More than 3.5 years ago, the owners of Indian Wells Golf Club, including Ed Jerdon and Rowland Thomas, inherited a course in disrepair following the bankruptcy of The Links Group management company.
Today, they have the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association course of the year for 2004.
Indian Wells, now managed by Classic Golf Group, earned the honor over finalists Tiger's Eye Golf Links and another Classic Golf Group course, International Club of Myrtle Beach.
Each nominated course was judged on the quality of the course, quality of the management and contributions to both the community and the good of the game.
"They've done an excellent job of, as they put it, rising from the ashes," said George Hilliard, executive director of the MBAGCOA. "As downtrodden as the course was a few years ago, they've brought it up to outstanding standards, and the management has done an outstanding job."
The resurgence of the Gene Hamm design that is mid-priced for Myrtle Beach began with a $1.5 million renovation project that began shortly after The Links Group's bankruptcy. The improvements included gutting the clubhouse and adding to it, reshaping greens complexes and changing them to TifEagle Bermudagrass, and building a new practice facility. Other work on tee boxes, cart paths, bunkers, irrigation, the parking lot and landscaping was also done.
"Virtually every component of the golf course had some change in some area," said Skip Corn, executive director of Classic Golf Group who joined the company from the TPC of Myrtle Beach in April 2002. "It really started back with Mr. Jerdon and Mr. Thomas and the shareholders having the confidence, foresight and vision to spend that kind of money."
The Indian Wells staff, led by director of golf Steve Hamrick and superintendent Brian VanNostrand, has continued to make capital improvements. A flashy sign along U.S. 17 has been added, and recently a $15,000 bulkhead project was completed on a par-3.
"It shows what some dedication and hard work can do," Corn said. "They've done a great job of turning things around. I've been doing this a long time and I don't know if I've seen a group of people buy into a vision of what a course can be. Indian Wells is much better today than the day it reopened."
Five courses were nominated for the course-of-the-year award. A three-person committee comprised of general managers or directors of golf from former courses of the year narrowed the list to three finalists, and course representatives made a presentation to the MBGCOA membership in July. The members present at the meeting voted Indian Wells the winner.
Source: The Myrtle Beach Sun-News