The Tuckahoe nine of Wintergreen Resort’s Stoney Creek Golf Course has been renovated and covered with a special turfgrass called Cavalier zoysia.
Stoney Creek, a 27-hole Rees Jones design, is the first golf course in the region to implement Cavalier zoysiagrass, which replaces the bent grass fairways, and fescue green surrounds since the Tuckahoe was added to the original 18 holes in 1998. The official opening of the Tuckahoe nine will be in late May.
“There is no guessing game on the new surface,” says Sean Taylor, Wintergreen’s director of golf, of the Cavalier zoysia. “It’s just a joy to play on it.”
The Tuckahoe project was far more involved than just planting grass. New tees were built on six holes to add more than 300 yards to the maximum length of the golf course, which now stretches to about 3,800 yards.
“The overall renovation is a significant upgrade from a playability and conditioning standpoint,” Taylor said. “It was important that we not comprise any of the integrity of the Rees Jones design.”
The resort also constructed a completely new set of juniors-only tees on each hole. Juniors will have a course that is about 2,000 yards, with par 3s, 4s and 5s that are fun and have shot value, Taylor said.
Another major part of the Tuckahoe renovation was the complete restoration of all nine greens to the original Jones specifications and size. New soil was implemented throughout and a tighter bentgrass seeded on each green to maximize retention of a smooth putting surface.
The new tee areas were extended along the original line that Jones started on each hole, to maintain his intended layout.
Most of the bite is noticeable in the stretch of holes No. 3, 4 and 5:
- No. 3, Par 5: The hole was stretched from 535 yards to 570 yards. A dogleg left, it’s now even tougher to carry a tee shot over the long bunker that protects the corner. Reaching the green in two still requires carry over Stoney Creek, which cuts completely across the fairway in front of the green.
- No. 4, Par 3: The hole changed from a challenging 188 yards to a monstrous 249 yards. The inherent challenge of the result comes with threading a shot between the protected wasteland on the left and the strip of Stoney Creek that runs up the right, all with enough carry to reach the slightly elevated green.
- No. 5, Par 4: The hole jumped from a casual 441 yards to a combat-ready 501. Starting out of a tree-lined chute, the dogleg right is affected by Stoney Creek, particularly where the water crosses in front of the tee, and then on the right corner of the fairway. The elevated green retained the ridge that divides it in three sections.
For more information about the Wintergreen Resort, call (800) 266-2444 or visit www.wintergreenresort.com.