The transformation of Woodcreek Club is well under way
Players who arrive to the Woodcreek Club for the SCGA’s Partners Championship next weekend might wonder if they took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. They won’t recognize the place.
Oh, the Tom Fazio-designed course remains its challenging self. But the scene is totally different.
Since Harold Pickrel’s Woodreek Development bought the club Oct. 1, the sounds of heavy equipment and chainsaws have dominated. Trees have been moved or removed. The clubhouse is undergoing renovation. Underbrush has been cleared.
“People who haven’t been out here in more than six months won’t believe it,” said Clem King, a long-time fixture in area golf hired by Pickrel to be general manager and head of the golf operation.
“We want to create a golf and club experience that’s hard to find,” Pickrel said. “I have never owned a golf course, but I have been around golf for a long time. I have lived in Woodcreek since 2003, and I think I know what people want. We want to provide something special, and when we do there will be no problem in (attracting) membership.”
Five months after the purchase, Pickrel said Woodcreek has a membership roster of 184 and anticipates that number growing to between 300 and 350.
“When people see what we’re doing, they will want to be here,” he predicted. “We’re expanding the clubhouse to include a fitness center, and we’re moving the pro shop to a wing of the clubhouse. We’re getting food and beverage back into operation, and we will hire a tennis pro, re-surface the tennis courts and have a special tennis building. Lots of things will be going on.
“Of course, there’s a great golf course, too. There aren’t many Tom Fazio courses around here.”
The most noticeable change for the moment involves the landscaping. Although the record-breaking winter rainfall hampered progress, the transformation is striking. More than 1,000 trees have been removed and many others transplanted.
“You can ‘see’ so much better now,” King said. “The sightlines are amazing.”
Standing on the clubhouse porch, the first hole and ninth green — previously blocked by trees — are in full view. Look over the lake by the 18th green and No. 15 looms in the distance. The space between the 10th fairway and the practice range is wide open.
The course remains untouched, but the removal of excess trees along fairways creates a wide-open look, and the increased sunlight will enhance the growth of vegetation. The Fazio layout measures 7,000 yards from the tips and there’s plenty of room to stretch some holes if more distance becomes necessary.
The new ownership “is five months in, and we’re nowhere near where we will be,” said King, who moved from the Country Club of Lexington in January. “We’re probably 85-90% in terms of cleaning up, and we need a growing season for some of the planned landscaping.”
The former Members Club at Woodcreek and WildeWood experienced financial challenges and faced foreclosure. Pickrel’s company purchased Woodcreek, and a group of members and homeowners’ associations bought WildeWood.
“Everything that we want to do will take time, but we have the budget,” King said. “We’ve talked about a putting green behind the clubhouse, for example, and eventually we want to restore the waterfall behind the 14th green. At some point, we will probably talk about (re-surfacing) the greens. Overall, it’s a work in progress with more changes on the way.”
If the Woodcreek “look” is different now, just wait, Pickrel said. “It will be special,” he said, “and people will want to be here.”
Chip shots. Former Dutch Fork High star and Coastal Carolina All-American Dustin Johnson, the world’s fifth-ranked player, has committed to compete in the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island in April. Also joining the field at Harbour Town Golf Links will be Bryson DeChambeau (No. 14 in the world) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (24). For ticket information, go online to www.rbcheritage.com. ... Daniel Brasington (Woodruff) earned the boys’ title and Sydney Roberts (Chesnee) won the girls’ championship in the SCJGA’s Morgan Lucas Championship at Greenville CC’s Chanticleer course.