Remodel of Historic Wilmington GC Complete


Wilmington Municipal Golf Course reopened for play on October 2 following a major restoration. The course was designed by Donald Ross in 1926 to provide the public with a high-quality golf course.

John Fought, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based designer responsible for the acclaimed 2004 remodeling of Pine Needles - a Ross-designed course in Southern Pines, N.C., was brought in to revive the city-owned layout located in a sand belt area less than four miles from the Atlantic Ocean.

The extensive makeover included the restoration of all greens, bunkers, approach areas and most tee boxes. Course drainage was improved and the irrigation system upgraded, as was the practice putting green. Fifty-five trees on the popular Eastern Shore muni were removed, including pines and oaks that were shading greens.

Before the course closed for repairs, Wilmington had recorded approximately 60,000 rounds a year. Heavy play over the decades had caused significant wear and tear on the 88-year old layout, prompting the city to underwrite the restoration with golf course revenues and park bond funds.

"What happened in the 1920s is that Ross built small sand greens in the South, but his hole diagrams show greens averaging 5,600 square feet," Fought explained. "These greens were never built."

Following Ross's original design plans for the course - 17 of the 18 holes were on file at the Tufts Archives in Pinehurst, N.C. - the greens were raised three to five feet above fairway level, ensuring proper drainage and enhancing shot creativity.

"I drew my greens on top of his templates, more than doubling the size of the putting surfaces at Wilmington," Fought said. "Except for a few minor changes, we stuck as closely as possible to what Ross intended. We finished this course for him."

According to David Donovan, Wilmington's head pro and course manager, "Duininck Golf was hired to do the work. We completely rebuilt and in some cases strategically repositioned all the bunkers, which now total 65. We also rebuilt or resurfaced 24 tee boxes." Donovan explained that approach areas 50 to 100 yards from the green were re-contoured to facilitate better drainage.

Except for the conversion of Wilmington's sand greens to grass in the early 1950s, Donovan said this is the first restoration effort at the municipal facility. About Duininck Golf, Donovan said "they did a great job, especially considering they got a late start (the course did not close for play until May 11). Somehow they were still able to complete their work by late September. The construction crew worked from sun up to sun down, six days a week, to get the job done."

Donovan noted that Duininck Golf had worked with Fought on previous projects, which facilitated a smooth working relationship. "They knew what Fought (a Donald Ross Society member) was looking for," which expedited the progress of the restoration.

"Duininck Golf is a very fine contractor, one of the absolute best working today," Fought said. "They're a well-coordinated team and have great people working in their organization. Travis Quisberg is one of the best site supervisors in the business. His brother, Rich, is a fantastic shaper, an artist on a bulldozer. These guys and the rest of the crew fully understand the process of course reconstruction and have a tremendous work ethic."

Except for the greens, which were sprigged with MiniVerde Bermuda grass, Donovan noted that all playing areas on the course were sodded, totaling 12 acres of turf. The layout's fairways, tees and green surrounds were sodded with Tifway 419 Bermuda. Empire Zoysia was used to surface the collars of the bunkers.

Extended by roughly 150 yards to 6,785 yards (par 71), Wilmington, generally swept by sea breezes, offers a firm but fair test from the tips. Ross's trademark playability for average golfers is in evidence from the forward tees.

The city's public golfers, Donovan said, have been "blown away" by how much was accomplished during the five-month restoration. "Not only are our regulars raving about the course, we're getting positive comments from private club members in the area who've played Wilmington," which he described as "basically a new golf course."

Donovan believes that in the wake of the completed restoration, Wilmington Municipal Golf Course, located 60 miles from Myrtle Beach, S.C., will soon become a popular stopover course for players traveling south by car.

For more information, visit http://www.wilmingtonnc.gov/community_services/recreation/golf_course.