Pelican Hill Golf Club has embarked on an extensive renovation of its acclaimed North and South courses under the direction of architect Brian Curley of Curley-Wganer Golf Design.
Set along the dramatic Newport Coast in Southern California’s Orange County, approximately 40-50 miles south of Los Angeles, Pelican Hill, which is an amenity of The Resort at Pelican Hill managed by Marriott International, has long been regarded as one of the finest 36-hole golf resorts in the country. Designed by Tom Fazio and opened in the early 1990s, both courses are lauded for their sweeping Pacific Ocean views, strategic design and year-round playability amid more than 300 days of sunshine.
This marks the first major refresh at Pelican Hill since a “two-year re-perfection” effort led by Fazio in 2005. The upcoming project will focus primarily on bunker restoration and realignment, tee expansion and leveling, and improvements to green surrounds.
Pelican Hill, Newport Coast, California.
(Photo: Pelican Hill)
Curley, a Pete Dye protege and veteran designer who began his career nearly 40 years ago with Landmark Land Company, brings deep experience in world-class resort and tournament venues to the project. His global portfolio includes more than 150 courses across Asia, the Middle East and the United States — among them being Saudi Arabia’s first island golf course, Shura Links, which opened in 2025.
“These are two fantastic, expertly designed golf courses that have aged gracefully,” Curley said. “But as with any golf course, time and play take their toll. This renovation will refresh the features, address turf health impacted by maturing trees, and ensure the best possible playing experience for years to come.”
The construction will be carried out by McDonald & Sons, a respected course construction firm with more than 40 years of experience on renowned venues including Congressional Country Club, Baltusrol Golf Club, Interlachen Golf Club and the Inverness Club.
Work began in November 2025, with an anticipated 50-week construction and grow-in period. To maintain access for guests, nine holes will be closed at a time, ensuring that 27 holes remain open throughout the process. Renovations began on the South course, followed by the North course, with completion expected in late 2026.
While the majority of the work will focus on restoring existing features, Curley noted that selective enhancements will elevate the visual and strategic appeal of the layouts.
“We intend to make thoughtful adjustments to the visuals and backdrops, enhancing the already spectacular setting,” Curley said. “It’s an honor to build upon Tom Fazio’s legacy and ensure Pelican Hill remains one of the most beautiful and enjoyable golf experiences anywhere.”
The restoration of both courses builds on a longstanding relationship between Marriott and Curley, who designed two courses for the hospitality brand — Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert, California, and Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona — in collaboration with Nick Faldo. The Pelican Hill Golf Club also further burnishes Marriott’s growing portfolio of golf properties, which consists of dozens of acclaimed championship courses around the world.
These course enhancements are part of a larger, year-long renaissance at The Resort at Pelican Hill that will thoughtfully transform its iconic spaces.
RIVER RANCH ROLLS OUT DAVID MCLAY KIDD PLANS
River Ranch Golf Resort, a new destination set atop the bluffs of the Snake River near Pasco, Washington, announced plans in late January for its first golf course, to be designed by native Scot and Pacific Northwest resident David McLay Kidd.
River Ranch Golf Resort brings together golf, land and hospitality in a setting shaped by ancient floods, a historic river corridor, and decades of careful stewardship. The course draws directly from the dramatic Snake River landscape, prevailing winds, and natural topography to create a strategic and compelling golf experience that feels inseparable from the land itself.
“I’ve been so fortunate to get to create courses on spectacular land throughout my career … from Bandon Dunes to the latest addition at Streamsong,” said McLay Kidd. “The older I get, the choosier I become. With probably more courses behind me than ahead, I look even harder for those unique sites and opportunities. When I first set foot on the site for River Ranch, I knew I’d found another unicorn — a one-of-a-kind. Set high on a bluff overlooking the last reaches of the Snake River before it joins the Columbia, this site has breathtaking views, great contour, as well as sand on which to plant my favorite grass, fescue. That fescue will give the firm, fast bounce and roll that makes golf the game we Scots intended.”
River Ranch Golf Resort is the vision of a locally rooted ownership group — individuals who grew up on the Snake River boating, exploring, and developing a deep connection to the land. Through a shared passion for golf, architecture, and place, their paths converged to bring River Ranch Golf Resort to life.
The resort will welcome traveling golfers and overnight guests, featuring guest cottages, an integrated real estate offering and a clubhouse overlooking the Snake River. The course is expected to open to the public in August 2027, with members receiving preview access prior to the public opening.
KING COLLINS DORMER TAKES REINS OF PUREBRED FARM LAYOUT
Wisconsin’s much-honored Kohler Resort has turned on the golf spigot once again. Already home to Blackwolf Run’s two championship courses, River and Meadow Valleys, and two renowned layouts at Whistling Straits, the Straits and the Irish — plus the 10-hole Baths at Blackwolf Run, a short course that debuted in 2021 — the new offering is a 14-hole spread called Purebred Farm.
