Okatie, South Carolina, United States: Oldfield Golf Club has completed a comprehensive US$1.1 million renovation of the bunkers on its Greg Norman-designed course, marking one of the club’s most significant recent investments in the long-term quality, sustainability and playability of the golf experience.

Construction began on May 19 and was completed on August 7. Oldfield celebrated the project’s completion with a Bunker Renovation Re-Open Event on August 22, welcoming members back to the golf course for an 18-hole, two-person competition and an opportunity to experience the fully completed course.

The project addressed aging infrastructure and years of sand contamination, drainage challenges and washouts that had increasingly affected bunker consistency and maintenance. The renovation focused not only on improving day-to-day playing conditions, but also on creating a more sustainable bunker system capable of performing through the challenging weather conditions of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

The project was divided into three phases of approximately three weeks each, allowing portions of the golf course to remain available for member play while work progressed. Southeastern Golf served as the golf course contractor and completed all construction, drainage, shaping and sod work. The project was managed by Oldfield Director of Agronomy Thomas Davis, working in collaboration with Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD) and with support from Troon’s Design and Development team of experts.

Mark Reilly, Oldfield Director of Golf, said: “This project was about much more than putting new sand in our bunkers. We wanted to address the underlying infrastructure, create a bunker system that performs more consistently and restore the bunkers to their original architectural character. The finished product has made an immediate difference, both visually and in how the course plays.”

A defining feature of the renovation is the installation of EcoBunker on all greenside bunkers, creating distinctive stacked-sod faces reminiscent of traditional links golf. The treatment strengthens the architectural character of the bunkers while introducing a visual element closely associated with the style of golf found throughout Great Britain and the courses of The Open Championship.

The bunker floors utilise a Capillary Concrete and mesh hybrid system, designed to combine structural stability with improved drainage. The system helps maintain the integrity of bunker faces while allowing water to move efficiently through the bunker floor, helping reduce washouts, contamination and standing water while providing more consistent playing conditions following significant rainfall.

The project also significantly reduced Oldfield’s overall bunker footprint. More than 114,000 square feet of bunker area was reduced by nearly 50 per cent, allowing GNGCD and the project team to retain the strategic and visual impact of the bunkering while creating a more sustainable footprint for long-term maintenance.

Particular attention was given to restoring the visual character of the bunkers while maintaining the strategic intent of the original golf course. Rather than fundamentally changing the layout, the project sought to strengthen bunker definition, restore architectural features that had diminished over time and better integrate the bunkers with the surrounding Lowcountry landscape.

Davis said: “From an agronomic standpoint, we wanted to build something that would perform as well below the surface as it looks above it. Reducing the overall bunker footprint, improving the drainage infrastructure and incorporating the capillary concrete, new liner and EcoBunker systems gives our team a much more sustainable product to manage. Most importantly, it should allow us to provide our members with greater consistency following the heavy rainfall and challenging weather conditions we experience in the Lowcountry.”

Reilly added: “Oldfield has always been a golf course that feels connected to the land around it. The live oaks, native areas, marshes and views of the Okatie River are a tremendous part of its identity. Any investment we make in the golf course has to respect that. We believe this project improves the golf experience while enhancing what makes Oldfield special.”

Designed by GNGCD and opened in 2000, Oldfield winds through moss-draped live oaks, broad Lowcountry savannas, freshwater and saltwater ponds and along the marshes of the Okatie River.

The 2026 bunker project represents a major step in Oldfield’s continued stewardship of the golf course as the club evaluates the long-term needs of an increasingly mature golf property. The investment combines modern bunker construction technology with architectural elements intended to preserve and enhance the character of Norman’s original design.

Reilly said: “Our responsibility is to think beyond the condition of the golf course today. We have to make thoughtful investments that protect the experience our members enjoy now while ensuring Oldfield remains an exceptional golf course for generations to come. The bunker renovation is an important part of that effort.”

Troon Privé, the private club operating division of Troon, manages golf operations and agronomy, the Equestrian Centre, Sports Club, Outfitters Centre, food and beverage, and membership marketing, as well as Oldfield’s community association.

*Greg Norman Golf Course Design, EcoBunker, Capillary Flow and Troon are members of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.