The Plantation course at Sea Island Resort in Georgia, USA, is to undergo a redesign and renovation project led by Love Golf Design.

Aims of the work include the creation of new strategic elements on the course, while also restoring its character and routing.

Scot Sherman of Love Golf Design will lead the work, and the architect spoke to GCA about his plans for the project.

“The project will be both a renovation and redesign at the same time,” Sherman said. “The most noticeable things will be the course’s aesthetic, strategy and even some routing changes. We will also regrass everything completely, renovate cart paths and make other minor upgrades.”

The course has a notable architectural history, with some revered architects leaving their mark on it over the years.

“Davis, Mark and I are most at ease thinking the way course builders did in the very distant past, so as we move ahead, the historic plans and images we find in Sea Island’s archives will envelop and comfort us like an old cashmere sweater,” Sherman explained. “The past work of Travis, Colt, and Alison will certainly influence our thinking, but with today’s game in mind. We are still formulating all the details, but we will start by infusing a more timeless feel into the course – including the look of the bunkering, native landscape, and even hardscape. We think the introduction of a few railroad tie sleepers into parts of the layout will get us going. Add in a few strategic surprises, and recreate some features found in the old sepia photos, and hopefully this will set us off in the right direction. One can never fully go back to the past, but we hope it will heavily influence Plantation’s future.”

The work on the Plantation course forms part of a series of projects at the resort, which includes the development of a new 17,000 square-foot golf performance centre.

“We are fortunate to have an owner who always does things the right way,” Sherman added. “So, we have had great support from the Sea Island team who seem genuinely excited about the possibilities.”

Work will commence following the 2018 RSM Classic PGA Tour event, which is held annually at Sea Island Golf Club. This year it takes place from 12-18 November.

The reworked course is expected to open in October 2019, ahead of next year’s RSM Classic.