COURSE REVIEW

The Members: Play here after Players, Founders beat you up

By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor

ST. JAMES, N.C. (Nov. 30, 2004) - If you're considering multiple golf courses for a gated retirement community where the average golfer is cashing social security checks, you want to make sure at least one course is easy on the eyes, legs and scorecard.

At the St. James Plantation, it's The Members Club. The marketers like to say Hale Irwin designed the original 18 holes with "fun" in mind. In golf, "fun" usually means "easy."

Not to knock it. After playing The Founders and The Players at St. James, The Members is a welcome reprieve.

• St. James Plantation - Cate, Jones, and Irwin Courses in North Strand offer Different Styles • You're always welcome at Arrowhead Country Club • World Tour Golf Links gives you a taste of famous courses • Clam Chowder, Mimosas, and Great Service Color the Day at the Granddaddy

"All in all, it's a lot more user-friendly than the other two," said John Falls, a resident of St. James.

No argument there. The greens are softer, slower and easier to read. The fairways are open and inviting: "Come on, hit your driver, there's room for everyone."

"You could land a plane on the fairways," said Members Club pro Barry Walters.

The Members added a Tim Cates-designed nine holes in the spring of 2001, but the architecture is nothing like what he did at The Founders. Whereas The Founders confounds and infuriates around the greens, the Cates design at The Members is open and fairly straightforward.

Of course, it helps if you're left-handed, as Cates is.

"If you'll notice, the Cates nine has bail-out areas to the left, which is where a left-hander would slice," Walters said. "On No. 2, the pond is on the right, away from a left-hander's slice. No. 3 is the same way, a left-hander is playing away from out of bounds. No. 4 is the same and so is No. 6. On No. 9, everything opens up on the right. If you're a right-hander with a slice, you're in the water."

The Cates course is also short. "Ladies love it," Walters said. "They can reach Nos. 3, 4 and 5 in regulation."

Still, Cates gives enough obstacles and options to keep you from getting too bored. There is water on every hole except No. 5 and No. 8, for example. No. 5 has a fairly narrow landing area, with water all the way down the left side, with three fairway bunkers and out of bounds along the right.

"Use a fairway metal to lay up, then another fairway metal to get within 80 yards or less," Walters said. "There is a risk/reward here, too. You can use a driver to a landing area about 25 yards wide, between bunkers and waste area, then hit a mid-iron to the green."

No. 7 is a dogleg right, with water down the right side. There used to be three pine trees that guarded a cut-off route, but Hurricane Charley took one. You can try to hit through or over the two that are left, but then water comes into play.

Irwin, the three-time U.S. Open champion, doesn't show such a fondness for southpaws on his 18; he wants everyone to have a good time.

"What you see in front of you is what's there," Walters said. "There are no hidden agendas."

The back nine is more scenic and a little harder. There isn't as much development - yet - and it employs a series of doglegs, and No. 15 features a peninsula fairway.

The verdict

The $67 green fees don't justify playing this course over the other two on the plantation, if you're looking for a challenge. The course has the feel of a designer who was forced to give in to a developer more concerned with profits than aesthetics.

"The length is short on Cates because of the developer," Walters said. "I think he took what Mother Nature gave him, but he also took into consideration what the developer told him."

Like The Founders, those playing The Members will be dealing with ongoing construction noise, and houses and three-story villas along many of the holes.

Places to stay

The St. James Plantation is on the Intracoastal Waterway, near the Cape Fear River, about five miles outside of Southport. It's just north of the South Carolina border, with Wilmington a short drive away.

If you go for this sort of thing - a ritzy, gated golf community where all the homes seem to look alike - this one certainly has the accolades. The plantation was twice named one of the best retirement communities in the U.S. by New Choices magazine, and was named one of the "100 best master planned communities in America" by Where to Retire magazine four years in a row.

Golf is definitely the focus, with three courses, all of which boast the Audubon stamp of approval, and a fourth, Jack Nicklaus-designed track in the development stage. There is also tennis, swimming, a fitness facility, a beach club, walking and biking trails and a full-service marina. St. James marketers like to go on and on about how retirees can lead an "active lifestyle."

There are about 3,000 home sites, with homes costing between $220,000-$1 million and home sites going for $40,000-$400,000.

Play is mostly members, but a small number of tee times are kept for outside play, and there are local rates. Also, club villa owners occasionally rent out short or long term through the plantation's property office.

Places to eat

The Members has a bar and grill, but skip it and go to the clubhouse at The Founders, where the food is excellent and the marsh view is fine.

Nearby Southport has a few good eateries, including the Sandfiddler Seafood Restaurant, Thai Peppers and The Whale.

Fast fact

The plantation has six PGA-certified pros, and includes the Jimmy Ballard Swing Connection golf school.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.