Arcadian Shores Better Than Ever After Installing Ultra-Dwarf Bermuda Grass Greens

October 5, 2017

The Rees Jones design, which reopened on October 2, was closed for 4 ½ months over the summer, installing new Sunday ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass greens, repaving every inch of cart path, improving irrigation, and installing new sand in select bunkers.

The results have been spectacular, pushing a design locals have long felt was one of the area’s best toward the upper echelon of Myrtle Beach golf courses.

“The course itself has always been ranked among the top 3-5 layouts in Myrtle Beach,” said Frank Coughlin, Arcadian’s general manager. “The course now shows what Rees Jones wanted it to be. The new greens are spectacular and they really showcase the undulation.”

Most people don’t recall that Arcadian Shores was once ranked among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest. While the layout isn’t likely to return to the list, Arcadian is an outstanding design that is in better shape than it has been in years.

The layout is reminiscent of the Dunes Club, a course designed by Rees’ father, Robert Trent Jones Sr. The classic layout, large fairways and greenside bunkers, and undulating greens are traits the courses share.

Arcadian Shores’ new greens and the work done elsewhere around the property are the culmination of a long-term effort that has reinvigorated the facility. In September of 2016, a new clubhouse that provided a larger food and beverage area, an expanded kitchen, and a patio overlooking the 18th green was opened.

There were many reasons to like the course before the renovation, but if you appreciate quality architecture and a commitment to customer experience, you need to give the “new” Arcadian Shores try.