LandMar Group, LLC has broken ground on its new championship Pete Dye golf course and practice facility at Southern Hills Plantation Club, the gated golf community in Brooksville, a community north of Tampa.
“Pete Dye is a visionary architect who does incredible things with unusual landscapes and really utilizes typography in his designs,” said M.G. Orender, president of Hampton Golf Inc. “We wanted to showcase the natural beauty of Brooksville while offering Southern Hills residents a fun and challenging course for all ability levels. Pete was the right architect for Southern Hills Plantation and we are thrilled to be working with him.”
LandMar currently owns North Hampton, South Hampton, Osprey Cove and Grand Haven in the North Florida-South Georgia area.
Dye’s most famous work was the TPC Stadium course at Ponte Vedra Beach. He also designed the original course at Amelia Island Plantation and the third nine at Fernandina Beach.
Dye, known for his use of natural flora and fauna, has designed Southern Hills Plantation’s private golf course to compliment the surrounding wooded landscape, including mature oak trees that line the fairways. His design features holes with elevation changes, rolling hills throughout the fairways and strategically placed bunkers and water hazards.
True to Dye fashion, each hole is different and offers a challenge with every new pin placement. From the downhill par 4 with fairway bunkers on the first hole, to the 18th, which can only be described as a final test to a golfer’s ability to stay out of the sand, Dye’s design offers stunning visual beauty and variation from start to finish.
Southern Hills Sales Manager Walt Davis recently walked the entire course with 78-year-old Dye who was reviewing the initial clearing and design on the 18 holes.
“He is amazing in his approach and stays fully engaged and hands on,” Davis said. “Pete has already been on the property numerous times and knows it as good as anyone on our team. It’s a real privilege to have him working at Southern Hills since he is so selective in the projects he accepts. This is going to be a thrilling course.”
The golf course at Southern Hills Plantation will feature five sets of tees which will accommodate experienced golfers looking to go the distance at over 7,100 yards to those just beginning to play who prefer a shorter course at approximately 5,200 yards. The course will also feature a practice facility including a short course and practice range, perfect for beginners and families teaching young golfers their way around the links without holding up play on the 18-hole course.
Construction on the golf course at Southern Hills Plantation will begin this fall with planting beginning next spring. The course is expected to be ready for play in December 2005.
Once complete, Southern Hills Plantation will feature a variety of residences including custom homes and villas, a 20,000-square-foot golf clubhouse, and a 7,500-square-foot spa and fitness center with swimming pool, tennis courts and other recreational facilities. The 18-hole championship golf course will be the centerpiece of this new community. In addition, walking paths and jogging trails will offer scenic routes throughout Southern Hills Plantation.
The new Suncoast Parkway, which is approximately four and a half miles from the community, will provide a direct highway route to Tampa with convenient access to major employment, shopping and entertainment districts in one of Florida’s major metropolitan areas. The beaches and access to the Gulf of Mexico are just 20 minutes west of the community.