Nicklaus Design has started renovation work at Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club in South Carolina, which will see greens restored to their original design and bunkers rebuilt to improve playability.

The four-month project is being led by golf course architect Troy Vincent.

Work involves stripping and tilling all greens and surrounds to restore them to Nicklaus Design’s original 1988 design. This will increase the size of the putting surfaces by 48 per cent, taking the overall size of greens to 117,000 square feet. They will be grassed with TifEagle bermuda.

All bunkers will be reconstructed, with the larger complexes on holes one to four, seven, eight, ten, twelve, sixteen and eighteen replaced by smaller fairway bunkers. The club hopes this will enhance playability for mid to high handicappers, while maintaining the challenge for more skilled players.

Native areas will be expanded to enhance the setting among maritime forest and tidal marsh, and there will be some tree removal to improve conditioning.

“I’m excited,” said Vincent. “I like Pawleys Plantation and I really enjoy working with the Founders Group International team. We are looking forward to putting the course back on the map. For so many years Pawleys was recognised at state and national levels and hopefully we can get it back to where we feel it deserves to be.”

The course will reopen in September.