on the property.”
When original lead architect Rick
Jacobson was called back in to consult, the
turnaround effort became refined. Owing
to a generous budget and the design
expertise of the Nicklaus organization, the
original course had benefitted from “all the
latest and greatest turfgrasses and construction techniques,” McGregor notes. “There
was great irrigation, even extra wiring
underground. This course would have been
spectacular if it hadn’t been shut down.”
The budget, skill and equipment for
reclaiming this Rip Van Winkle of a golf
course were all in place, but philosophical
discussions were also needed. Before long all
parties agreed that a simple restoration was
not the optimal choice. As even Jacobson
concurred, the mood of the golf industry
and of the game itself had “moved on,” in
McGregor’s words, since that original design
first appeared on the landscape.
A full review of the playability factor of
the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at
Potomac Shores was undertaken. Guiding it
was the SunCal mantra of “golf that is fun,
fast and beautiful.” Those three words would
influence every decision about landing zones,
green sites, teeing grounds and hazards.
“We made at least one significant change
to every hole,” McGregor says.
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Having discussed the design at length
with Jacobson, McGregor summoned a
course construction company and shifted
into high gear. Down the outward half and
up the back, the work crews widened landing
areas, expanded putting surfaces, filled in
some of the sand bunkers and made others
smaller or shallower.
At No. 4, the green was doubled in size.
The par 4s and par 5s in the original design
featured two sets of fairway bunkers, one to
catch drives from the member tees and one
to trip up stronger players bombing it from
the tips.
“We took out the fairway bunkers that
were set up to catch players who tee it
forward,” McGregor says. Those are now
grass hollows without sand or a high bunker
lip to bedevil the weekend player. Similarly,
in the tee complexes, there was a gap
between every farthest-forward tee for the
shortest hitters and the markers intended
for use by the average adult male golfer. It
was filled in by the installation of a new tee
wherever needed.
DEVELOPMENT DRIVES
ADDITIONAL INTEREST
As the golf course became redefined for
the new era that begins this spring,
McGregor’s lonely contingent suddenly had
lots of company.
“We’ve watched the water lines and
power lines go, and we’ve seen them create
the footprint of the T
own Center,” he says.
The first residents of Potomac Shores are
already on property, settling in as another
50-plus custom homes make their way
through construction. It is expected that
the hotel, retail stores and other commercial
features of the Town Center will be
completed in 2015.
“It’s all on a human scale, very walkable
and like a neighborhood,” McGregor says of
the center. He credits the new master plan
for creating a mix or residential and public
spaces that have a natural flow to them and
create lots of casual interaction.
It’s a planning mindset that matches well
with the new attitude about what creates
a positive golf experience—that ideal mix
of scenic beauty, a sporting challenge
and brisk rounds that put a premium on
enjoyment. When Virginia golfers wake up
to the presence of a unique and twice-built
championship course at Potomac Shores,
they should find that it delivers, at last, on
high expectations.
Author David Gould is a writer from Sandy
Hook, Conn., and a regular contributor to
Virginia Golfer.
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