The new year revealed a new appearance at Brook Valley Country Club, with the throttle open on the reconstruction project to uplift and revitalize the facility on Greenville’s east side.
The club sat on the brink of closure and an uncertain future in September, when the voting board members of Greenville Country Club, its owner for two years, pulled the plug and unloaded it by defaulting on their property loan. On Oct. 1, the day Brook Valley was scheduled to close, member Rich Winkler, who had been working behind the scenes to find a way to salvage it along with the future of the entire subdivision, gathered his fellow members on the fairway outside the clubhouse and introduced the club’s new owner, John McConnell and McConnell Golf LLC of Raleigh. McConnell pledged to members that the course they love so much will only improve when his crew takes over. They wasted no time; in fact, they were working on New Year’s Day.
“We’ve got a big chunk done,” said Michael Shoun, Vice President of Agronomy at McConnell Golf, whom is responsible for all of the Brook Valley exterior course construction. “The majority of the practice facility, including the driving range tee area, putting green and chipping range and irrigation system, is completed.”
Still to come is the grassing stage, which will include laying sod during the next month. "Eighteen bunkers have been completely restored with new drainage, sand and sod along the edges," Shoun said. Some were original bunkers designed by famed golf course designer Ellis Maples that had been taken out, he said. Some bunkers not on the original Maples plan were removed and replaced with grass.
"Dredging work for the water challenges on the course, which was held up by heavy rains the last few weeks, will be undertaken next week," Shoun said, "including the creek and pond along on the ninth hole. Tree removal at many portions of the course is nearly complete as well. The trees had pretty much taken over at many areas along the course, and had actually changed the way several of the holes had to be played. There also are several trees that had originally been strategically placed to define doglegs and challenge the players, and we did not touch those.”
“It will take up to two years for some of the organic changes we’ve made to mature into place, but we’re excited about making this an outstanding golf facility for the members," Shoun concludes.
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