Thistle Golf Club improvements include green transition

Thistle Golf Club is joining much of the rest of the Grand Strand and changing its greens to a form of ultradwarf Bermudagrass in a project that is expected to be completed by early October.

The 27-hole Tim Cate design has featured L93 bentgrass since it opened between 1999 and 2000, and greens on the Mackay nine were already changed to TifEagle Bermuda when those holes closed last June through September.

The Cameron nine is scheduled to close from May 11 through July 1 for the transition to TifEagle, and the Stewart nine will follow from July 2 into late September or early October. So the Sunset Beach, N.C., property will always maintain at least 18 open holes.

The warm-weather and hearty ultradwarfs are generally less labor-intensive and worrisome than cool-weather bentgrass, particularly in the summer. Thistle has recently avoided twilight summer rates to limit the traffic on its greens.

“A lot of courses have struggled with bentgrass greens over the years,” Thistle superintendent John Pridgen said. “I just feel the summer is where we always struggle and we’ve been having so much play in the summer. Now we can increase our play in the summer and not have to worry about it.

“The cost of chemicals is about the same, but the labor cost of the bent is more because of hand watering. It won’t be as labor intensive with man power.”

Thistle didn’t overseed its new greens this year and plans to continue coloring with pigments in future winter months rather than overseed, following another new trend in the market. “I think they turned out really well,” Pridgen said.

The changeover at Thistle leaves just 10 Grand Strand courses with bentgrass greens, with seven of those in Brunswick County, N.C. Conversely, there are now nearly 60 area courses with ultradwarf Bermuda greens, and all have been installed since the early 2000s.

Thistle operators are also completing a complete bunker renovation this winter that includes drainage work and new sand. All greenside bunkers were redone last January through May and work began on fairway bunkers in October. All bunker work is being done through play without closing holes. Bulkhead work has also been done, as a new bulkhead has been added to a par-4 water hazard.

Thistle has been under the ownership for the past 16 months of the family of Jack and Debbie Davis of Windermere, Fla., who also own International Club of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet. They purchased the course from TD Bank, which had foreclosed on it, and made a few changes, including the ending of memberships at the end of 2013. The course had approximately 80 members at the time of purchase.

A loyalty program was introduced at a low rate last year and attracted 220 golfers, according to general manager Jamie Roderick, and the initiation fee was increased to $449 in 2015 with an additional $30 per round. Roderick said the program has about 120 members and expects the numbers to reach 150 or 175. The program includes guest rates and pro shop/restaurant discounts.

This story was originally published January 12, 2015 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Thistle Golf Club improvements include green transition."