Alister MacKenzie’s reputation as a golf course architect puts him in the pantheon of the industry’s greatest. Just here in the United States, MacKenzie is known for giving us Augusta National, Cypress Point, Crystal Downs and Pasatiempo.
But there is a course that MacKenzie designed, El Boqueron, that was considered to be for a wealthy Argentine family. The design called for nine double greens, each averaging 30,000 square feet. But the course was never built and the plans were assumed to have been lost.
21 Golf Club, a private club located just outside of Aiken, South Carolina, near neighboring Georgia, has been doing extensive research and planning to do right by MacKenzie, who died in 1934.
“We understand the responsibility that comes with undertaking a project like this,” said Wes Farrell, founder of 21 Golf Club. “Our goal is to honor Alister MacKenzie’s vision while adapting it thoughtfully to our site, which offers dramatic rolling sand hills and endless vistas. We’ve put immense care into studying not only MacKenzie’s designs but also the topography of the original El Boqueron site and our property here in South Carolina.
“This is not just about building a golf course; it’s about preserving a piece of golf’s history, exploring its possibilities, and sharing that journey with others. We look forward to releasing a detailed analysis of our process and the thought behind this design in the coming months.”
The 21 Golf Club has broken ground on the course, which will complement the existing Hammer Course that was created by King-Collins Golf Course Design as a dedicated match-play course.
SAFE AND SECURE
You may have already seen the small, thin storage solution being used by golfers on the course and wondered what the big deal was. Or, perhaps, you heard the company name — Tubr — and wondered what type of product it manufactures. Something tube-like, right?
Well, you may be seeing and hearing more of Tubr as the company received the Best-In-Show award at the recent PGA Show’s Inventor’s Spotlight. The product? A range of storage solutions that are crafted with crushproof durability and protect from damage and inclement weather.
The company currently offers four models — Gordo (designed to hold two cigars), Kings (designed for cigarillos), Stash (for smaller essentials like medications or jewelry) and Gordo Alumen (a premium version of Gordo that is made from aircraft-grade anodized aluminum). They range in price from $19.99 to $64.99.
The Gordo, Kings and Gordo Alumen are ideal for cigars and cigarillos. A golfer doesn’t have to worry about them getting crushed or becoming stale. In addition to their durable construction, they also feature a hermetic seal that locks in moisture.
MONTY TO DESIGN A WEE COURSE
Harbor Shores Resort, the lakeside resort in Benton Harbor that rests against Lake Michigan, is joining the legion of destinations adding alternative golf options to their list of amenities. Using its Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course as a template Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie will create Harbor Shores’ Wee Course.
Montgomerie, who won a KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores, will design a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course adjacent to the resort’s cottages along the first hole. The course will consist of holes measuring 60 yards or less in length and be modeled after the nine most iconic holes of the current Jack Nicklaus layout.
“It’s a perfect use of the land,” says Jeff Fettig, former chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation, who is the visionary behind the Harbor Shores expansion and a leading contributor through the Fettig Family Foundation. “We’ve been talking over the last several years about what other amenities we could add. We percolated the idea, focusing on families, kids, non-golfers and golfers — wondering what we could do to make this an even more successful magnet for people in our community. This project will fit that need. It will be a fun pitch-and-putt course that anybody can play.”
Fettig adds that the course will include two different tees for 18-hole play and lighting for night play. Also, an 18-hole putting course similar to Pinehurst Resort’s Thistle Dhu Putting Course and St. Andrews’ The Himalayas will complement the Wee Course.
The course and putting green will break ground in the coming months, could be ready for preview play in the fall and a grand opening in spring 2026.
