Champions Retreat Golf Club

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Champions Retreat
Champions Retreat Golf Club.jpg
Champions Retreat in Evans, Georgia
Club information
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Coordinates 33°30′N82°10′W / 33.5°N 82.16°W / 33.5; -82.16
Location Evans, Georgia, U.S.
Elevation160–310 feet (50–95 m)
Established2005, 19 years ago
TypePrivate
Owned byArcis Golf
Total holes27
Events hosted Augusta National Women's Amateur
(2019–present)
Greens TifEagle bermudagrass
Fairways Ryegrass
Website championsretreat.com
Designed by Arnold Palmer,
Gary Player and
Jack Nicklaus

Champions Retreat Golf Club, is a 27 hole, private golf club, located in Evans, Georgia, United States 14 miles from Augusta National Golf Club. It is the only course in the world with three nines designed by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player, the Big Three of Masters fame who combine for 13 Masters titles, 34 Major victories and 159 tournament wins.

Contents

In 2019, the course began co-hosting the Augusta National Women's Amateur along with Augusta National Golf Club. [1]

History

The Big Three of Golf - Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player (from left to right) Big Three Photo.jpg
The Big Three of Golf - Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player (from left to right)

Legendary professional golfer Gary Player chose the 1999 Masters Champions Dinner as his setting to recruit two other greats – Jack Nicklaus and the late Arnold Palmer – to share in his dream of a 27-hole, private golf club located just outside of Augusta, Georgia. Nestled along the Savannah River, the three nine-hole courses inhabit a former untouched timber plot and are built around an Island, a Bluff, and a Creek.

The legends designed nine signature holes of championship golf together, sculpting from the foundation of more than 365 acres of skyward Georgia pines, long-standing hardwood, and wetlands. Opening its doors in 2005, Champions Retreat is the realization of their collective vision.

The three nine-hole courses inhabit a former untouched timber plot and are built around an Island, a Bluff, and a Creek. With three distinct properties to choose from, Gary Player handled the designation of the land by writing “Island,” “Creek” and “Bluff” on the back of three index cards. Arnold Palmer had the most seniority and had played in more Masters than Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player, so he selected first. He drew the “Island” card. Jack Nicklaus drew second since he had won more green jackets than Gary Player and pulled the “Bluff” card, leaving Player with the “Creek” property.

Augusta National Women's Amateur

The Augusta National Women's Amateur was announced in April 2018 by Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley during his annual press conference at the 2018 Master's Tournament. The 54-hole, stroke-play tournament will feature an international field of 72 amateur woman players. Invitees were determined by awarding winners of other recognized championships and using the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Augusta National Women's Amateur 2019

In the inaugural event, Champions Retreat Golf Club hosted the first 36 holes over two days on Arnold Palmer’s Island nine and Jack Nicklaus’ Bluff nine. The entire field then plays Augusta National for an official practice round followed by the final round taking place at Augusta National. The final round features the top 30 competitors who made the cut. In the event of a tie after 54 holes, the winner will be decided by a sudden-death playoff.

NBC Sports provided pre-event promotion across NBCUniversal’s portfolio, while Golf Channel delivered the highlights, live reports, and news coverage throughout the event, including onsite during the first two competitive rounds at Champions Retreat.

Augusta National Women's Amateur 2020

Augusta National Women's Amateur 2020 didn't take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Augusta National Women's Amateur 2021

In a statement issued on January 12, 2021, Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced that the Club intends to conduct the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals as scheduled. Both of these competitions also intend to host a small number of patrons. Augusta National Women's Amateur 2021 took place from March 31 to April 3. [2]

Seventeen-year-old Tsubasa Kajitani became the first international ANWA champion, and the first winner from Japan at Augusta National in any tournament, with her playoff victory over Wake Forest's Emilia Migliaccio in 2021. The following week Japan's Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters.

Augusta National Women's Amateur 2022

The Augusta National Women’s Amateur was held in 2022. The first 36 holes were contested over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Georgia on March 30 and 31, 2022. The entire field then played Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, April 1. The final round took place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 2.

In her first appearance at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, 16-year-old Anna Davis became the event's youngest champion in 2022 by shooting a 3-under 69 to finish at 1 under and win by a single stroke.

