Strantz crafted True Blue Golf Club to echo many of the characteristics of Pine Valley and Pinehurst #2, with an emphasis on maintaining a natural feel to the course. After years of working under Tom Fazio, Mike Strantz founde d his own golf course design company, Maverick Golf Course Design. Pac NW Open May 10 (Mon) - The Plateau Club: Ranked by the USGA as one of Washington State's most challenging courses, the private Country Club is carved from a classic Northwest Forest on the Sammamish Plateau. Trying to work in Caledonia and True Blue this year too. True Blue Golf Course: Well kept condos and grounds - See 97 traveler reviews, 30 candid photos, and great deals for Pawleys Island, SC, at Tripadvisor. By having our own construction company, we are able to achieve the club’s goals more efficiently by … Sadly, Strantz only enjoyed about a decade-long career, from his first solo design, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club in Pawleys Island, S.C., in 1994, to his death in 2005. Depending on what tees you play, your tee shot on the short par three 15th can look like this... ...or this. While planning my trip to Myrtle Beach I considered driving through Pinehurst, NC to play the world famous No. Another intimidating par three at the 208 yard 16th hole. From the tee the 3rd hole looks intimidating enough with water left. Because time dictated I could only play one of these gems, I chose True Blue this go around. A narrow chute between trees leads to a fairway surrounded by a massive waste bunker on the left and woods on the right. Only a chip shot away, across Kings River Road from Caledonia, sister course True Blue Golf Club is another Mike Strantz-designed jewel set along the magnificent Waccamaw Golf Trail. Golf Week ranked Strantz in the Top 10 of golf architects of all time. Another classic Strantz par three awaits the player at 11. The elevated green on the 16th hole is surrounded by closely mowed fairway instead of bunkers. it is only until the player hits their shot that they realize water is all around this very narrow green. Get news, deals, and special offers right to your inbox from Caledonia Golf and Fish Club, True Blue Golf Club, and Caledonia Golf Vacations! Golf Digest ranks this course number 65 in the top 100 public courses in America. From the tee on 4, it does not look like there is much trouble out there... ...as long as you don't go left. The fairways are upwards of 100 yards wide in certain spots and the greens are incredibly spacious. Cradling in 720 acres of lush tropical grounds in a secluded valley on the northern tip of the island of Phuket, known as the pearl of the Andaman Sea, Blue Canyon Country Club is an award winning golf & spa resort boasting two championship golf courses, an exclusive clubhouse and full country club facilities. Renaissance Golf Design, led by Tom Doak, is proud to have been leaders in this movement. 17 is another hole that appears intimidating off the tee, but with 100 yards of fairway to work with, only the worst of shots will find the water. On your next visit to True Blue, you’ll see for yourself what was all the fuss has been about for two decades now – and exactly why Mike Strantz’ design legacy has attained such elite status. At True Blue the starter doubles as the cart kid and bag drop attendant, so make sure to tip well for his hard work. Admittedly, my standards when it comes to golf courses are fairly high. Lake Country Disc Golf Club member, Jaime Hernandez finished clearing lines through the bramble on #03 White fairway, 07 Blue & White fairways and the respective landing zones. The tenth tee contrasts lots of fairway with lots of trouble. The short par 4 eight hole requires no more than a long iron or hybrid over the trap on the right side of the fairway for a short wedge into the green. From giant sprawling fairways to massive green complexes, True Blue does everything just a little bigger and a little better than the norm. Afraid of going right on 17? True Blue came to life two years prior, as one of nine Strantz designs that quickly vaulted the Tom Fazio protégé to such elite status. The 15th hole measures 602 yards, with ample room off the tee. 2 course as well as Tobacco Road, another Mike Strantz design. 5/. For example, the extreme back to front slope of the green on the par four eight hole forces the golfer to control the spin on their wedge shot to stay close to the hole. 8 vs. Celebrate 20 Years February With Throwback Tuesdays. The Resort The Resort. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. A longstanding Waccamaw Golf Trail favorite in a breathtaking Lowcountry setting, presented with modern features by a true maverick of golf course design, Mike Strantz. At 437 yards, the 18th is a challenging but fair hole. Maverick Golf Course Design's Mike Strantz was voted "Golf Course Architect of the Year in 1998" by Golf World Magazine. Along the way, Strantz’ handiwork at True Blue has earned a slew of statewide and national honors – not the least of which came from Golf Channel’s Matt Ginella, who went so far as to rank True Blue at #42 in 2015 and #41 in 2016 on his list of “Top 50 U.S. The LakeHawk dgc is shaping up! Playing Myrtle Beach courses in August has its advantages and disadvantages. What Mike Strantz does not demand in accuracy off the tee he makes up for in demanding approach shots. With a course rating of 74.3 and a slope of 145, it is important to know that big scores can rack up easy on True Blue. I can say