Located west of the existing Blackwolf Run courses, Purebred Farm broke ground in October and is being designed by King Collins Dormer. The walking-only, 14-hole layout spans 47 acres and is expected to stretch 4,900 yards. It will feature a blend of Golden Age-inspired par 3s, 4s and 5s and will traverse prairie, farmland and river valley landscapes. It will be routed to avoid existing wetlands and hiking trails.
Kohler will convert the historic Tomczyk Cabin, currently a lodging option in the Kohler Cabin Collection, into a rest station at Purebred Farm. The resort is also sprucing up The Carriage House, part of The American Club Resort Hotel, and adding a racquet sports facility that will be known as The Serve.
“This next chapter in Kohler, Wisconsin’s evolution reflects our ongoing commitment to creating dynamic, memorable experiences for our guests,” said hospitality president Stephen Beaumont. “With the construction of Purebred Farm Golf Course and The Serve, and the renovation of The Carriage House, we’re introducing spaces for guests and local residents that integrate wellness, community and connection, while honoring our resort’s rich legacy of craftsmanship, innovation and hospitality.”
Purebred Farm is expected to open in fall 2027.
ST. ENODOC’S SIXTH REGAINS ITS BITE
Tom Doak once called the Himalayas fairway bunker at St. Enodoc’s sixth hole, “the most mountainous bunker in the golfing world.” A Doak protege, Clyde Johnson, has recently climbed the summit to restore this legendary bunker.
Located in Cornwall, in southeast England, St. Enodoc’s Church course is a seaside gem that originated in 1890, but primarily dates to a James Braid redesign in 1907. Subsequent tweaks have lengthened and altered it, but one constant was its frightening Himalayas fairway bunker on the par-4 sixth hole. A recent restoration by Cunnin’ Golf Design, led by Johnson and agronomist Chris Haspell has put back the bite.
The club had intended to have Doak make improvements for its Church course as Johnson had accompanied Doak during a 2016 visit to discuss a plan.
“The idea was that Tom would come up with ideas, and I would help with implementing them,” Johnson told GolfCourseArchitecture.net, while noting that the fearsome bunker had gone through an assortment of iterations since the course’s early days. “At the start of the 20th century, it was really open and sandy. By the mid-1930s, it was fairly formalized as a single bunker with a long tail — that was the inspiration for what we have put back. It shrank over the years, and when we visited in 2016, the lower tail had been split up and turned into a pot bunker. It was very difficult for a lot of golfers — especially ladies — to get out of it, and foot traffic going past the complex on the left had caused all sorts of problems with the turf.”
To solve the main problem, Johnson excavated part of a prodigious dune nearby and used the material to elevate the bowl that was short and left of the Himalayas bunker.
“By doing that we were able to make the area more playable and give ten or 15 yards more space to get golfers through that area,” said Johnson, who restored the bunker complex into its 1930s version — a visually scary single bunker. “Over the last ten years, the club has been trying to stabilize the upper face of the bunker with chicken wire, so we were fairly pragmatic about expanding that area. It would have looked unbelievable but would have been extremely tough to maintain. The work we have done has expanded the sand area by about 50 percent, while making the bottom part of the bunker more playable.”
THE SOCIAL ASPECT
On-site yesterday at @OlympiaHills GC near San Antonio for the pre-con meeting with @verdesportsco and course superintendent Jeremy Laak. Our renovation project at OHGC starts next week, including new bunkers and tees plus course wide irrigation upgrade! @TexasGolfAssoc pic.twitter.com/aa37RNfSwv
— Nathan Crace, ASGCA, PLA (@lipouts) January 22, 2026
LANIER ISLANDS RESORTS GETS ITS SHORTY
Lanier Islands Resort will debut a new six-hole short course, The Six, this spring. Designed by Billy Fuller, the former superintendent at Augusta National Golf Club who also created the resort’s Legacy championship course in 2009, the new layout will be the state’s only night-lit par-3 course.
Lanier Islands Resort is a 1,200-acre lakeside destination in Buford, Georgia, approximately 45-60 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Holes will measure from 56 to 91 yards, overlook Lake Sidney Lanier and will sport high-quality artificial turf for tees and greens. The Six will accompany a fully renovated and expanded clubhouse.
“The Six will truly be a game changer,” Lanier Islands Resort president Matthew Bowling said. “It opens the door for beginners, families, and casual players while still offering something challenging and unique for avid golfers. Combined with the new clubhouse, we believe this will elevate not just golf, but the entire resort experience.”