Georgia On My Mind

Golf in Georgia is not just about Augusta National. Somewhere near the fabled Savannah is a golf club steeped in tradition and pedigree within a rather private community.

- Benny Teo

Golf in the Southern United States is at its finest at the Ford Plantation, Richmond Hill, Georgia. Just minutes from Savannah, Ford Plantation occupies 1,800 acres of lush former rice and cotton plantation land steeped in history and includes a 400-resident private gated community. Set within, is a unique private 18hole championship golf course by the late World Golf Hall of Fame architect, Pete Dye, who passed away last January before the reality of Covid-19 hit the world in full force.

Back in 2014, the then 89-year-old Dye spent over a year renovating the Ford Plantation course with a team of experts, Ford’s golf course staff, plus financial input from members. Over US$7 million dollars were invested and 94,000 cubic yards of soil moved and redistributed to transform it into a stunning golf course.

Director of Golf Course Maintenance and project collaborator Nelson Caron, recounts how Dye would stop, and draw in the dirt to get his point across to the team about the structure of a particular hole demonstrating his commitment and handson approach to realise his vision.

Interestingly, the original course was also designed by Pete Dye back in 1984 and was owned then by a wealthy businessman. However, after three decades, the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades due to consistent drainage failures prompted the restoration project.