The Golden Age of golf course architecture lives again at Jekyll Island, GA. Great Dunes, the Walter Travis design that opened in 1927, reopened today following an extensive renovation from the architects Jeffrey Stein and Brian Ross.
Thanks to the Jekyll Island Authority’s extensive library of old ground-level photographs of Travis’ original Great Dunes nine-hole layout, coupled with on-site research at some of the “Old Man’s’’ classic courses, such as Garden City Country Club on Long Island, Stein and Ross have created a course (6,600 yards, par 72) that will elevate Jekyll Island to its rightful place among the top golf destinations in the Southeast.
Great Dunes joins Jekyll Island’s two other recently-renovated courses – Indian Mound and Pine Lakes – as the centerpiece of the barrier island’s public golf offerings.
Stein and Ross took land from the Dick Wilson-designed Oleander course next to Great Dunes to recreate the scrubby sand look of Travis’ original design.
“Hopefully (players) will get a sense of something a bit more different than they are used to playing – more interesting and thought-provoking,’’ Stein told me. “When I first visited, I was shocked at how much work needed to be done in terms of clearing and drainage. But the course has great architectural bones. I know that people are going to get a sense for its great natural beauty and also get a sense of ‘getting away’ while they are out there.’’
The first three holes of Great Dunes were once part of Oleander, which Wilson designed in 1964. The fourth through 12th holes each are renovations of the original Great Dunes layout. The routing of “Great Dunes 2.0’’ is basically the same as Travis’ original design, except that the fourth and fifth holes were flipped.
Players begin to get a true sense of the course from the third tee, where they get a 1,000-yard view straight to the dunes. It gets even better as they march to the fourth green with views of the ‘great dune’’ and the Atlantic Ocean.
Rolling dunes meet emerald fairways at Great Dunes Golf Course on Jekyll Island
The 13 to 18th holes play back to the original Oleander course. Throughout Great Dunes 2.0, Ross and Stein added bunkering along with Travis’ signature “chocolate drop’’mounds – an homage to Travis’ work at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport, Maine.
“When players are there, they definitely will get a sense of the natural beauty of the place,’’ Stein said. “It’s a very sensitive and active environment. There are a lot of birds. Live oaks and slash pines are everywhere. There are native plants that we reintroduced into the landscape.
“We were trying to create an aesthetic of sandy, rough edges that blend into the native landscape. The idea was to create an environment where it’s like walking through a sandy valley, playing through sand dunes and playing a round of golf. I believe we accomplished that in regards to where the landscape begins and the golf course intersects with it.’’
Photos Courtesy of Jekyll Island Authority
