CLUBHOUSE & gOLF cOURSE
We are excited to announce that Woodlake Country Club was recently featured as one of the Top 25 Notable Golf Course Renovations in 2023 by Golf Pass. Woodlake made the list among other notable course, not just in the US, but the world. They noted “Renovations come in many shades; even the most seemingly modest ones can have a huge impact on the day-to-day enjoyment of a course. Hundreds of golf courses will receive some sort of renovation this year. For now, here are 25 notable renovations to be aware of in 2023.”
The article continued with “Originally home to two golf courses, Woodlake fell on hard times and ultimately closed late last decade. Under new ownership, its original Ellis Maples-designed course is being revived by Kris Spence, who is an authority on the work of Donald Ross, Maples' mentor. Spence believes Woodlake to represent the some of Maples' best work, and he terms his renovation of Woodlake a "resurrection." The eponymous 1,200-acre body of water makes a stirring setting for the course's first few holes before it heads into the hills. When it reopens, Woodlake will be a great semi-private option for Pinehurst-bound golfers.”
As renovations to the Clubhouse building progress, The Woodlake Country Club website, as well as information on Memberships, is still expected to launch in early 2023. Our goal is to have details and information ahead of the summer season to allow time for signups prior to the soft opening date of the Clubhouse & Golf Course and in time for the pool season commencing Memorial Day weekend, as this will be a part of our package options. The target website and membership launch is set for this spring, mid April to early May. As we also prepare to enter growing season in early spring, we are closely monitoring the grass and Mother Nature to announce an exact date on the soft opening of the Maples Course. In addition to the announcement, we are discussing plans for exclusive golf course tours for Woodlake Residents prior to the opening; these tours would provide residents with an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the amazing transformation that has taken place over the years.
During the winter months, our maintenance team continued work on the Maples Course such as detailing natural areas, analyzing drainage, and cleaning the tree line surrounding playable areas. Given the recent warm front that moved in, our team has started spraying pre-emergent over the greens and fairways, as well as weed killer. It is still imperative that everyone continues to stay off of the Golf Course grass and grounds in addition to the golf cart paths at all times. At this time, we are discussing plans for exclusive golf course tours for Woodlake Residents prior to the grand opening; these tours would provide residents with an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the amazing transformation that has taken place over the years. The photos below are from the 8th Green, which is a Par 3. The photo on the left is from two years ago when we first acquired the property, and the photo on the right was taken this week from the same spot.
Transformation of the 8th Green from 2021 - Present
DAM PLANNING & CONSTRUCTION
Over the last few months, Atlantic National Capital and Schnabel Engineering have been working diligently behind the scenes to maintain the project timeline for the dam repair while simultaneously making notable progress. We are pleased to announce that after months of contract negotiations, Atlantic National Capital and TA Loving are officially under contract for the repair and restoration of the Woodlake Dam. While we are still navigating increased construction costs and materials, we are confident that our partnership with TA Loving will be effective in expediting the timeline as much as possible and identifying areas for cost savings as we continue to seek funding for the projected overage.
Atlantic National Capital has received a letter of approval from NC DEQ on our Subject Erosion and Sedimentation Control plans, and we have concurrently submitted an application for approval to repair the dam to NC DEQ Dam Safety. Supplementary to our application, Schanbel has completed evaluations and preparation of design drawings and specifications. Schnabel Engineering and Mogensen Mitigation are also working to obtain an extension on our 401/404 permit for our Wetlands Plan. Please keep in mind that ANC has no control over the permitting and approval process or the time involved. We are optimistic that we will not encounter any problems that could halt or jeopardize the Dam Construction or projected water levels. We have been told that NCDEQ is short staffed in Engineering and project approvals are dependent on priority status, which could take up to 6 months.
The proposed 7-cycle labrinyth design is an inline structure with a minimum top elevation of 230 and gates to the spillway exit. The complexity of this design aligns with our efforts to mitigate any future downstream flooding and ensures longterm sustainability. We have completed all the fill for the lakebed, and the goal of the design and rebuild would be to keep the lake at the same MSL (elevation) as it was prior to the dam breach.
The design drawings and specifications for the dam repair project produced by Schnabel Engineering.
Pre-mobilization preparations for dam construction are optimistically underway. This includes setting up temporary power and utilities for security lighting and cameras, clearing direct access paths to both sides of the dam, as well as installing fencing, storage, and temporary office sites. Mobilization by TA Loving is projected to follow this phase pending final approvals and permitting. Once construction commences, we are being told the project could take anywhere from 14 to 18 months to complete, and we remain hopeful for a 2024 completion date.
In an effort to expedite lakebed clearing when the time comes, we ask that all Lakefront homeowners continue to maintain any overgrown areas directly in front of their property. If you have not been maintaining these areas already, we ask that you proactively make efforts to clear any overgrown vegetation adjoining your property to ensure the lakebed in front of your home will be clear prior to construction commencement as our teams are focusing on the main lakebed and common areas. Our efforts will also include the marina and boat slip areas. Our vision for these areas include docks and possible boat storage available for residents to rent in the future. In regards to personal Lakefront homeowner docks, we plan to release information on how and when these can be repaired. We are asking homeowners to hold off on making these repairs until we have received all approvals and ANC releases guidelines on docks to ensure there is no disruption in permitting.
WOODLAKE IN THE NEWS
‘We’ve Come a Long Way’: At Woodlake, Restoration and Relief
Greensboro golf architect builds new course on N.C. site
Kris Spence completes revival of Woodlake course near Pinehurst