Golfers familiar with the former South Course immediately notice significantly increased grading and con­toured fairways that “really flow” says course architect Rees Jones. A clean, uncluttered landscap­ing scheme offers open vistas and compliments the beauty of the natural terrain. Previously the 18th hole, this long par-4 has one of the bigger greens and a large open entrance. There’s a bailout left of the green and a “saving bunker” to the right protecting the downhill slope. According to Rees, “Being the first hole, you’ve got a little more room for error” as you begin play on Carmel’s new South Course. ~ Championship Yardage 494 ~

Starting off on the par-4 former 3rd hole, notice that the new tee complex can be repurposed to use on No. 17. Further changes are found in the elevated landing area, the green which was shifted left, and a new bunker also added left. Here, the bailout right of the green is planted in the rough, with Celebra­tion Bermuda grass. Most bailouts on the course, along with the collars and fairways are Zeon Zoysia grass, making Carmel’s South only the second course in the Caroli­nas featuring this particular cultivar. It’s a great-looking, hardy, flexible grass that benefits golfers through both its playability and appearance. An “excellent choice” for Carmel says the USGA; Zeon Zoysia was selected after many years of testing and research by Carmel’s award-winning Greens Department. ~ Championship Yardage 396 ~

This striking par-4 hole has another open entrance to the green, which is flush to the fairway, one of the elements allow­ing golfers to play their ground game as well as their air game. Throughout the new course, golfers now enjoy greens with much more variation in shape and size. These are longer, more angled greens and are plant­ed with A-1 Bentgrass, known for tolerance of extreme weather, exceptional beauty and overall ability to provide a superb put­ting surface. The tee was shifted right, allow­ing improved visibility to the green. A grass pocket right of the green keeps golfers a little closer to the action, and bunkers left are also new. ~ Championship Yardage 453 ~

The old No. 5 is a reasonably long par-5 and of­fers a variety of shot options. According to Rees Jones, it’s after the tee shot that the hole gets re­ally interesting, posing increased challenges for managing your game. The element of water comes in for the first time, so golfers not inclined to flirt with the bunkers left will favor the right side of the fairway and then contend with the water. On this hole, landing behind the green is not much of a hazard because there’s a swell which carries all the way around the back. Watch out for pin placement. When the pin is far right, it’s much more important to get as far down the left side as possible. ~ Championship Yardage 596 ~

This strong par-3 has bunkers right, between the green and the water, and a bailout left. Hitting into the wind, which will frequently be the case with this hole, means golfers may wish to hit left, knowing the fairway there tilts toward the green. Hit the proper spot, and feed your ball onto the green. Miss your shot and still have the option to bounce it in. What golfers won’t see here - and everywhere grass meets water without a wall in place - is the sophisticated erosion control product buried under the turf. Resembling an inner tube and filled with recycled bunker sand, this tool eliminates erosion along the lake perimeters, allowing play up to the very edge of the water. ~ Championship Yardage 227 ~

A long par-4, No. 6 also works as a drivable par-4 when the forward tee is put into use. The newly elevated green also has a lake added to the right, and an accommodating open entrance with plenty of shot options to get there. In this case, golfers may wish to cut the corner, and then contend with the fairway bunker right, but also potentially get closer to the green than by choosing to play the dogleg and take the safer route. Pockets right contain and can save you from the water, but hit it long and you’re wet. For Charlotte Observer golf writer Ron Green, Jr., “The sixth is on the short list of the most difficult holes in the Charlotte area”. ~ Championship Yardage 474 ~

At first this may seem like the old seventh hole, but subtle differences here count for a lot. Strategically positioned pockets and bunkers mandate a strong aerial approach on this par-3 hole. The hardest position to chip from is immediately in front of the green. During construction, subsurface plating was added in front of all the greens by layering recycled greens mix under­neath the turf. This was enhanced with supplemental drainage, creating firm and fast-drying approaches. Here golfers enjoy a large green with contours which of­fer a greater reward the closer you are to the pin. The green is deeper to the left, but the grass pocket left, which is rough, moves the ball farther away because in this case there is no forgiving slope on the far end of the pocket. Pin position, says Rees Jones, “will make this like two different holes”. ~ Championship Yardage 198 ~

This uphill par-5 has an easy flow offering plenty of options to get on the green. Sig­nificant fairway grading during reconstruction means golfers now tee off to reach an elevated landing area. Fairway bunkers left save you from out of bounds and the wooded, downhill sloping rough. Grass pockets throughout are saving pock­ets, while the area right of the green kicks the ball back, and the pockets contain balls straying even further right. Around the green itself, golfers won’t find a whole lot of trou­ble. Rees Jones advises that “most people are going to probably want to play either short of the cross bunker or past it because there’s less of a problem hitting an errant shot there. And you can actually kick it off the hill, too.” ~ Championship Yardage 552 ~

The par-4 No. 9 was the last hole shaped and according to Rees Jones, “we just kept getting better”. For Rees, the beauty and aes­thetics of the South Course, including bun­ker style, water features, and the Piedmont terrain, make it fun to play even on an off day. Here the big hitters may want to cross the bunkers right, and shorter hitters will more likely play left and may ultimately have a better angle in. During construc­tion, the tee was brought farther left, opening up the hole more, and the green is sharply angled from the bottom left to upper right sections. So from your landing area, pin position can make a couple clubs difference as you go for the green on the new No. 9. ~ Championship Yardage 392 ~