
Photo by Jimmie Johnson III
The new golf course at Vestavia Country Club opened in June.
After 17 months and about $6.5 million of construction, Vestavia Country Club considers the return of its golf course to be a huge success.
VCC Superintendent Owen Coulson said one of the main goals for the renovations was to increase overall fun, and members’ responses since the reopening on June 1 have been overwhelmingly positive.
“Every time someone stops me, it’s, ‘Man, this is so much fun,’ and that’s from the worst of the worst golfers and the best of the best,” said Coulson, adding that one of their regular golfers described it as “like being at Disney World.”
In addition to the golf course, the club also rebuilt three tennis courts, repainted three hard courts, refurbished the ballroom and built a new outdoor patio area.
VCC General Manager Robert Carr said the plans to renovate began as the course became outdated. The course had a failing irrigation system and older grass, both over 20 years old.
This started an eight-year process of meticulous planning for these renovations. Coulson said he visited courses all throughout the Southeast to look at various irrigation systems and different grass types.
In the golf industry, water is gold. The previous irrigation system was inefficient, as sprinkler heads came out of the ground in groups rather than individually. So when one area of grass needed water, the whole sprinkler group would water an extended area, sometimes causing overwatering, Coulson said. In addition, the pipes would break or leak on a weekly basis, costing VCC thousands of dollars.
The new system features a type of fused pipes to prevent leaking and the sprinklers are individually connected rather than grouped, preventing overwatering. Furthermore, the sprinklers are connected to an electronic system that allows the club to command sprinklers from a smartphone. The system even has an automatic fail safe that shuts down the entire system in the event of pipe leakage.
With the grass, the club decided to use a new species on the fairways and tees that requires less water and is better suited to summer heat, Coulson said.
The new course is designed to have a clear path for lower level players while also having more difficult paths that high level golfers can take to challenge themselves. Each hole even has six tees at different angles and distances to keep each round fresh. The course, designed by architect Lester George, was placed on the American Society of Golf Course Architects design excellence recognition list last November.
“Those that are less skillful are going to have more fun because the fairways are wider and the angles are easier. And the better golfers, the more skilled golfers, are going to find it more challenging. It is kind of a conundrum,” said Carr
The new course has been an economic boon for the club. Carr said VCC has seen an increased interest in membership and has had to hire more employees to help with the increased activity at the club. He said even the junior programs have grown dramatically since the reopening.
Pro golfer Michael Johnson said he has played at the old course more than 50 times and what really stood out about the renovations was the new scenery.
“The new course is great. They cut down a bunch of trees so you can see off the mountain from everywhere. It’s beautiful up there,” Johnson said.
To learn more about VCC and potential membership, visit vestaviacc.com.