that the square tee boxes are very plush and level, as are the fairways. The five par threes on the course vary in yardage, from 158 to 208, and each par three will require a different club and shot shape. The fairway drops off into another waste area on the right. Close-up of the large waste bunker. Water guards the entire left side of this par five. Unlike most courses found in this region of South Carolina True Blue showcases dramatic elevation changes from elevated tees and approach shots to elevated greens. The view from the first tee at True Blue. The Courses of Mike Strantz and Maverick Golf Design For his efforts at True Blue and Caledonia, Strantz was named “Architect of the Year” by Golf World in 1998. The green is very accessible from the fairway on the fifth hole. What my approach to the second looked like. Advantage: bargain greens fees. However, after learning there was another Mike Strantz design outside the Myrtle Beach area, I quickly booked a tee time at True Blue and greatly anticipated teeing it up on this Strantz design. 3. The tees on this hole surround the green like an amphitheater. His Tobacco Road Golf Club, near Pinehurst, truly must be seen to be believed. Located on a once-thriving rice and indigo plantation, True Blue utilizes the fertile landscape of twisted live oaks and towering pines, tidal creeks and salt marshes as the backdrop for designer Mike Stranz's lowcountry masterpiece. Bulls Bay Golf Club Awendaw, SC. Every aspect of this Mike Strantz design is larger than life and ready to maximize your Myrtle Beach golf experience. And while working the ball left to right or right to left is not a requirement to successfully navigate True Blue, it certainly allows a player more options and ways to access the tight pin locations on the course. There are no 500 yard par fours on this course, but fair par fours in the 430 to 450 yard range that play difficult with intimidating tee shots and intimidating approaches over water to the greens. On the scorecard True Blue stretches to 7,126 yards from the championship tees. Maverick Golf Design is one of the few golf course construction firms that offers full service design construction from shaping to irrigation to agronomic consultation. True Blue Golf Club Cost: $200+ vs. $149 Design: Pinehurst No. Sea Island GC Sea Island, GA. Tobacco Road Sanford, NC. Make a good swing and the green will hold long approach shots. I do not need to play perfectly manicured courses, but rather I seek out courses that test every facet of my game. The stunning beauty of his creations leave golfers in awe. Be sure to check out the pro shop before or after the round as I have seen golf stores that did not have as much merchandise to take home. Part of his legacy is the course he created on … Its sister course, True Blue Golf Club, would join Caledonia five years later as it set up shop just around the corner. The course is also located a few miles from the center of the resort, and it feels like a separate private club in many ways. Pinehurst No. Detail of the seventh green and surrounding trouble. You can see elements of True Blue, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and Tobacco Road in the work of a number of modern designers and even Tom Fazio has moved away from his ultra-conditioned / manicured tendencies. The most noteworthy golf course designs of the past decade have been among the least expensive to build. If you guessed this (which is correct by the way), congratulations! Trouble surrounds this narrow green. Hazards surround the second green at True Blue. 'The Maverick' of golf course design - and you saw that, it wouldn't be difficult to ascertain that we'd be heading down to the Hammock Coast to presumably play Strantz's Pawleys Island pair of Top 100 Courses, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club. After years of working under Tom Fazio, Mike Strantz founde. Monterey Peninsula CC Pebble Beach, CA. The Mike Strantz design opened in 1994, and since then, it has continued to distinguish itself to players and golf professionals alike. True Blue, along with its sister course Caledonia Fish & Golf Club are two tremendous courses that offer unbeatable golf value. Sometimes, courses that are rough around the edges possess a unique beauty that is rarely seen. Architect Mike Strantz, who also designed True Blue's sister course at Caledonia, crafted a jewel that plays on the natural beauty of the area and offers an equally … Probably the best birdie opportunity on the course, players can choose how much of the dogleg right they want to cut off on the ninth tee. And there is no rest for the weary; the last four holes are the hardest stretch on the course. True Blue Golf Plantation is such a course. True Blue is part of Caledonia Golf and Fish Club. Whether it is the intimidating waste areas surrounding the very narrow green on the par four second hole, or the massive lake fronting the par three 16th hole, Mike Strantz makes the player think about what could go wrong with each iron shot. Strantz challeneges players right of the gate on the first four holes. Either hit the green on the par four 12th hole or find trouble, there is no in between. True Blue Golf Plantation is such a course. His creations are considered to be an assault on the senses. A golf course design legend in his own right, Fazio had taken Strantz under his wing after the latter’s graduation from Michigan State University in 1978, and quickly moved Strantz into on-site