his work in revamping the course, which features a number of significantly redesigned holes. The ninth hole, for example, now plays left to right and positions the green along the water’s edge, with bunkers supporting the left side of the fairway. The 12th hole, meanwhile, has been recreated with less slope on the green, which now has a dramatic new look achieved by removing the former bunker peninsula.
Letsche stressed, however, that the multimillion-dollar upgrades extend beyond the aesthetic, including new drainage irrigation systems.
“The drainage was key,” he said. “(Before) there were times that because of the rainfall you had to keep the carts on the path.”
So successful were the drainage improvements, Booma noted, that the new course withstood the onslaught of Hurricane Matthew.
“Rob (Schlingmann) hunkered down in the clubhouse during the entire storm and reported he couldn’t see any standing water,” Booma said. “Fifteen inches of rain and no standing water – that’s just amazing.”
The golf course improvements build upon The Plantation’s other recent upgrades, including the newly renovated Beach Club and the spring opening of Plantation Commons, which features a croquet court, pavilion and playground.
Letsche thanked Plantation residents for their patience during the yearlong construction process, and encouraged them to capitalize on the newly designed course’s features by changing up their game.
“This course has so many different options – it’s not like every time you play it, it’s the same course,” he said. “I may be biased, but I think you’ve got a winner.”
