Champions Retreat is special
Unique is a word that defines Champions Retreat Golf Club.
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The fourth fairway on the Arnold Palmer course at Champions Retreat runs along side the Savannah River. Nicklaus' nine holes are focused on the hilly terrain along the bluff. Added to his design are elevated greens and tee boxes.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Everything about the course, designed by Masters champions Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, sets it apart from many other courses.
Champions Retreat, which will open in June, is the only 27-hole course in the world that was designed by designed by the three golfers who have won a combined 13 Masters championships.
Each golfer's nine-hole design is laid out on a different topographical landscape. Six of Palmer's Island nine play on a 280-acre island surrounded by the Savannah River and Little River.
Nicklaus' Bluff nine rolls along with hilly terrain and has a number of elevated greens and tee boxes.
Player's Creek nine runs through the wetlands of Euchee Creek.
"The neat thing about playing this course is that when you play 18, you're getting to play two different designers' courses," said Champions Retreat associate professional Shae Stancil. "We really feel like this is going to be a home run. We have around 225 members and nobody is playing the golf course yet. That says a lot about the course and the reputation of the men designing it."
A landscaping crew works on the eighth green on Arnold Palmer's part of the course. Palmer focused the design of his nine holes around an island on the golf course. Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player each designed nine of the 27 holes at Champions Retreat. The three golfers have a total of 13 Masters wins.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
The invitation-only club has an area that surrounds the clubhouse and pro shop known as The Golf Village.
The Golf Village includes a pro shop, a grill house and locker rooms, a massive barn for golf carts and cottages for out-of-town guests.
"If you are a national club, like we feel we are, you have to offer a place for your members to stay when they are in town," said Stancil, about the cottages,which will have up to eight bedrooms to accommodate members, who are from as far away as Ontario, Canada. "That is the driving force behind the cottages."
Stancil said he was very excited about the cart barn and said it is "unrivaled" in this area.
Water hazards are common at Champions Retreat Golf Course such as this wetland area on the Gary Player part of the course.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
The club is planning to have a celebration for its members when it opens in June, Stancil said. He wasn't sure if the three designers would be present for the opening due to busy summer schedules.
"We definitely want to get them all here together," Stancil said. "But the initial celebration will be fun because we will get the chance to allow our members to see a finished course that we feel is top-notch."