designer roles at several of Fazio’s courses along the South Carolina coast. Huge mounds on the right side of the fairway will obscure a view of the green for those who bail out right. Missing this green means a tough up and down from tight lies to the elevated putting surface. We look forward to hosting you soon! Designed by the famous golf course architect Mike Stranz, this low country masterpiece has been on the spotlight for years. I played when the course was virtually empty so maybe I got good attention, but the pro shop staff and outside staff at True Blue were very helpful and informative. Following Wild Dunes Golf Course Isle of Palms, SC. Similar to the sixth green, the best birdie opportunities at the eighth hole come to those who can control the spin on their wedge shots. True Blue ranked #77 in this year's Top 100. While the large waste area on the right side of this green appears safe, shots that hit in there on the fly will find the water. Like these two legendary designers, Strantz, Golf World’s 1998 Architect of the Year, lived at Bulls Bay, the course that would be his final original masterpiece. Therefore it is difficult for me to adequately comment on the conditioning of True Blue. The hard-packed waste areas gave favorable lies, even if I found myself in a cart track or a footprint. Much of this yardage can be attributed to the three par fives between 599 and 624 yards in length. A signature Mike Stranz design with well-placed water and testy native areas across the property, True Blue is a treat for every golfer no matter the handicap. This hole does have two greens and can be played as a dogleg right to the alternate green. The Golf Club at St. Andrews Beach – Rye, Victoria, Australia. Stricken with cancer, Mike died in 2005, just days after his 50th birthday. CALDEDONIA GOLF AND FISH CLUB, PAWLEYS ISLAND. The punched and sanded greens cost me a fair share of 3-5 footers, but aside from the slight damage to my overall score they did not detract from the overall experience. The large bunker that fronts the 13th green makes players unsure of how much green there is to work with. Because waste areas feed into greenside bunkers, local rules at True Blue stipulate that all sanded areas be played "through the green" and not as a bunker. To say that True Blue is wild is a spot on description. Plenty of birdies to be had, along with plenty of bogeys or worse. As a result, this course rivals full-Strantz neighbors Caledonia and True Blue, despite being overlooked by many visiting golfers. True Blue offers an amazing combination of easy holes and impossible holes. Is the ranking overly generous to the more prolific architects ? True Blue joined Caledonia five years later as its sister course situated just around the corner, and in the 20 years since its opening, True Blue has become widely recognized as a bigger, bolder test of your game than even its highly renowned relative. But while there is plenty of bail out room to the right off the tee on 17, doing so will bring the water into play on the approach shot. True Blue Golf Club is a mammoth of a golf course. The seventh hole is one of the most interesting at True Blue. At first inspection the greenside bunkers felt hardpacked and tough to play out of, but they ended up being extremely playable and could be played as any normal bunker shot. Now its time to be afraid of going left on 18. True Blue offers a perfect blend of natural beauty and man-made craftsmanship to form an ideal golf experience. The point of the massive bunkers, huge waste areas, and water hazards is to force golfers to actually think about what needs to be done to advance the ball. Proceed to checkout Continue shopping. Lots of mounding, waste areas, and native grasses force you to keep your focus on hitting this green. True Blue Golf Club was one of nine design creations of the late Mike Strantz (pictured, right), who tragically passed away from cancer in 2005 at the age of 50 – but not before establishing an indelible legacy in a short amount of time, earning the honor from Golfweek Magazine in 2000 of being named as one of the “Top 10 Greatest Golf Architects of All Time.”. We have all seen green fairways and big bunkers filled with white sand, but sometimes beauty comes in a different form. A mid-long iron approach to this elevated green requires a high cut shot for the best results to the back pin location. It is a playable layout that is less penal than other tournament-focused options. Course Architect: Tom Doak; Lead Associate: Bruce Hepner; Principal Shapers: Eric Iverson, Mike McCartin, Brian Slawnik, Brian Schneider . A small 10-15 foot gap between trees redefines the definition of "chute.". The creativity in the design … Thankfully, Mike Strantz didn’t pull … Forrest Fezler, a PGA Tour winner and golf course designer/builder who once protested the USGA by wearing shorts in a U.S. Open, died Friday morning in Tallahassee, Fla., at age 69. Even shots that appear fairly easy and straightforward will require thought. Open since 1990, Blackmoor Golf Club is one of the Grand Strand's most beloved modern layouts. 8 is a Tom Fazio design that is the favorite of many who visit the area. Visually, True Blue blurs the line between golf course design and land sculpture to the point where you will remember every single hole. While this opening tee shot, and every tee shot after it, looks intimidating, Strantz offers enough fairway to work with. 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