Augusta National Women's Amateur 2023

American Rose Zhang won the 2023 tournament after defeating Jenny Bae in a playoff.

Facilities and grounds

Champions Retreat is acclaimed as one of the best golf properties in the United States. [3] The property encompasses more than 365 acres of Georgia pines, long-standing hardwood, and wetlands.

Island

5th hole of the Island Course Island Five.jpg
5th hole of the Island Course

The Island Nine at Champions Retreat shares the personality of Arnold Palmer’s architectural vision. The course is flanked on one side by the broad Savannah River and on the other by the Little River. The hardwoods and pines along the riverbank have been preserved, and the fairways have been raised to take advantage of the vistas overlooking the marshy waters.

Bluff

8th hole of the Bluff Course Bluff Eight.jpg
8th hole of the Bluff Course

Designed by Jack Nicklaus, The Bluff course features numerous mounds and rolling hills, with mature Georgia pines spread throughout. Very little dirt was moved during the construction process allowing the course to fit within the existing terrain and its surroundings. There is a great deal of variety in the routing, featuring uphill and downhill shots, as well as a balance of right-to-left and left-to-right holes.

Creek

9th hole of the Creek Course Creek Nine.jpg
9th hole of the Creek Course

The Creek course provides many opportunities for an experienced golfer. Designed by Gary Player, the opening four holes play in a wetland area while the remaining part of the course moves upland through native hardwood trees. Adding difficulty, the ninth plays over and around a large lake on the right, allowing players to finish with a variety of shots.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masters Tournament</span> Golf tournament held in Augusta, Georgia, United States

The Masters Tournament is one of the four men's major golf championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the first major golf tournament of the year. Unlike the other major tournaments, the Masters is always held at the same location: Augusta National Golf Club, a private course in the city of Augusta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Nicklaus</span> American professional golfer (born 1940)

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The following is a partial timeline of the history of golf.

The 1986 Masters Tournament was the 50th Masters Tournament, held April 10–13 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1960 Masters Tournament was the 24th Masters Tournament, held April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Arnold Palmer birdied the final two holes to win by one stroke over runner-up Ken Venturi.

The 1961 Masters Tournament was the 25th Masters Tournament, held April 6–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1962 Masters Tournament was the 26th Masters Tournament, held April 5–9 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Arnold Palmer won the third of his four Masters titles in the tournament's first three-way playoff. It was the fifth of his seven major titles.

The 1964 Masters Tournament was the 28th Masters Tournament, held April 9–12 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. A field of 96 players entered the tournament and 48 made the 36-hole cut at 148 (+4).

The 1965 Masters Tournament was the 29th Masters Tournament, held April 8–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1966 Masters Tournament was the 30th Masters Tournament, held April 7–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1967 Masters Tournament was the 31st Masters Tournament, held April 6–9 at Augusta National Golf Club. Gay Brewer won his only major title by one stroke over runner-up Bobby Nichols.

The 1968 Masters Tournament was the 32nd Masters Tournament, held April 11–14 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1972 Masters Tournament was the 36th Masters Tournament, held April 6–9 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1975 Masters Tournament was the 39th Masters Tournament, held April 10–13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1976 Masters Tournament was the 40th Masters Tournament, held April 8–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 1983 Masters Tournament was the 47th Masters Tournament, held April 7–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Seve Ballesteros won his second Masters and third major title, four strokes ahead of runners-up Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite. Play on Friday was postponed due to heavy rain, and the final round was completed on Monday for the first time since 1973.

The 1998 Masters Tournament was the 62nd Masters Tournament, held from April 9–12 at Augusta National Golf Club. Mark O'Meara won his first major championship with a 20-foot (6 m) birdie putt on the final hole to win by one stroke over runners-up David Duval and Fred Couples. He birdied three of the final four holes in a final round 67 (−5).

References

  1. Pennington, Bill (April 4, 2018). "Augusta National Takes an Unexpected Turn Toward Women's Golf". The New York Times.
  2. "2021 Masters to be Conducted with Limited Attendance". Masters. January 12, 2021.
  3. "The Best Golf Courses in Georgia". Golf Digest. June 7, 2019.