Village Links, Plymouth MA

Summary: Faced with a flat, sandy site of 30 acres, Richard Golf built a stylish par-3 layout. Using on-site materials and a skilled golf shaper created substantial construction cost reductions.

Village Links is a par-3 golf course built on a thirty-acre site in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The permitting engineer used a plot plan with preliminary green, tee, and bunker details drawn in. To save money, the plan didn’t include highly defined golf course details; most of the design was done in the field with sketches and conversation.

The sandy site had a light forest of pitch pine and white oak. The site has an elevation change of 15 feet.

I hired a skilled golf course shaper, and he used a Cat D-8 and  small shaping bulldozer to construct the golf course. Working from the first tee outward, we rough shaped tees, greens, bunkers, and mounds. He produced 80% of the final shaping with the D-8, finishing the details with the small dozer. I only spent one hour a day with him; he gets overloaded with information after one hour.

We excavated the pond, using the sand fill for green and tee mix. The pond excavation included a large vein of sugar sand, a high percolation, sharp sand that tested well for golf green and tee mixtures. We hired a local screener and operator to mix, on site, the two products at a percentage of 80% sand and 20% topsoil.

We subcontracted the pond liner installation. We installed a wet well made of  48″ corrugated pipe. The owner constructed a pump house and installed pumps.

Ground water is pumped into the pond, and a separate pumping system feeds the irrigation system.  Constant refilling with a groundwater pump provides enough water to irrigate the golf course.

A local golf course construction company fine graded and seeded the site. They installed  hemp sacks filled with topsoil along the bunker edges.

Village Links is a short course, perfect for beginners or skilled players who want to practice short irons on contoured greens. A sister course, Squirrel Run, is nearby. Check them out if you are in Plymouth, Mass. , they are located near the Plymouth Municipal Airport.