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D
efying convention can
sometimes be a wise
choice. At The River Club in
Clarksville, Tennessee, architect Billy
Fuller, ASGCA recommended a move
away from the 18-hole norm in order
to help his client achieve the objective
of building a facility that could help
grow the game in the local area.
The 145-acre site for the
development is located between the
Route 374 Highway and the Red
River, which joins with the larger
Cumberland River in downtown
Clarksville.
Fuller was initially brought in by
the club’s co-owner Greg Guinn
to draw up plans for an 18-hole
routing and small practice facility.
However, after consideration,
Guinn was convinced a larger, more
expansive practice facility would
help to grow the game of golf in the
North Tennessee area.
“I suggested we design nine holes
with a combination of double greens
and/or large greens to offer two
pin settings for each green,” Fuller
explains. “One for the front nine and
one for the back nine, along with
double tees for each hole.”
After getting the go-ahead from
Guinn, Fuller set about creating a
design for both the flexible nine-hole
course and a practice facility at the
northern end of the site.
Fuller says that the course’s design
is “all about Golden Era look and
feel,” with much emphasis on the
ground game in green approaches.
“American golfers have become
entrenched in the air game, yet the
game was born as a ground game in
Scotland,” says Fuller. “My hope is
players will enjoy the ground option
at The River Club.”
The architect paid special attention
to the topographical elements of the
site when drawing up his design, and
said that the drainage story at The
River Club is a unique one.
“The Red River rises several feet over
the property, and most of the course
is flood plain,” Fuller explains. “I
designed large, wide swales between
parallel holes in lieu of lakes. These
help to evacuate water off greens,
tees and fairways as quickly as
possible and help resume play after
large storm events. These swales are
mowed at rough height and serve as
secondary hazards.”
The swales are engineered with a
large pipe underneath to remove
water and restore good playing
conditions as rapidly as possible.
Since flooding is an issue at the
site, Fuller and Guinn agreed to
limit the number of sand bunkers to
just 14, and include grass hollows
and strategic angled mounding
placements in some instances. These
may hide a portion of a player’s
target on a misplaced tee shot.
The final design includes nine
‘flexible’ holes, including six with
double greens that allow for a
second hole location. The design
allows for as many as six tees per
hole, and players can play in three,
six and nine hole loops. If a full 18
holes are played, the course can play
from as short as 3,111 yards up to a
maximum of 7,150 yards. There are
six sets of tees to accommodate every
level player.
This nine hole configuration freed
up space for an extensive practice
facility, which covers around 25
acres, is lighted, and includes more
than 100,000 sq ft of tee space, two
short game chipping and bunker
complexes, and two putting greens.
The course opened for play in the
Fall of 2014, and the club is selling
annual membership at a competitive
monthly price to 200 players. These
players get priority tee times up until
1pm each day, after which all play is
The River Club
|
Sean Dudley
Unconventional
wisdom
CASE STUDY
20
|
By Design
A new ‘flexible’ course and practice facility
designed by Billy Fuller, ASGCA is helping to
grow the game of golf in Clarksville, Tennessee