Construction Underway at Carolina Lakes Golf Course

Construction is underway at the Carolina Lakes Golf Course in Rock Hill, S.C. The course is part of Pulte/Del Webb's Sun City Carolina Lakes active adult community. Freeland Golf Group's Tim Freeland and Maximilian Suchy designed the new course in Lancaster County, and it will be built and owned by the Charlotte-based Blythe Development.

The course winds through the rolling hillside and is bordered by forest and pasture land. The Catawba River can be seen from the 13th and 14th holes. The layout also involves several creeks and lakes. A large man-made wetland on the back nine adds another water hazard.

While the course winds through an active adult community, it is by no means a "senior" layout. "Players in their 50s and 60s are hitting the golf ball further today than they ever have," says Freeland. "For that reason, the golf course is by no means lessened from a challenge point of view. Often times, when you hear ‘active adult community’ golf course, you envision an executive-type layout, but this is not so with Carolina Lakes. Many times in the past, courses designed for this type of development were simply made too easy, even boring. We designed a track that better fits the realities of today's active adults who are staying fit and taking maximum advantage of new golf equipment."

With a total of six tees, including a "family tee" that gives an optional par-58 layout for fun events, the course will still accommodate all levels of player, with the yardage from the tips measuring a 7,249 yards and a par of 72.

"It's great, because residents can bring their grandchildren out here and introduce them to the game of golf from the family tees, but also get their competitive juices going, teeing it up against their active lifestyle peers on this challenging but fair course," adds Suchy.

Construction will continue until the summer of 2006, with the course opening later that fall.